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tam_shops Mon Mar 11, 2013 8:23 pm

Once every year or two I take my car in to get detailed. They do *such* a good job, make the dash & wheels shiny and get every spot of dirty out from everywhere.

I know they use air to shoot the crap out of the crevices, I asked once.

I read (here) that someone uses Magic eraser on some of the spots/dirt on the walls in the bus.

I know to use authentic Windex on the windows inside/outside.

I used Goo-be-gone on the random spots w/ goop here and there.

I washed the upper mattresses and back mattress w/ Tide. Will dig around here to see if there is a great thread on removing the rest of the seat covers to wash them. Though, once those front ones are off, I might just want some heated seat warmers! LOL

What else do you use, where else? And, what do you *not* use and why?

The dash? The tires? The paint?


I went with a round of Fantastic on my cupboards/walls, but everything was so dirty I think I could stand to do it again and/or use something else. If I didn't wipe it to dry, it left spots/marks that didn't impress me!

Thanks for reading!

tam

kamzcab86 Mon Mar 11, 2013 9:36 pm

Mr. Clean Magic Erasers on virtually everything (walls, cabinets, ceiling, vinyl, dash, rubber, plastic...):


Upright carpet/upholstery cleaner:


Blue Magic metal polish + Mother's PowerBall:


Tide + washing machine:


3M Rubbing Compound, Meguiar's Plastix:


Simple Green, Bug & Tar Remover, garden hose and a lot of scrubbing:


Tools:
Toothpicks, Q-tips, old toothbrushes, paint brushes, scrub brushes, rags, microfiber towels, sponges, paper towels (the blue shop-specific ones), Shop-Vac with multiple attachments, air compressor, wire brush for cleaning metal and electrical connections, dental floss, and a bunch of others I'm probably forgetting.

Vinyl, rubber & plastic protectant: 303 (I refuse to use Armorall)

Car washing (at home): Meguiars car wash soap + bucket of soft water

Wax: Meguiars NXT + orbital buffer

Glass cleaner: Foam products (haven't used Windex in years)

Tire shine: No particular brand and only apply it before going to car shows

Lubricant: Tri-Flow

tam_shops Mon Mar 11, 2013 10:15 pm

Thank you, thank you and thank you again! I think I was reading your blog today at lunch! It's where I got the Magic Eraser idea, which I found when I was reading about the bug screen for the slider. LOVE your blog, thank you!

kamzcab86 wrote:

Upright carpet/upholstery cleaner:

[You mean a carpet cleaner? I was told not to use a carpet cleaner b/c it would bring up the yellow from the foam in your seats??]

Blue Magic metal polish + Mother's PowerBall:
[Did you mix them together or use them in different spots? Where'd you get them? Will google if it's easy not to worry! That looks GREAT!!!]

Tide + washing machine:
[Already done, thank you! Love my Tide, though always use half the amount and rinse for important things b/c if you leave phosphates in it, it'll yellow over time]

3M Rubbing Compound, Meguiar's Plastix:
[I see that at Walmart thank you!]

Simple Green, Bug & Tar Remover, garden hose and a lot of scrubbing:
[Ok, great idea, thank you!]


Tools:
Toothpicks, Q-tips, old toothbrushes, paint brushes, scrub brushes, rags, microfiber towels, sponges, paper towels (the blue shop-specific ones), Shop-Vac with multiple attachments, air compressor, wire brush for cleaning metal and electrical connections, dental floss, and a bunch of others I'm probably forgetting.

[Why blue shop paper towels? I don't own a Shop-Vac, will have to make my house one work!? I have canned air, hope that works, use it for my sewing machine. What's the Dental Floss for??]

Vinyl, rubber & plastic protectant: 303 (I refuse to use Armorall)

[OK, Thank you!]

Car washing (at home): Meguiars car wash soap + bucket of soft water

Wax: Meguiars NXT + orbital buffer

Glass cleaner: Foam products (haven't used Windex in years)
[What is this Foam Product you speak of? I think we need to go shopping in the cleaning isle together, what else am I missing?]

Tire shine: No particular brand and only apply it before going to car shows

Lubricant: Tri-Flow
[What do you Lube?]


Thank you so much! Printing and bringing your list to Walmart, where I hope to find everything!

I just bought a bottle of car soap for washing with, will buy your brand next time!

I also just bought a bottle of Nu-finish. Looks like one bottle will last one wax, so will try yours next time to compare...Looks like I've been missing a whole world of cleaning! I mostly just use Windex and Lysol at home. Recently discovered Dryer sheets to clean my shower and toilet cleaner for the bowl, saved me tons of scrubbing! Thought I was doing great! LOL

tam

Crankey Mon Mar 11, 2013 10:44 pm

how about the firewall and engine compartment ?

tam_shops Mon Mar 11, 2013 10:55 pm

Crankey wrote: how about the firewall and engine compartment ?

I don't know where the firewall is, so can't clean that :!: :?:

I have to clean the engine? Come on, it's just going to get greasy again. :wink: I'm not touching the engine. Too many things for me to break in there! Seriously, my engine and around it is clean, it's been really well serviced!

Thank you!

tam

sub-hatchtim Mon Mar 11, 2013 11:03 pm

Crankey wrote: how about the firewall and engine compartment ?

purple power spray liberaly hose off but for the nasty stuff your gunna need some brushing action

kamzcab86 Mon Mar 11, 2013 11:11 pm

tam_shops wrote: You mean a carpet cleaner? I was told not to use a carpet cleaner b/c it would bring up the yellow from the foam in your seats??

:-s That's a new one. And, yes, I have an upright carpet cleaner with upholstery cleaning attachments. I find those canned-cleaners pretty useless on really dirty seats and mine were filthy. I did this job on my Cabriolet's white seats years ago and there's no trace of yellow in them, and that seat fabric isn't as thick as the van's velour.

tam_shops wrote: Blue Magic metal polish + Mother's PowerBall:
Did you mix them together or use them in different spots? Where'd you get them? Will google if it's easy not to worry! That looks GREAT!!!

Metal polish is the cleaner, PowerBall is the tool (drill attachment). :wink:



tam_shops wrote: Already done, thank you! Love my Tide, though always use half the amount and rinse for important things b/c if you leave phosphates in it, it'll yellow over time

I didn't use much and I used the "rinse twice" setting.

tam_shops wrote: Why blue shop paper towels?

Look for these in the automotive dept. at Walmart:



They're more heavy-duty for working on cars.

tam_shops wrote: I have canned air, hope that works, use it for my sewing machine. What's the Dental Floss for??

Canned air is fine. I have a small air compressor for filling tires (got tired of those stupid little portable ones always crapping out) so, naturally, I use it for other stuff too.

Dental floss... trade secret. :-S It's for removing wax (or grease) from difficult locations (badges, crevices, hinges, etc.). Speaking of waxing, blue painter's tape: Use it to mask off what shouldn't be waxed (rubber seals, side trim, etc.)

tam_shops wrote: What is this Foam Product you speak of?



^Just one brand; there are a bunch on the market.

tam_shops wrote: What do you Lube?

Door locks, keyways, hinges, latches, etc. I do them all once or twice a year.

Crankey wrote: how about the firewall and engine compartment ?

Shop-Vac, air compressor, wet rags, Simple Green, brushes of various sizes, etc. Mine was initially power-washed and scrubbed with Simple Green (no engine cleaning-specific product on hand where the job was done), so now just need to do maintenance cleaning/detailing. Firewall, on the engine side: Mine's covered with insulation; the section just under the hatch was Simple Green'd and rinsed.

If you're going to hose the engine down, cover the important electrical stuff. I believe there are a few engine cleaning topics that go into more detail.

Timwhy Tue Mar 12, 2013 1:35 am

I like Zout

zippyslug31 Tue Mar 12, 2013 8:44 am

Another vote for Magic Erasers. I use them on a lot of other projects (metallic auto interior on another one of my cars... glass shower stalls... plastic lawn furniture... etc) I really have yet to find something they don't work well on. They can leave a dry powdery film on polished surfaces though.

I'd love to know what black magic lurks in these little sponges. Sure hope this product doesn't fall victim as others of the past: they find some highly toxic chemical and will either stop selling them or will be forced to make a "now environmentally friendly" version which will, of course, totally suck. :roll:

PDXWesty Tue Mar 12, 2013 8:51 am

I use a biodegradeable degreaser called Hot Shot on everything and in the engine compartment. It's a really is a great professional product. You can use it in your driveway and not worry about it running down the street. It's as powerful as any solvent based product I've ever used. It's available at auto detail stores.

I just put it in a spray bottle, spray down the entire engine compartment, and gently hose it off. Some tough areas take light brushing or wiping with a sponge, but you don't need gloves and it's not toxic. I've even clean upholstry with it using a spray bottle, 1/2 dilution and a clean rag. Find this and you'll be hooked! It works wonders on almost everything, but don't wash your car with it. For that use a car wash soap.

http://www.pssales.com/products/degrease.html


Bman Tue Mar 12, 2013 9:14 am

I'd be careful of having some of those detail shops using compressed air around your instrument cluster, I had a body shop mess up the old circuit coil something fierce doing that, luckily I was swapping out my cluster at the time.

I use Black Again, rubber and plastic conditioner for my Doka Tilt (canopy), mirrors, and rubber; shines up real nice. I also use Tough Stuff upholestry cleaner on the carpets and seat fabric in the westy, works real nice.

For old hippy stickers on windows and cabinetry I scrap off and then use mineral spirits to remove the gunk.

hdenter Tue Mar 12, 2013 10:19 am

I use Charmen to wipe my a$$ :o

Sorry!, saw the title and just couldn't resist.

Hans

bhamham Tue Mar 12, 2013 10:55 am

What do you guys use on the poptop canvas?

zippyslug31 Tue Mar 12, 2013 12:38 pm

bhamham wrote: What do you guys use on the poptop canvas?

Just a guess, but mild soapy water and a soft bristle brush, followed by air-drying? I don't think you'd want to hit it with any sort of chemical-based product due to the water repellent nature of the fabric.

70coupyel Tue Mar 12, 2013 12:53 pm

Some glass cleaners have wax in them. This has nothing to do with cleaning. What it does is make you rub the window more so that you buff the wax off. This is extra work.( My old g/f had a house cleaning company). I could not find the contents of Windex online.
What ever you clean have fresh paper towels or rags. Can't clean something with a dirty rag.

ZanaEvyPapa Tue Mar 12, 2013 1:09 pm

PDXWesty wrote: I use a biodegradeable degreaser called Hot Shot on everything and in the engine compartment. It's a really is a great professional product. You can use it in your driveway and not worry about it running down the street. It's as powerful as any solvent based product I've ever used. It's available at auto detail stores.


Ehh, sure traditional cleaners are toxic, but their toxicity pales in comparison to the stuff you are washing off your engine. I'm not preaching here as I'm guilty as anyone else, I just don't think using a biodegradable cleaner makes much of a difference when crudded up oil ends up in your soil and eventually in groundwater.

brownbus78 Tue Mar 12, 2013 1:48 pm

Simple green on the wheels, tires, engine, and anywhere along the underside. Car soap on the body and glass. 303 Aerospace on the dash and related surfaces that get sun exposure. Rag and light soap solution to do the interior glass followed by plain water. Using glass cleaners always leaves streaks and haze. Clay bar, cleaner wax, and a good coat of carnauba wax when it comes time to do a detail job. Leaves the paint silky smooth and protected for a long time. Tire dressing on the tires and the "impact" strip on the fiberglass bumpers and cladding. Floor mats get scrubbed and pressure washed, carpets get sprayed with carpet cleaner, then scrubbed and vacuumed. The z-bed cover gets thrown in the wash with a good dose of OxiClean as will the seat covers when the van gets pulled off daily driver duty. I tried using upholstery cleaner on the seats and they came out ok but still have that brown discoloration. After running the z-bed cover through the wash and seeing how well it turned out I can't leave the seat covers like they are. I use Lexol on all the interior vinyl and upholstery cleaner on the door fabric. Still haven't figured out what works on the headliner to get rid of those yellow moisture stains that are so common on these vans.

Crankey Tue Mar 12, 2013 4:20 pm

tam_shops wrote: Crankey wrote: how about the firewall and engine compartment ?

I don't know where the firewall is, so can't clean that :!: :?:

I have to clean the engine? Come on, it's just going to get greasy again. :wink: I'm not touching the engine. Too many things for me to break in there! Seriously, my engine and around it is clean, it's been really well serviced!

Thank you!

tam

firewall...sheet metal around your engine compartment.

if you spend 10 G's on your engine, you want that sucker clean.


I'm not sure what it is, but I have some brown goo on the engine bay sheet metal that looks as if it was splashed around there many moons ago. some of it seems waxy like it could be some sloppy rust prevention coating. I just would like it gone.

purple power is a good suggestion...it's also a good paint stripper if your not careful. I'll have a go with it. and maybe some easy off oven cleaner too.

randywebb Tue Mar 12, 2013 4:23 pm

it's easier to spot oil leaks or other problems if the motor is clean - same for the transaxle

if overly clean then Al and esp. Mg will corrode -usually they get coated with a special waxlike substance for protection - Tectyl

tam_shops Tue Mar 12, 2013 10:10 pm

Thank you, thank you and thank you again everyone! Way more than enough to keep me busy for the next day and I spent over a hundred dollars on cleaning supplies! LOL Will see if/what I like and works well and return the rest. I asked at CT what the return policy was if I wasn't happy with some of it and they said, "no problem"! Yeah! LOL


randywebb wrote: it's easier to spot oil leaks or other problems if the motor is clean - same for the transaxle

if overly clean then Al and esp. Mg will corrode -usually they get coated with a special waxlike substance for protection - Tectyl
Oh, ok, that makes sense, not touching it though until someone shows me what to do and what not to do. It's been way too long since I touched anything inside an engine. Get the wrong thing wet and Oops!


Timwhy wrote: I like Zout
Zout for what? I use Zout for laundry stains.


Bman wrote: I'd be careful of having some of those detail shops using compressed air around your instrument cluster, I had a body shop mess up the old circuit coil something fierce doing that, luckily I was swapping out my cluster at the time.

I use Black Again, rubber and plastic conditioner for my Doka Tilt (canopy), mirrors, and rubber; shines up real nice. I also use Tough Stuff upholestry cleaner on the carpets and seat fabric in the westy, works real nice.

For old hippy stickers on windows and cabinetry I scrap off and then use mineral spirits to remove the gunk.
Not using a detail shop, that's what started this mess w/ a bucket of cleaners. Someone told me not to and then a couple others (plus you now) confirmed that they *do* things...My worry is I don't know what I'm doing, so I might do something! LOL The detail shop that does my car is really good about mistakes. They got something (??) on my tinting and it put a spot on it. Then, it ate through the coating. I complained a few days later, they're re-tinting the window, for free...Though, I must admit, an entire day cleaning AND $100 on cleaning supplies, it's tempting!

Stickers came off w/ Goo-be-gone, hope that doesn't damage paint. I've used it for years and never had a problem...


70coupyel wrote: Some glass cleaners have wax in them. This has nothing to do with cleaning. What it does is make you rub the window more so that you buff the wax off. This is extra work.( My old g/f had a house cleaning company). I could not find the contents of Windex online.
What ever you clean have fresh paper towels or rags. Can't clean something with a dirty rag.
Really? I didn't realize how little I knew about cleaners until today!


brownbus78 wrote: Simple green on the wheels, tires, engine, and anywhere along the underside. Car soap on the body and glass. 303 Aerospace on the dash and related surfaces that get sun exposure. Rag and light soap solution to do the interior glass followed by plain water. Using glass cleaners always leaves streaks and haze. Clay bar, cleaner wax, and a good coat of carnauba wax when it comes time to do a detail job. Leaves the paint silky smooth and protected for a long time. Tire dressing on the tires and the "impact" strip on the fiberglass bumpers and cladding. Floor mats get scrubbed and pressure washed, carpets get sprayed with carpet cleaner, then scrubbed and vacuumed. The z-bed cover gets thrown in the wash with a good dose of OxiClean as will the seat covers when the van gets pulled off daily driver duty. I tried using upholstery cleaner on the seats and they came out ok but still have that brown discoloration. After running the z-bed cover through the wash and seeing how well it turned out I can't leave the seat covers like they are. I use Lexol on all the interior vinyl and upholstery cleaner on the door fabric. Still haven't figured out what works on the headliner to get rid of those yellow moisture stains that are so common on these vans.

Thank you! I think I bought a bottle of the Simple Green, looks like you use it for a few things I bought other stuff for, will try it first...Does the entire Z-bed cover come off (easily)? I'll look that up. I took all the zippered covers off and washed them. If the seat/back doesn't need to be washed now, it'll need to be washed by the end of summer (I have kids). I'm not taking the covers off the front seat until I have done a bunch of other things I want to do and can spend the money on getting those heater pads inside! Had a loaner car with them once and they were great! LOL


kamzcab86 wrote: :-s That's a new one. And, yes, I have an upright carpet cleaner with upholstery cleaning attachments. I find those canned-cleaners pretty useless on really dirty seats and mine were filthy. I did this job on my Cabriolet's white seats years ago and there's no trace of yellow in them, and that seat fabric isn't as thick as the van's velour.
...

Thank you, thank you and thank you again! I bought everything I could find. Might see if I can use any of it as a double action, spent way more money than I was expecting! I'll never complain about the cost of detailing again! LOL



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