Cleaning products for interior care

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Old Nov 29, 2004 | 02:07 AM
  #1  
dodgerblue's Avatar
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Cleaning products for interior care

Just wondering what off-the-shelf products you all use to clean the interior of your TL's, like the dash, door panels, consoles, etc.

I picked up a couple bottles of Armor All the other day, and was wondering if anyone knows of their effectiveness. The first one is labeled "Ultimate Clean", which is an all-in-one spray for rubber, plastic, and vinyl surfaces, and the other one is called "Leather" for its obvious purpose.

Any recommendations for other products worth considering?
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Old Nov 29, 2004 | 06:29 AM
  #2  
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https://acurazine.com/forums/a-66/ <--check this forum out.
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Old Nov 29, 2004 | 07:10 AM
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Do not get Armor All anywhere near the interior. The original Armor All contained silicone, which will damage vinyl, which some of the seat panels are made from.

At least the used to be, I can't state for sure if they are now.


Just one man's opinion
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Old Nov 29, 2004 | 08:26 AM
  #4  
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Dodgerblue...please don't use Armor All...just like Bluenote said, it WILL damage your interior after continued use. I use products from Townsend for my leather surfaces, they make excellent leather care products used in the Aviation Industry for Jet's that have interior's costing in the millions of dollars. Aerospace 303 is what I use for everything else. The 303 formula won't shine like a cheap Armor All finish, but protects against UVA damage, and doesn't attract dust. It's an excellent all around product I use even on my tires. Hope this helps..and stay away from Armor All.
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Old Nov 29, 2004 | 08:33 AM
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i use zaino on leather

and meguiras gold class vinyl protectant
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Old Nov 29, 2004 | 08:43 AM
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dodgerblue, there are a number of interior cleaners available off the shelf such as Pinnacle, Lexol, Megs and Aerospce 303 to name a few. Do a search on Interior Cleaning and you will find loads of info regarding this subject. All of the above products are great and easy to use. And I gotta agree with everyone else on the use of Armour All. For a few bucks more, you can get a better product IMO.
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Old Nov 29, 2004 | 04:00 PM
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I use 303 it is great, but I use the Armor All cleaning wipes before I apply the 303. I assuming the cleaning wipes are ok and wont damage the vinyl/leather?
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Old Nov 29, 2004 | 04:15 PM
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I think the cleaning wipes are probably just formulated with rubbing alcohol. I doubt it'll hurt the vinyl at all. 303 is definitely where it's at. That stuff makes my dash look amazing.
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Old Nov 29, 2004 | 04:23 PM
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303 for everything inside including leather and on tires.
Stoners on glass.
Zaino on paint.
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Old Nov 29, 2004 | 04:24 PM
  #10  
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I use Lexol leather cleaner and conditioner, and Vinylex for the dash and other vinyl interior trim.
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Old Nov 30, 2004 | 09:48 PM
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Thanks everyone for your advice on this.

Where (what store) do you guys go to pick up your cleaning products? I went to Kragen last night and didn't see any of the stuff you all mentioned above except for Meguiar's and Black Magic. I was not able to find Aerospace 303, Lexol, or Zaino.

I picked up a bottle of Meguiar's "Natural Shine, Vinyl & Rubber Protectant". Does anyone know if this is any good?

Any additional advice would be much appreciated.
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Old Nov 30, 2004 | 11:32 PM
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Goto properautocare.com i think it is a really great site. I believe there are a couple more good sites too.

303 is great, but I am not a fan of it on the leather. But it is always good to have some SPF for those seats too since they are more fragile than the dash it seems

I use Eimann Fabrik cleaner and Pinnacle leather conditioner

miiipilot
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Old Nov 30, 2004 | 11:52 PM
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303 can be found at some Ace Hardware stores (but not all). Call ahead and you might get lucky and find a store around you that has them.
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Old Dec 1, 2004 | 12:18 AM
  #14  
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303 all the way. Found mine at the local Ace Hardware. You may have to look aroung a little, but its worth it.
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Old Dec 1, 2004 | 09:46 AM
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Here's the link to their website Aerospace 303 and click on Where To Buy The rest of the stuff go to Superior Car Care, Autopia or Proper Auto Care.
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Old Dec 1, 2004 | 11:49 AM
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I have heard lots of folks testify to the efficacy of 303. But what are you using; is it the 303 protectant or one of the 303 cleaners. or both?
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Old Dec 1, 2004 | 12:01 PM
  #17  
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The 303 spray bottle is what I use. It's the protectorant.
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Old Dec 1, 2004 | 12:24 PM
  #18  
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Thanks, Lore. Appreciate the info. Cheers!
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Old Dec 1, 2004 | 01:49 PM
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So it looks like the recommendation is to go for the 303 spray as a protectorant for vinyl/rubber/plastic surfaces. What about for cleaning? Also use the 303?

How about for leather? What's the best for cleaning and protectorant? So far people have said Zaino and Lexol.
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Old Dec 1, 2004 | 01:55 PM
  #20  
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I just use the Armor All cleaning wipes and then use 303 once it is cleaned... make sure to "buff" the 303 with a micorfiber towel once you are done applying it with an applicator bad, and there will be no nasty shine leftover.
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Old Dec 1, 2004 | 02:22 PM
  #21  
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Originally Posted by dodgerblue
Thanks everyone for your advice on this.

Where (what store) do you guys go to pick up your cleaning products? I went to Kragen last night and didn't see any of the stuff you all mentioned above except for Meguiar's and Black Magic. I was not able to find Aerospace 303, Lexol, or Zaino.

I picked up a bottle of Meguiar's "Natural Shine, Vinyl & Rubber Protectant". Does anyone know if this is any good?

Any additional advice would be much appreciated.
I just picked up a bottle myself and tried it out last night. I applied it with a microfiber towel and removed it with a terry towel and was very happy with the resuts. It was low luster, no streaks and made the dash look new. It also felt like it might repel dust (not oily or tacky feeling).
I have no idea about longevity or harm to the finish, but I have a lot of experience (and faith) in Meguiars products.
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Old Dec 1, 2004 | 02:31 PM
  #22  
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bluenoser - did you also use Meguiar's "Natural Shine, Vinyl Rubber Protectant", same as the one that I picked up? I only bought the Microfiber cleaning towels (they also had drying towels and polishing towels but I passed on those) - is that good enough for applying the stuff and polishing it afterwards, or should I get some terry cloth towels as well for removal and polishing/buffing?
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Old Dec 1, 2004 | 02:44 PM
  #23  
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dodgerblue,

My experience with microfiber towels is that they are very absorbant and great for evenly applying liquids, but leave very fine fiber dust on glass and dark surfaces when used for buffing, so I use a good 100% cotton terry towel (I steal them from my wife so don't tell her) which wipes lint free.
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Old Dec 1, 2004 | 03:01 PM
  #24  
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I love how 303 Protectorant makes the dash look brand spanking new. It gives your dashboard that slightly wet vinyl look instead of the dry white-ish dust-collecting look.

For those of you concerned about dust attraction, I've never had a problem with my dashboard after I sprayed 303 on it.
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Old Dec 1, 2004 | 03:18 PM
  #25  
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I found 303 at REI outdoor store by accident one day. Had never seen it there before - but if you live by one, it might be worth a try.
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Old Dec 1, 2004 | 04:27 PM
  #26  
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www.townsendleather.com
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Old Dec 1, 2004 | 06:28 PM
  #27  
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www.zaino.com for Zaino products. I've used the leather cleaner- I think it's overpriced. Zaino is known for it's exterior polish- 2nd to none if you're a do-it-yourselfer.

I'm going to start using Lexol for leather.

greg
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Old Dec 3, 2004 | 10:22 AM
  #28  
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Dumb question...what do you guys use to clean bird droppings (I HATE those!) off the paint of your TL's? Zaino or some other cleaning product (looking for recommendations) and use a microfiber cleaning towel or terry cloth towel to wipe it off?

Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated.
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Old Dec 3, 2004 | 11:05 AM
  #29  
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I think there were 2 or 3 postings about that, your best bet is to do a search on the subject of bird droppings.
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