Thread: Best way to clean a $400 car

rent a steam cleaner

Leather or cloth interior?

i use tuff stuff interior cleaner, stuff great. its good for seats, rugs, door panels, dash and all plastics. ive sprayed it all over lol

your going to need soapy water and a back bone to clean it right or........ you could replace it all from a donor car

your going to need leather oils

more like vinyl or really cheap leather but either way the leather oils works on both so i on that.

The leather is really easy to clean. The leather in the car has a coating on it. That coating protects the leather. It's not like uncoated leather which becomes dry and needs to be rejuvenated with oils. So with coated leather you are cleaning the actual coating and not the actual leather. If the coating has failed, one will see color transfer on the applicator.

I pulled this from a thread on Autopia car care.



Caring for pigmented leather is truly about keeping the leather clean. Dirt and particulate will scratch and wear the leather leading to shiny appearance and exposure of the leather hide underneath. Acidic body oils can wear or stain the vacuum frequently and use a gentle, water based cleaner to remove embedded dirt and oil. Use a protectant or conditioner that features protectants (to reduce abrasion and increase sun fade resistance). Over time the leather coating will crack microscopically or stretch in the seams and folds. Conditioners can penetrate the coating through these cracks and openings, keeping the leather underneath soft and supple.

This is a good reference video




In regards to products, some All Purpose Cleaner would work on all surfaces. I would recommend something like Meguiar's D101 with the spray bottle mixed at 10:1. It can be used on most surfaces. I have used it on leather and the plastic interior pieces with no issues. It can be used on upholstery as well. I would recommend getting a brush to scrub the leather seats to pull out a lot of the dirt. I have used APC on leather but it can sometimes leave the leather feeling a little sticky. So following up with a damp microfiber towel can help with that. I personally follow up with a leather conditioner to add a barrier between the seat and the person. I use APC for deep cleanings.

If you are looking to pick up some products locally, Meguiar's Gold Class Leather & Vinyl Cleaner and Meguiar's Gold Class Leather Conditioner work very well. These are strictly leather products.

Meguiar's Quick Interior Detailer has a light cleaner built in that can be used on all surfaces. I use a lot of this and would recommend it. For a heavily soiled interior, APC is the way to go.

Here are a couple reviews of some leather cleaner and conditioners that I have done.

These Blackfire products are great and would recommend them as well.

http://www.autopia.org/forums/detail...nditioner.html

These Meguiar's products are only available in gallon sizes.

http://www.autopia.org/forums/detail...r-cleaner.html

Heck I thought it was dog leather, now I know better! When I don't know just how nasty something is, I like to start with warm water and a sponge with plenty of clean towels to dry off. Same on carpet but add in a shop vac. I don't like carpet pads to ever get wet, they take too long to dry. So I sponge on some water (to already well vaccumed carpet) then wipe carpet with dry towel and vaccum. Keep repeating until water isn't helping then switch to TuffStuff for the finish. I've gotten lots of coffee stains out this way, but nothing would beat a good steam clean for carpet. Whether the french fry that just fell on the floor is safe to consume after all that... is anybody's guess!

i like that pc brush in the vid.

tuff stuff has always done well by me. bucket or warm water, spray it on let it sit a minute to soak in, then use a scrub brush like in the vid if need be, wipe off with a dry rag, then with a damp rag with the warm water wipe it all down. 2 bucket system works well for this, one to rinse, one to get more clean water on the rag.

tuff stuff has even removed tar from the inside door panels. i always got a can on hand lol

Aw yea I forgot brushing, its a nutritious part of a complete cleaning. I use a tire or vegetable brush on carpets.

Another bonus tip, sorry: On occasions where a mechanic had stepped in grease and got it on carpet, and I was the post-service detailer, I discovered that paint prep solvent (wax and grease remover) if used sparingly can actually wipe those spots off if caught before its ground into the rug. Never had it discolor the carpet. Using solvent is kinda like what they call dry cleaning for clothes.