So on my new project I have the entire interior out of the car. What are some good products to clean the plastics and the seats?

 

Castrol Super Clean.



I use the stuff on everything,..... Radio face-plates, plastic trim, fabric/leather seats, Intake manifolds, dash pads, brake calipers, wheels, body panels,..... literally everything. It's pretty strong stuff and I'll always wet (with water) first, then apply Super Clean to the wet rag and re-wipe. Cleans almost anything and haven't had it stain, fade, "bleach" or cause defects on anything yet and I've been using it for years. Helps remove the 'old' smell from soft parts and works on just about every type of dirt, grease, oil, or residue.

When using on plastics or Leather I always have a "conditioner" ready to apply when done cleaning. (Armor-all, or leather conditioner for example. )

 

Soap and water is pretty hard to beat. A few drops of liquid Dawn in squirt bottle, fill with water, you're good to go. Simple Green is fairly harmless and can be diluted to make a light cleaner/degreaser.

Super Clean will eat paint and aluminum. It's one of the products I used to remove the factory rock chip coating from the rear wheel wells of my Firebird. I don't like having the stuff in my shop for fear that someone will grab it and use it somewhere it shouldn't be used, and destroy something. But that's just me, it's probably fine with enough water to dilute it and cut it's strength.

Stay away from anything with printed lettering or icons, the turn signal stalk, lock buttons, power window buttons, etc. It doesn't take much to rub off the markings.

 

Super Clean will NOT eat paint. ( Maybe it would stain paint if you soaked a rag and left it sitting on a body panel for a couple hours,... I'm not gonna' try that !) I've NEVER had a problem using it on aluminum either,.. matter of fact is that I use it full strength on intakes to remove the oil & crud when preparing them for blasting; never had a problem.

I just installed a replacement Door and Hood on my WHITE Trailblazer last week and was using full strength ( not diluted ) on a rag to remove the residue left once the factory door molding, rain guard, and bug shield were removed. When I was the truck under normal conditions I wet the truck first, apply Super Clean to the wash rag, then wash the truck, Same process with the spray-bomb painted wheels ----> NO problem.



Want to be cautious (a good idea) apply to a wet rag first.

P.S.
Agreed: Water ONLYon that stuff !! Sometimes water alone will wipe away icons and such !

 

And yet if you read the labels it tells you it's harmful to aluminum and can damage painted surfaces.



Sometimes you guys can be some hard headed difficult mother****ers.

 

Damn straight: My post here is 100% based on years of past experience and 100% honest. No guesswork or assumption or blind faith. NEVER have I found it to harm paint on ANY body panel I've applied it too; NEVER have I found it to harm a Aluminum part in ANY way. If I had EVER found it to harm ANYTHING,... it would have been disclosed.
I don't use this board to spread or instruct people to do anything I haven't already done myself----> PERIOD. While I might argue "in theory" at times; that would be disclosed in that argument. Paint sure looks good on that hood and door, results that soap and water would never be able to obtain. I'll be sure to re-post if the hood or door ever falls off the truck.

Note: I provided the same common-sense step about being careful when using Super Clean - just as the warning label does - because :
Hard-headed---> !! Cause' I know what I've done and what the end result was; and when the same methods produces the same result over - and over - and over - and over again........... ( Picture speaks a thousand words, hood and door look pretty darn good to me. ) Drew; I don't see anything in that warning about it eating paint, so what experience are you basing that on ?? As your post makes quite clear, your claim that is not based on any kind of past experience and is an argument made "in theory" based on the product label. By your own admission you don't use Super Clean except for very limited tasks. So; if/when you can ever back up the claim that Super Clean eats paint or that it eats aluminum,............ be sure to post an update here; and be sure to including the details/steps you took that led-up to the harmful outcome.

 

I'm not going to read all that and reply to it, because it's a waste of my time.

You're making an unfounded assumption. I've used several jugs of Super Clean, going back to when it was first introduced as Castrol Super Clean, and I'm telling you it can remove paint and eat aluminum. I provided a screen shot of their website to further validate what I'm saying. I don't need to tell you my life story to validate my personal experience or opinion.

For anyone that is open to suggestions, read the warning labels on any products you're thinking about using, and follow them. They work better that way and a little care goes a long way toward not creating additional problems for yourself.

Just for fun here's a modeling forum talking about using Super Clean specifically to strip paint. I'm sure they don't know what they're talking about either. It can't possibly eat paint, John in RI said it's 100% safe for all painted surfaces.

https://www.hobbytalk.com/threads/do...-clean.212726/

 

For my plastics I spray them off with Simple green and then use a Magic Eraser dipped in hot water with Dawn using light pressure to clean. After that I spray with warm water and wipe dry with a microfiber towel and then finally use a good quality interior protectant. I have brought back some seriously dirty leather by doing it this way. The key is to let the tools do the work and not to rub the hell out of it lol!

 

That's all you've got ?? A post from a guy that uses it to soak his model cars in ?? How long did you search the web to come up with that as your rebuttal ?? Hobby-car guys that are leaving their model car parts soaking in a pan of Super Clean for hours on end,....... Do you realize how that is.


Waste of time: Just like much of the bile and you post to these message boards day-after-day. Get a life dude.

FYI: that would be called a lie. Keyboard hero, another holier-than-thou, King Nuthin' TROLL. What a joke you are. For years I've made every attempt at giving you the benefit of the doubt because your a senior member with some valuable experience & knowledge. Now; I''ve grown tired of dancing around that fact that your an Ignorant *****. Find a friend, peel yourself off that seat in front of your PC, get out from behind your keyboard and try talking to someone in the real (not digital) world for a change. Or is the lack of social acceptance the reason your super-glued in front of your PC all day/night waiting to chime in with some self-righteous remark to member inquiries and questions. Do the world a favor, get your self a big bottle of Super Clean,....... Then drink it.

P.S. I still can't tell what looks better, my passenger door,... or the hood.

 

I spent about 30 seconds replying John, including highlighting the line of text and clicking "search Google" to give you a link.

You're wrong and giving bad advice. Deal with it.

 

Reported.

Sorry John, but you're suggesting using a mildly caustic cleaner on potentially painted parts (interior plastics), and justifying it because it didn't eat the catalyzed clear coated paint off the exterior of your SUV. That seems entirely applicable to the thread. And I'm trolling for pointing out that the label specifies to use caution on painted surfaces?

Regardless, if you can't handle the discussion without resorting to personal attacks and telling someone to drink caustic cleaners, you probably need to have your head examined.

PS - Didn't you know John, you are my friend. It's not my fault you have thin skin and can't handle my brand of humor. You could always hide my replies if they bother you, or go find something else to do.

 

Really depends on the condition of the plastics. If they are faded and a bit chalky, you are better off repainting them or finding better ones. On good plastics, I typically use a glass cleaner which works quite well, just make sure it's ammonia free such as Invisible Glass. I learned that trick about 20 years ago. Also removes scuff marks. As for seats and carpet, I've always had good luck with Shout and/or Resolve on fabrics to get out most stains and dirt.

 

Your right,..... You warned other members with a perfectly legit warning; I just came to this thread to self-moderate.

Your wrong,.... We ain't friends. Your brand of "humor" is exactly why I would never allow you to be my friend.

I apologize to the membership for throwing around personal insults. Not my style and I haven't felt "right" since posting earlier.

 

Done.

 

Warm water works really well. A tad bit of dish soap on the cloth will usually take care of any stubborn stuff. Woolite foaming carpet cleaner and a scrub brush work really good on carpet.

My wife has some citrus cleaner that she buys from Melaluca and that stuff is the bomb!!! Literally the best spot cleaner I have ever used on cloth & rugs. And it's harmless to touch, too.

 

I'm all broken up inside that we can't be friends anymore John. Bad taste aside I never really had any reason to dislike you. Oh well, I'm still your friend, even if you don't want to be my friend. Sorry if that bothers you, but that's how I roll. I'm still giving you the benefit of the doubt. FWIW.

 

I use

Chemical Guys SPI_663 Inner Clean Interior Quick Detailer & Protectant (1 Gal)

Works good and leaves either a nice sheen or can be buffed to a original matte like finish.

 

WHAT??? I CAN'T HEAR YOU.

 

Years ago, a friend of mine had some plastic model cars and model trains in a glass display case like department stores have. There was a container of Super Clean that wasn't tightly sealed sitting on top, and someone accidentally knocked it over. Some of the fluid got down inside the case and it literally ate the plastic on the model cars and trains. My friend was extremely bummed out about it. I used it to soak an aluminum timing cover for a smallblock Ford, and it did some nasty stuff to it (maybe I soaked it too long). I love the stuff for cleaning certain things, but I know from personal experience that, yes, it does eat plastic and aluminum...

 

TL,.... Gotta' wonder if his stuff was actually plastic ?? If you start watching the video I posted those hobby guys are submerging their toys in plastic tubs of Super Clean for - "Not 1,... Not 2, but for 15 HOURS. ( 2 minute mark in the video ) They do this because Super Clean will not melt plastic. They search for products to remove the finish from their toys - other than the obvious "thinners" - exactly so the plastic doesn't get harmed.

Final post here "for the record",..................

Is how Super Clean says it.

Is how I wrote it.

Bird-**** will "eat paint". Just about any cleaning product on the market will "eat paint" if it is allowed to remain on the painted surface. If you take a spray bottle and spray just 1 pump of WATER in a spot on older fabric seat and let it dry it will dry as a stain. ( dampen the entire area to relieve that effect ) The product video - a Super Clean video - shows them directly applying 100% solution directly on Painted, Aluminum and Plastic surfaces. It's bio-degradable and will clean just about anything. Will it harm stuff if that stuff is sub-merged in it for 15 hours,... or left in a puddle on a surface to dry. YUP. There's using something,..... and there's miss-using something. IN MY EXPERIENCE ( aka: when used properly ) I have never found it to stain, burn, melt, or otherwise harm any metal, plastic, rubber or fabric. I believe it to be the best product on the market for cleaning interior auto parts.

 

My statements still stand.

Guess what? Model paint is still, wait for it... Paint. Superclean eats it. Does it eat other types of paint? Potentially. If it eats it over a LONG period of time, it's got to have a minimal effect in a short period of time. You might not be able to see the effect without a microscope, but it's a pretty safe bet it takes effect on contact.

Superclean absolutely does eat aluminum. You can cut up a soda can, and submerge it in a bit of Superclean in a glass container and watch the aluminum melt away in a matter of minutes. All that will be left behind other than a dirty slurry of Superclean is the degraded plastic coating from the inside of the can.

I'd be more than happy to demonstrate this, except as I said in the beginning, I don't keep the stuff in my shop because I don't want some idiot (me) accidentally using it somewhere it might cause damage.

Suggesting someone use it on their interior is right up there with suggesting they use Easy Off oven cleaner, or toilet bowl cleaner, or Draino...

For the record, John, you're giving bad advice, and your insistence that there's nothing wrong with your recommendation in the face of overwhelming criticism and even the recommendations on the bottle, just makes you look foolish.

 

If I am going to paint some thing, dawn or tri sodium phosphate prior to using a solvent cleaner. The finish doesn't matter in that case as you're just trying to get everything clean. If it does, mild soap and a soft sponge also works if you're not painting it. A hand held steamer and some interior cleaner also work with scrubbing.

On fabrics such as seats, I buy bottom shelf, I mean in a plastic bag, absolute bottom shelf laundry detergent and some powdered oxy clean. Make a paste with it and scrub the seats down with it. Flush and rinse with a garden hose or pressure washer, then let them air dry. Summer in Texas that's not really hard. These were some junk yard seats I did this to, so they had been out in the weather.

For carpets I have seen folks fill a cheap kiddy pool with water and powdered detergent or oxy clean, soak and scrub, pressure wash, then air dry. You can also use the paste method with laundry detergent, scrub and pressure wash. Or take it to a car coin operated wash, soap and the pressure wash. Most the time most my fabrics have cleaned well with a hand house hold cleaner shampoo cleaner. Its just you have to be realistic, if a stains been there since the Iran Contra scandal, its not going to be perfect again.

Leather or vinyl, any decent leather cleaner and a hand steamer will lift out most stains. Just key is to use a good conditioner after. The better leather cleaners work well, chemical guys, poor boys, blue magic, etc. Make sure its not a cleaner and conditioner, those are weaker. You can also use the laundry detergent scrub, steam and wipe up. Then just condition. I have an Adobe tan interior in my F150, so keeping it clean is a challenge.

 

I like Simple Green... It’s pretty safe for almost everything and can be diluted to shampoo carpets, clean seats, clean plastic and trim, etc... Full strength you can clean engines, rubber mats, tires before you use dressing, etc... You can dilute it and use it in carpet cleaners and steam cleaners too.

For Trim dressing I actually like Meguiars Gold Class 3 in 1 Leather Cleaner/Conditioner/Protectant... It works great on plastic trim, vinyl, etc... It has a better spread than interior dressings, and you can buff it to a deep, warm glow with a microfiber... Not greasy either... It’s fine to use on “non-leather” and has UV protectant but it’s pricier than interior dressing. It’s designed for modern leather seats which are coated and more like vinyl anyway. The conditioner doesn’t go into the leather. Essentially it prevents UV damage and friction that leads to worn, chaffed seats from getting in and out. It makes scuffed kick panels look brand new too...