Date:         Fri, 27 Jun 1997 10:07:55 -0400
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         kelphoto@bright.net (mark keller)
Subject:      Re: upolstery cleaner

Lon,

   Yeah, glad to help on the upholstry clean up... sort of. Whilst in
school, high school, I had a job with such a company. So I kinda had some
previous experience.

   The problems, I'll try to state then give the solution.  One is that
"sham" "pooing" disolves the dirt into the upholstory and leaves a soap
residue on the cloth.  Now you have a "dry well soaped wash cloth" that
"cleans" the dirt off of everything that comes into contact with it.
Another problem is that spilt liquids go into the foam sub-seat and when
you clean the surface only, the gunk finds its way to the surface either
while your cleaning, or while its drying. Trying to do too large an area at
once and hurrying the job and not overlapping a an inch or so, usually
results in a mottled job or streaks of clean and not so clean areas.

THE soap.  I love "Simple Green" full strength in a spray bottle.

   The Routine. Squeeze the wet wash cloth out and wipe the area to
slightly moisten it. Spray on the simple green. As to the amount, You
should "see" a slight lather, when your brush it a few times. Work it in
with a 3" circular motion, yes you can go back and forth and side to side
with the brush. Depending on dirt level, work the brush over the area 3 or
4 times. (Mine was like four repetitions of this drill, soap scrub rinse
soap scrub etc. Every time. I spent six hours on two seats,If,you saw my
note on buying the van and you'll know why. Dad said he'd never seen seats
this dirty in 40 years of Automobile work. Even he was impressed with my
job. High praise indeed.) Rinse.

   The brush, depends on your material, the more knap of your cloth, the
softer the bush, but those grocery store jobs in my opin are ok for auto
stuff.

   Wet vac, a must, I'd just use the end of the hose or crevice tip. Keep
the end attachment small as possible. BTW I went through two 2 gallon pails
of water on just my front seats. The wet vac got most of it all back out.
Now my seat coverings and the foam beneath are sqeaky clean.

   A water rinse, applied by a regular wash cloth. Get a pail of water and
slather the water on the area then immediatly wet vac the area. Do this a
thousand times or until your satisfied the area is well rinsed. In your
minds eye, visualize that you are trying to vacuum the water and gunk out
of the foam beneath the fabric and you'll do just fine.

   When your finished, brush all of the material in a direction to stand
the knap up. to dry. If you have access to an air hose, use a blow gun to
"separate the knap fibers"  and then blow the knap into the direction where
you can see the cloth's pattern best. (this is one of those pro tips from
my dad)  This will take a lot of wear pattern out of velor seats, like mine
had.

  THE WARNINGS. First  VW's are different. So really test an area, so that
your sure that something I have not seen in my VW an is on your VW, is not
going to be a problem.  For instance, my seats are foam, others may have
who knows what, and this is a water intensive process, there should not be
a problem, but life is a case by case senario. I've given my advice, you'll
still need to think for yourself.   Spot test a small patch of upholstry in
an inconspicious place to verify that the dye will not run.  Simple Green's
good stuff and I don't expect you'll have problems.

   Number 2. Do the whole routine on a area about the size of a sheet of
paper.I sorta followed the individual panels, if their big then I split up
the section. Really work in those panel seams. Then OVERLAP a tad-- tad? OK
OK "ONE INCH" there and then do another area.

   Tips: Remove the seats and work on a table, you'll be more comforatable.
Ear plugs help keep the vac from driving your crazy. Actually, I also put
my CD Player in my shirt pocket, headphones on, over the ear plugs, and
away we go. I think I had sun glasses on too but they are optional.

   Spots the real tuffies. A little starting fluid, or lacquer thinner,
carb cleaner etc. Yeah that stuff on a water dampened rag ,spot test prior,
will get most everything out. Use a blotting action, don't smear.  Repeat
with solvent, then blot with a towel until the spot is gone. I use full
strength and really dab it on, DONT RUB, DAB DAB DAB MESSUER FLINTSONE, but
I'd go slow first until you can get the action of appling the solvent to
the area only, and then quickly blot it back out, and repeat. Repeatings
the trick. NOT soaking the spot on the first try. Moderatly wet the area
with the solvent, then blot it dry with your clean cloth or paper towel.
You should see the blotting cloth absorbing up the stain.

   I really promise you if keep to this, you'll clean your upholstry as
clean as it gets. For carpet the thread on taking it out and power washing
it at the doityourself place was a gem. It saved my life. Keep'er Clean.

Mark, clean em up, Keller
91' Carat WLE
Somewhere between Wooster and Canton OHIO.





>I'd be VERY interested in your tips on how to clean up the interior. My
>Westy is an 81, and tho it has been cared for well its entire life, the last
>few years, with little kids and dogs and all, have really messed up the
>cloth, carpeting, et.al.
>
>Please let me know of your tips.
>
>BTW, where are you in Ohio? I'm located in Granville, Ohio, about 30 miles
>east of columbus. home of denison university........
>
>Lon Herman