Date: Mon, 18 Aug 2003 03:48:16 EDT
Reply-To: THX0001@AOL.COM
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: George Goff <THX0001@AOL.COM>
Subject: Re: Update on upholstery problem...
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In a message dated 8/13/03 9:29:17 PM, jjmojo@SUSCOM.NET writes:
<< Well, I decided to try using just water with a little Dawn soap and a
brush. No luck...now my seat looks like someone spilled coffee all over
it....The more water I put on it...the more "Brown" juice that comes
out. I think it's the foam underneath that is making the seats turn
brown. Anyone else ever had this problem...the exact same problem?. . .
. . . Any thoughts? >>
Jesse,
Stop worrying about the foam dissolving. The brown color is caused by dirt
which has yet to be rinsed away. The dirt which has floated to the surface may
also have a lot of cigarette tar in it. As I have said before on this list,
in cleaning a car's upholstery the rinsing is more important than the washing.
I have cleaned seats with the covers in place and with them removed. Both
require a thorough scrub with detergent and much rinsing with prodigious
amounts of water. One solution I used was a home-brew of Tide, ammonia and vinegar
in water. It worked great. For the last interior which I cleaned, I first
scrubbed the material with Castrol Power Clean, then I wash it with a generic
powdered detergent. It worked great,too.
I prefer to remove the covers from the seats. It is the only way to rinse
them completely and end up with the upholstery looking absolutely like new.
Also, with the covers removed, most of the water can be extracted from them by
spinning them in a washing machine. Of course, it is a lot more work to remove
the covers.
One risk with washing the covers while they are still on the seats is that
the rinse will not be as effective. If the seats are not rinse enough, they
might look clean but they will have a slight tacky feeling to them. If you leave
the covers on the seats, hose them off until you think they are rinsed, them
hose them some more. While you are rinsing them, keep kneading the surfaces
to help float away the dirt. You will see gallons of brown water run down the
drain.
Once rinsed, go over the surfaces with a wet/dry vac several times. One good
way to dry the seats is to put them in the van along with a dehumidifier.
Whichever way you go, remember the important thing is to rinse them
thoroughly.
George