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What is the best interior cleaning product? My Wife was heading out to her MINI with the ol' Windex the other day when I thought - yikes!
Somewhere I read, you don't want to use glass cleaners on vinyl seats, dash or door panels. Hmmm, then is mild dishsoap and water the stuff?
Browsed at the auto store there was no specialty products for cleaning. Armorall used to make a squirt cleaner. What's the product of choice in your household?
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Anything Made can be Made Better
When I asked my MA what to use to clean the dash and other surfaces, etc. he said to dilute a very small amount of Murphy's Oil Soap in water. Have not tried this yet however.
Armourall and products like it leave a shine. This is very, very bad. The reason that the dash is flat black and bumpy is so that you don't see reflections on the windshield.
At a local car wash, I took the MDX in for a quick clean (wifes car, she NEVER cleans anything in it). Told them not to armour all the dash, did it anyway, took months to recover.....
<Kung Fu Master Voice>: Grasshopper, go to Detailing 101 and read about Meguiar's #40 and 303 Aerospace Protectant, to reach the highest levels of interior Zen.
Be sure to nurture the Windex Lady's good instincts! (just hide the Windex ). You'll need her on your side when you suggest dropping 80 bucks on a vacuum cleaner that's specifically "for the car".
Good Luck (go to Detailing 101 Forum for massive good karma),
Tatt
Thanks for the tip master, but I live in a cow town where such zooty products aren't sold.
There must be a "household" alternative?
Perhaps I will not achive zen with this effort. A show car it is not. Reasonable care is what it shall receive. I did give her a good NXT wax job then Mother's Back to Black plastics treatment. She's a beauty, the only clay bar around here is made by Play-Doe.
A specialty vacuum? I use the good ol' shop-vac. The interior has black leatherette, Murphy's oil soap.... hmmm.
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Anything Made can be Made Better
Here's a suggestion... I'll try to bring it down to your level.
There is this thing... it's called the "In - truh - net"... It's like a Tupperware party for a computer... you can spend your money one day and a few days later, the mail man delivers some stuff off at your trailer. It does require a credit card, so you will have to find that one relative that has a job and use theirs. Once you get that, you will have to go to the town geek's house... yeah... that guy you used to throw empty beer cans at in high school (until you dropped out)... he probably has access to this "In - truh - net" thingie and can order this stuff for you.
Okay, I think I posted this question in the wrong forum. My garage's "detail" shelf sports 6 bottles of magic. Some of the visitors here dedicate a shrine to their collections of German sounding voodoo potions and what-evers.
Now, imagine you are out of town and you spot a rather nasty foot skid with doggie goo smeared across your door panel. You stop by a friends house, peer under the sink, you're looking for.....
A. An Internet connection.
B. A horse brush and a can of Saddle Soap.
C. A Brillo Pad and a can of Comet.
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Anything Made can be Made Better
I agree with with agranger Autopis is great not only for the wide range of detailing products they sell but the education you can get about detailing on their site beats anything youw ill ever get anyplace else
However, that said please note that Armoral can be applied a number of different ways and one of those ways iwill produce a very clean, dull, non oiley finish which is just what the doctor would order
Now, imagine you are out of town and you spot a rather nasty foot skid with doggie goo smeared across your door panel. You stop by a friends house, peer under the sink, you're looking for.....
A. An Internet connection.
B. A horse brush and a can of Saddle Soap.
C. A Brillo Pad and a can of Comet.
...the perpetrator, who is probably cowering behind the dishwashing detergent and the Raid?
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'03 ib/ib MCS, some mods, more in store...
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I guess I should answer the question seriously this time...
I use diluted 303 Aerospace Cleaner (about 1/5 dilution of 303 cleaner to water) in a spray bottle that I picked up at Target. I use some cheapie microfibers (also from Target) for this type of cleaning work on the interior and door jams. For the more stubborn scuffs, I'll use one of those Mr. Clean sponges and dry off w/ the microfiber.
After using the 303 inside, be sure to use a protectant afterwards...
My favorites
- Meguiars #40 - BradB turned me on to this stuff and it is very long lasting on the exterior. A nice bit of shine, but not as garish as many. Perfect for arches and tires (and all exterior bits)
- Zaino rubber/plastic treatment - low shine but blackens everything up nicely. Easy to apply with foam applicator. It wears off on the exterior in a week or so, but is perfect for inside. This is my go-to inside rubber/plastic/vinyl treatment
- 303 Aerospace Protectant - another great product from 303. Like the Zaino stuff, it wears off fairly quickly outside but is perfect inside. Low shine.
I've also heard great things about Vinlyex on this forum, but I've never tried it. I believe that it suffers from the same durability problem as Zaino and 303 on the exterior bits.
Smells lemony, makes matte plastic black without making it shiny, cleans the dust off of everything, doesn't leave residue, and doesn't leave glass oily or streaky.
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Does anyone know if the Meguiars Inside Detailier (above) has UV protectants? It looks like a new product to try if so. If not, you would still have to follow up with a protectant like Meguiars #40, Zaino plastic/rubber, 303 protectant, vinylex, etc.
Hmmm, you would think they'd include that in the product info on the website, no? I had a quick peek and didn't see a mention of UV protection. I suppose you've phoned Meguiar's by now, AG :smile:.
The #40 is probably my best favoritest treatment for leatherette, dash, inside door pockets, footwells, fender skirts, door gaskets, tires, under-the-bonnet applications...
One product with many applications is SO nice, instead of the other way round.
The Meguiars #40 is a bit too high shine for me on the interior... and it seems to show fingerprints a bit more but I'm not sure... It just seems a bit fussy compared to the 303 or Zaino. I love it on outside, though... it lasts much longer.
The Meguiars #40 is a bit too high shine for me on the interior... and it seems to show fingerprints a bit more but I'm not sure... It just seems a bit fussy compared to the 303 or Zaino. I love it on outside, though... it lasts much longer.
Hmmm interesting point about shiny... I guess I was comparing the gloss level with #40, to ArmorAll (do not fear I pitched it lonnng ago ). THAT stuff was pretty dang shiiiny. Call it a youthful indiscretion.
Also, I have only tried "sample packets" of 303 on my dashboard (I liked it, and the absence of actual daylight in my garage must be to blame for making the "sheen" from the 303 look Very Similar to what I'm accustomed to with #40.
303 Aerospace Protectant, great stuff with uv protectionis available at many Ace Hardware Stores...you do have hardware stores out in the sticks, don't ya?
). You'll need her on your side when you suggest dropping 80 bucks on a vacuum cleaner that's specifically "for the car".
