Interior Detail vs Full Detail: What's The Difference?
Detailers throw around 'interior', 'exterior', and 'full' like everyone knows the difference. Here's exactly what each one includes — and which you actually need.
When you book a "detail" you can end up with anything from a $40 quick clean to a $400 multi-hour transformation. Here's exactly what each level means at Polish & Go and across most reputable Milton detailers.
Interior detail
A focused service on everything inside the cabin.
What's included:
- Full vacuum (seats, carpet, mats, trunk, under seats)
- Steam clean of dashboard, console, vents, cup holders
- Shampoo and extraction of fabric seats and carpets
- Leather clean and conditioner
- Interior glass
- Door jambs
- Light fragrance
Time: 1.5–3 hours Price (Milton): $75 sedan / $95 SUV Best for: Cars that are reasonably clean outside but lived-in inside.
Exterior detail
A focused service on the paint and wheels.
What's included:
- Pre-rinse and snow foam
- Two-bucket hand wash
- Wheel and tire deep clean
- Iron decontamination (removes brake dust embedded in clear coat)
- Hand-dry with microfiber
- Finishing polish or spray sealant
- Tire dressing
- Exterior glass
Time: 1.5–2.5 hours Price (Milton): $65 sedan / $85 SUV Best for: Cars that get washed regularly but never properly polished.
Full detail
Interior + exterior in one visit. This is what people picture when they think "detailing."
What's included: Everything in both services above, in one appointment.
Time: 3–5 hours Price (Milton): $110 sedan / $140 SUV Best for: Twice-yearly maintenance, selling your car, lease return, post-winter recovery.
Deep interior cleaning
A step up from interior detail for cars in rough shape.
What's included:
- Everything in an interior detail, plus:
- Headliner cleaning (when fabric allows)
- Heavy stain and odour treatment with enzyme cleaners
- Ozone treatment for severe odours
- Seats moved or removed for under-seat access on the worst cases
Time: 3–5 hours Price (Milton): $140 sedan / $175 SUV Best for: Pet messes, smoke damage, vomit, mildew, severe winter salt damage, cars you've owned for years and never deep-cleaned.
Which one do you need?
| Situation | Recommended service |
|---|---|
| Routine maintenance | Interior detail every 3 months |
| Lived-in family car | Interior detail every 2 months |
| Salt-damaged spring car | Full detail |
| Selling your car | Full detail |
| Lease return | Full detail or deep interior |
| Pet accident | Deep interior |
| Smoke or vomit smell | Deep interior with ozone |
| First detail in years | Full detail + maybe deep interior |
The Milton-specific recommendation
Most of our Milton customers run this schedule:
- Spring (April) — Full detail
- Summer (July) — Interior detail
- Fall (October) — Full detail
- Winter (February) — Interior detail
About $600/year, and the car stays looking near-new with no surprises.
Not sure which one fits? Get a quote — our quote builder asks 4 questions and tells you exactly what we'd recommend.
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