Cleaning interior

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vicls

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What you guys use to clean your leather, woodgrain, dash, etc. I wanna make my interior spotless:D
 
For leather and vinyl, I use 1 part woolite to 5 parts warm water. I then finish off the leather with a conditioner.
 
I strongly recommend using a vaccuum with soft-bristled brush head on it to detail the dash, especially areas like the radio/AC controls, AC vents, shifter console, etc. Nothing cleans off dust better. It will very easily and quickly get all the dust from between the buttons, vent grilles, etc. ... all the places you can't normally get into. If you use something wet, then the dust makes 'mud' which gets into all the nooks and crannies and sticks in place when it dries. Use a vaccuum and it will look like new. After vaccuuming I will use a micro-fibre towel lightly dampened in only water, to remove greasy fingerprints, etc. that the vaccuum can't get.

Use something very soft (not paper towels!) to clean the clear lens of the instrument panel to avoid scratching it.

Wax the wood. Seriously. It will look and feel as smooth and shiney as new. Don't get wax on anything else.
 
macboy said:
Wax the wood. Seriously. It will look and feel as smooth and shiney as new. Don't get wax on anything else.
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+1 but I use spray wax, I spray it on the aplicator and then get to work on it so it dont over spray.

Instead of a vacuum (wich works great) I use a can of air duster for PC's.

I never had to clean my leather, I dont like that idea so I keep it as clean as I can I just use conditioners on it but I have yet to find a good one. Every conditioner I have used so far works great but it makes my windows fog up even tho they all say they have been designed these days not to do it.
 
Whatever you do........ DO NOT USE anything that contains silicone.

Products like Armor All are the work of the Devil and the worst thing you can do to an interior. I use Griot's vinyl and leather cleaning products with great success. They aren't overly shiny and don't gas up the glass. Makes the interior look like the way it did the day it rolled out of the factory.
 
I find a microfiber cloth is my best friend in the car.

I use a slightly damp one to clean nearly everything, leather included (after a through vacuuming).

I found a leather conditioner product from Restoration Hardware of all places that seems to work the best. I tried Zaino's leather product and while it smelled real nice, I didn't see/feel much conditioning.

If I need a little soap to hit tough spots, I use highly diluted Simple Green on a microfiber.

Glass is Stoner's Invisible Glass and a bunch of coffee filters. If they're way dirty to start, I'll use the microfiber and water first to cut through the gunk (not often).

Now if only I could get the wifey to stop putting fab softener sheets in with the microfibers...that'd be great.
 
vicls said:
What you guys use to clean your leather, woodgrain, dash, etc. I wanna make my interior spotless:D
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For leather, use a good leather cleaner/conditioner.

For other places, I've found that Meguiar's Quik Interior Detailer works great.

http://www.meguiars.com/?vinyl-rubber-plastic-protectants/Quik-Interior-Detailer

Spray some on a microfiber towel and wipe. It removes dust, fingerprints, etc., and leaves interior chrome and glossy surfaces clean and shiney. Highly recommended.
 
The wood on the steering wheel and the shift knob are genuine wood. Of course, they have a layer of topcoat to preserve the wood, but they are genuine. The other trim pieces are not...
 
Ahh I C, I dont have the oh so cool steering wheel and shift knob. But by damn it if anyone has them for sale let me know.
 
use meguiars leather cleaner trust me its the best i cant explain it enough i have everything meguiars. i mean from washing your car inside and out.
 
Whatever you do........ DO NOT USE anything that contains silicone.

Products like Armor All are the work of the Devil and the worst thing you can do to an interior. I use Griot's vinyl and leather cleaning products with great success. They aren't overly shiny and don't gas up the glass. Makes the interior look like the way it did the day it rolled out of the factory.
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i think you mean alcohol. alcohol based products will actually dry out surfaces. i work at a car wash as a sales advisor. armor-all is alcohol based as most conditioners are silicon based. correct me if im wrong.

the conditioner we use at our wash is an spf 35 silicon based conditioner that works great.
 
pwr2killayak said:
i think you mean alcohol. alcohol based products will actually dry out surfaces. i work at a car wash as a sales advisor. armor-all is alcohol based as most conditioners are silicon based. correct me if im wrong.
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You're wrong. :D From Armor All's FAQ page:

********************

Q: What are the ingredients in Armor All® Protectants? Do they include silicone, alcohol, ultraviolet inhibitors and petroleum distillates?

A: Armor All® Original Shine Protectant contains water-based silicone emulsions, surfactants, and ultraviolet light inhibitors, humectants, dispersants and gloss enhancers.

********************

No mention of any alcohol. In fact, I've never heard of any alcohol-based conditioners for rubber, plastic, vinyl, or leather. It wouldn't make sense from a chemical point of view since the alcohols would dissolve the long chain greasy molecules in the conditioners. Now, alcohol-based glass cleaners are another story. The dissolving power of the alcohols is put to good use on those surfaces, with the added advantages of evaporating completely and leaving very little residue.
 
T_Man said:
Whatever you do........ DO NOT USE anything that contains silicone.

Products like Armor All are the work of the Devil and the worst thing you can do to an interior. I use Griot's vinyl and leather cleaning products with great success. They aren't overly shiny and don't gas up the glass. Makes the interior look like the way it did the day it rolled out of the factory.
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I think it's not just the fact that there is silicone in it, I think it's the type of the silicone that is in it. I know that there was a scare about the type of silicone in Turtle Ice Wax, but it turns out alright IIRC.

If you read closely, I think that the water based silicone is actually good for rubber and vinyl.
http://www.detailuniversity.com/for.../1340-good-silicone-not-so-good-silicone.html

For the leather, http://www.detailuniversity.com/forums/school-interior-detailing/709-leather-care-thoughts.html

If you have fine scratches and such on the "woodgrain" you can try using a polishing pad with light cutting power and a light cut finishing polish.
 
lseguy said:
pssst...its not REAL wood. :)
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On ALL LS models, the wood inserts on the steering wheel and shifter knob are real Maple wood (but all Sport models had leather instead of wood). If someone knows differently of course I will stand corrected.

On the 03+, the wood inserts in dash/doors were optional, but if you have them, they absolutely are real burled Maple wood. The standard equipment was cheap looking (IMHO) "satin nickel" inserts. Also, these inserts have a nearly flat surface, just slightly concave, unlike the 02- which have a notably bevelled surface. It is quite a different look.

On the 02-, the inserts in the dash/doors are fake/artificial. I had an 02 with artificial woodgrain, and now have an 06 with the real wood option, and the difference between them is dramatic. The 06 is so much more attractive, there is no contest really.
 
Hmmm... I bet i could make real wood inserts for my 2000. A nice exotic wood with a Nitro finish would look pretty sweeet. I think that's going to be next on my list of mods :D
 
macboy said:
On ALL LS models, the wood inserts on the steering wheel and shifter knob are real Maple wood (but all Sport models had leather instead of wood). If someone knows differently of course I will stand corrected.
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American Walnut burl wood, later years had some straight grain shifters.

Maple is light in color almost very light yellow which would look nice but it is American Walnut.
 
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