Cleaning vinyl

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Tadams

Tadams

Tadams
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I have been reading a restoration book on classic cars. It said to use goop, or go-jo hand cleaner to clean vinyl seats. It said to apply it all over the seats using a nylon brush. Now sprinkle a very tiny bit of water and rub some more to lift the dirt from the seat. Less water is cleaning more it says. After this clean the seat with clean water, dry and put in the sun to dry. The article said this would clean and also soften the seats better than anything else.
Just curious, as of now all I have been able to do is read and collect the needed parts to finish my 4+ year project.
Any thoughts, or has anyone tried this. You know the vinyl in a 50 year old rear seat is hard and brittle. I am replacing the front seat covers but was trying to use the back after cleaning. I know, I'm being cheap here.
Thanks as usual
 
I use diluted Murphy's Oil Soap and a soft brush. Wipe it down with a cloth and bucket of clean water.
 
go to one of the RV / Trailer joints.They have some excellent products for cleaning vinyl,rubber,plastics,leather...
 
I use Armor All Multi Purpose Auto Cleaner. Cleans great. Then I wipe with a damp cloth to get the cleaner off. Then regular Armor All
 
Breadburner said:
Test some 409 on a small spot...
Click to expand...

From experience I believe 409 is too strong. I used the Armor All cleaner with a soft brush, going slow and not using too much, and then using soft wet cloth to rinse with. You don't want the stitching to get soaked and weakened.
 
I have used to gojo on my cuda when I first got it. It worked well and got the seats really white again. I put it on and let it sit for awhile before removing it.
 
409 is going to strip out some essential oils that are left in the plastic, so is armor all as users say it ends up cracking over time. Gogo with lanolin is my best recomendation. works great on weatherseals and window gaskets too. I wouldnt use harsh stuff like purple power or that .99 store yellow awesome stuff. It works great on grease and grime but it will take the sheen right off vinyl and make it harder to clean later.
 
Thanks pishta, that is exactly what the book was saying. The lanolin would work better to soften the older vinyl.
 
Years ago, GoJo cream hand cleaner had just a little bit of lanolin in it. Think hand lotion. It would clean and soften vinyl or leather just as it would any other skin. A cleaner like thinner, mineral spirits, with alcohol in it will strip the oils from the skin and cause cracking. Honestly, I would rather use wifeys hand lotion or even linseed oil.
The linseed oil is what we used on brand new baseball gloves.
Example, My brother has a 93 'stang 'vert' with white leather guts. When his son played baseball there were sometimes 3 players riding. You wouldn't believe how dirty the white leather was. GoJo cleaning made it look nearly new. Use damp towels and some pressure to lift residue. Rinse and wring towels often.
One more example... Dash pad in my 67 notch is just as soft and pretty as new. ( I'm the second owner. ) This dash pad was never cleaned with anything other than cream type GoJo. No armor all/son of a gun/etc.. ever. Those silicone based products will make it shine but also clog its pores. Dash pad aint supposed to be glossy anyway.
 
My interior is gold and hasn't been cleaned in a long time. That was the original reason for my question. Thanks for all of the answers
 
guy that used to be my upholstery guy said: NEVER use ArmourAll, like the other guy said, the silicone there is no good, but for shine. he also recommends using baby oil on the vinyl to restore its softness. been following his advice since early 90's. works for me.
 
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