cleaning cloth interior

Hi, I have an 09se with the ivory cloth interior. What is the best way to clean the blemishes/stains on the door panel and seats?

 

Thanks for any help

Hey, not sure exactly how to clean the seats, but when you figure it out, check out the linked thread to help keep them clean! http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/anybody-ever-use-scotchguard-protectori-184860.html?t=184860&highlight=cleaning+seats

The best way is to use an upholstery cleaner and an upholstery brush. I like using the foaming ones like Prestone or Tuff Stuff. Spray it on and use small circles to brush the area and then use a vacuum to suck ou the dirt and foam. With ivory or beige interiors it is important to stay on top of it. This article may have some other things that will help. It doesn't cover cloth upholstery as much, but the principle is the same. You will just probably need to use the vacuum a lot.

 

Another thing that works well is super hot water. That is how carpet cleaners work. They boil the water and use either that or the steam to clean the carpets. If worse comes to worse then you could always rent a carpet cleaner from Home Despot and give that a whirl. It will work, but it is just a matter of how much effort you want to put into the job I guess.

^appreciate the help guys

man...i tried to simply wipe some dirty stuff off the seat and door panel with a wet paper towel and now it's left some new blemishes just from the water...

Those are probably 'clean spots'. You are using the wrong tool, man. You need to get some vinyl and plastic cleaner and a brush and start scrubbing. Water and paper towels are what I use to...uhmm....actually, I can't think of anything I use water and paper towels for when cleaning a car. Get some Tuff Stuff from your local store that sells car care stuff and start with that.

Those are probably 'clean spots'. You are using the wrong tool, man. You need to get some vinyl and plastic cleaner and a brush and start scrubbing. Water and paper towels are what I use to...uhmm....actually, I can't think of anything I use water and paper towels for when cleaning a car. Get some Tuff Stuff from your local store that sells car care stuff and start with that.

 

 

^on my way to pep boys after work...thanks again

Just remember to scrub hard. Sometimes light colored door panels and sills can be a real beast. This is my tool box for cleaning interiors. I have to bust out nearly everything in that box at least once on a big vehicle.

 

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y42/OCDetails/G2%20Photos/IMG_20110813_112607.jpg

 

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y42/OCDetails/G2%20Photos/IMG_20110813_112353.jpg

 

The same process of cleaning can be applied to leather, but you just have to be careful.

 

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y42/OCDetails/G2%20Photos/IMG_20110813_144926.jpg

 

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y42/OCDetails/G2%20Photos/IMG_20110813_143325.jpg

 

For cloth you don't want to scrub too much because that just spreads it around. Same thing with headliners. You want to soak it and let the product loosen up the dirt. Use very small circles and try to stay in the area of the spots you are cleaning with your brush. Then use a vacuum to suck most of the dirt and foam out. That gets much better results than just scrubbing it like you are trying to get oil stains out of concrete. You have to be gentle with cloth or you will fray it and/or just spread the stain around. Use strong cleaners and a vacuum. That gets the best results (next to a hot water extractor or carpet cleaner, of course).

HOLY CRAP! Is it hard to do that to leather?! My car needs it bad! Did you just use the Tuff Stuff for the leather as well?

Leather is a little different because it doesn't soak up the product like cloth. A good leather cleaner is what you want to use to do that kind of thing. Then a good conditioner right afterwards to keep the leather moisturized and soft. Otherwise it dries out and cracks.

 

It's not too hard to do that kind of thing. It just takes a long time since you have to clean every inch of the seat. And you have to keep switching to a new towel to wipe up all the slime and dirt you are cleaning off the seat so it doesn't just dry and stain all over again. And unless people see the before and after like that, often it is hard to see the difference after everything is clean. Spots are easy to tell when they are clean, but when you have changed the color of their interior entirely, that is sometimes a little harder to spot, but way impressive when they realize it. I left that seat out and finished off the other half after they had seen the entire van. I wanted them to know how filthy it actually was. lol

Thank you, I am going to have to try that!

HOLY CRAP! Is it hard to do that to leather?! My car needs it bad! Did you just use the Tuff Stuff for the leather as well?

 

No. Do not use it for leather. You run the risk of white spots, discoloration and/or staining.

For heavily soiled leather, a detailing towel and hot water might work. You also might try using vinger based windex to get the dirty spots cleaner. Then follow it up with protectant such as Lexoil.

Wha??? Ok, ignore that comment above. Don't use windex on your leather. E V A R. And LexOL is not much of a protectant. It is more like goat's urine. At least that is what it smells like. Spray leather conditioners aren't really great anyway. If you want to condition your leather you really need to use a lotion or a gel.

 

No offense TX, but don't recommend against a product (which actually would work) because it would cause white spots, discoloration and/or staining and then go on to recommend a product that would definitely cause that kind of damage.