Dash board cleaning

I bought a 2005 Cobalt. In the past I cleaned the interior with a store bought cleaner like Armor-ALL or something simuliar. In the manual it says to clean dash with soap & Water. Wouldn't that dry up the interior, eventually? What would you use? I never heard of using soap as a dash board cleaner.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/21/2007 05:34PM by critterz.

Critterz :
Whoa ! Wait a minute ! ArmorAll Protectant is not a cleaner, although anything containing silicone will have some cleaning properties. If you are referring to ArmorAll brand cleaner, I tested it and found it harsh. I will not use it again.
If all you want to do is wipe down a clean interior's hard surfaces, you can simply use a wet towel ( preferably with distilled water ) followed by a dry towel.
Griot's Interior Cleaner works well and is labeled for use on carpet as well as vinyl and leather. I haven't noticed any damage from using it. I use it . www.griotsgarage.com
Zaino's leather cleaner is safe for vinyl as well, is mild, and leaves a leather fragrance to boot. www.zainostore.com
Windex Multi-task Orange cleans better than the above two but is harsher. I would not try it on leather. It has the added benefit of being usable on glass.
Soap and water would likely leave a soap film but I doubt it would " dry out " the vinyl.
For filthy interiors, pros may resort to steam cleaning or brushing with dilute All Purpose Cleaner. AutoMagic has several products for this purpose. www.autowaxcompany.com
Repeated use of any chemical on vinyl is likely to do some damage but to make an omelet you have to break some eggs.
Post again and let us know if this is helpful.
Doug

For cleaning vinyl , I like Meguiars interior detailer. Murphy Oil Soap in the spray bottle workes well also . Like you said Doug a wet towel and a dry one works great too.

Larry-
I never tried the Meguiar's Interior Detailer. Their #40 protectant both cleans and protects too. Murphy's oil soap was recommended on a past thread that listed household products that work well. Glass Plus is supposed to be safe for vinyl.
Meguiar's Heavy-Duty Vinyl Cleaner is harsh and should only be used when milder chemicals have failed. www.meguiars.com
How long do you think it will take Bud to pounce if I endorse using a welding torch and gasoline on vinyl ? LOL
Doug

If Bud made welding torchs and gasoline he would endorse it for vinyl.What I like about Meguiars Interior detailer is that it leaves a like new finish not a shinny or slippry surface.

Vinyl is not porous so you cannot dry it out. It will loose plasticizers from heat and eventually crack.

You can use any non-caustic cleaner on vinyl, even Fantastic or 409 which you can buy in a Dollar Store.

Nothing special about cleaning vinyl.

Leather in cars, however, is a different story. It is what they call Protected Leather, that is, analine leather that has been painted with color. They call it dyed, but it only color on the surface of the leather covered with a coating. Thereore, if you use the wrong cleaner or rub too hard you can take it off. So, you must be careful what you use on leather. An All Purpose Cleaner will work on this type of leather.

Water will not remove dirt on leather, even though it is a solvent, it does not have the surfactants and cleaning agents necessary to remove dirt.

Keep in mind the auto manufacturer's instructions for cleaning in the manuals are very conservative because they want to avoid warranty problems.

Many say, "do not wash the car with high pressure water." So much for consumer owned pressure washers or self service carwashes.

Regards
Bud Abraham

Woolite works great for me mix ratio 3oz to 2 gallons of water and a good thick microfiber cloth

Isn't Woolite formulated to wash wool fabrics?

This is a dangerous practice too many detailers follow of using products for purposes they were not designed for.

Joy dishwashing detergent would probably clean your hair very well, but you would not use it for that.

Or Tide laundry detergent could be a good cleaner to use in a bath, but at what expense to your skin.

In this case Woolite will probably not harm a vinyl dash, but I suspect it is not strong enough to clean a really dirty vinyl dash or vinyl seats.

As always, "why not use chemicals for what they are formulated for?"

Vinyl and leather cleaners for vinyl and leather.

Carpet and upholstery shampoos for carpets and fabric upholstery.

Engine degreasers for engines, etc.

Just some well intentioned thoughts.

Bud Abraham

...which brings us to the question of what to use All Purpose Cleaner on...Oh, I get it ! " All purposes " means pretty much everything. The uses listed on the Awesome APC bottle ( available at better Dollar Stores everywhere ) include :
For Auto/RV/Boat-
Whitewalls
Cloth
Velour
Vinyl
Chrome
Motors
Headliner
Door Panels
Convertible Tops
Rust
Road Tar
Oxidation
Carpeting and floor mats
Brake Dust
Car Wash
Windows
Smoke Damage
Steam Cleaning
Pre-spot carpets
New Again knows from experience that the household products he uses work, in his opinion, as well as anything else. If he is able to reduce his costs without a downside, I applaud his ingenuity. Some household products outperform some automotive products. So far, New Again has told us about Mop & Glo for dressing wheel wells, Dawn With Bleach Alternative for wheels and now Woolite. This is valuable information.
One reason for using one product for a variety of tasks is that it saves time. Another is that reducing the number of products you must inventory saves money.
Doug

“ A turtle doesn’t make any progress until he sticks his neck out”



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 09/30/2007 12:19AM by Doug Delmont.

Thanks DOUG D.
Not trying to start trouble just help Bud called Lexus on that what they recommend also I am NOT a chemist but Lexol looks and smell just like Woolite. Again not trying to start ANY trouble that's why I stay away. Also BMW car shampoo is Meguiars you decide BUD
BYE BYE BYE



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/12/2007 04:08AM by NEW AGAIN.

New Again :
I don't consider anything you have ever posted to have " started trouble ". If you touch off a debate, some good can come of the resulting display of ideas.
The forum is a lot more interesting when more people participate ; we get to see different personalities and attitudes along with the facts and advice.
If you stay away because your opinions may upset someone and others stay away because they feel intimidated by the expertise of some members, pretty soon it comes down to Bud and me. Is that how folks want it to be ?
I value your participation and invite you to contribute often. If you " start trouble ", I may take issue but it won't mean I want you to go away.
Doug

New Again/Doug:

As Doug says no one is causing trouble by having a different opinion.

However, opinions are opinions, not always based on actual scientific fact.

You say that you can use Woolite to clean leather because the Lexol cleaner seems to smell like Woolite. As far as I know Woolite is formulated as a cold water detergent for wool, not to clean leather.

It might work, just like Joy or Liquid laundry detergent could be used to wash your hair or take a bath. Would you do this? NO, of course not. WHY? Because you have some notion that these products are too strong to put on your hair or body.

That is my point with the use of detailing chemicals. If you are a professional you can make life much easier by simply using chemicals from detail chemical companies for what they were designed and formulated for. That avoids serious mistakes that can damage materials in the vehicles.

Every legitimate detail chemical company makes:

Engine Degreasers
Wheel Cleaners
White Wall Cleaners
Car Wash Shampoos (they do not have degreasers in them to avoid washing away wax.
Glass Cleaners
Carpet & Upholstery Shampoos
Extractor (non-foaming) Shampoos
Vinyl and Leather Cleaners
Various Stain Removers - for inorganic and organic stains, red dye, rust, coffee, pet stains, etc.
Dresssings
Leather Conditioners

Why not simply use the product that is formulated for that purpose. I can tell you as a formulator of chemicals that each and everyone of the are different and have different ingredients that will not harm the material to used on and has that surfactant that will do the best job.

YES, you can use any number of chemicals on the market for many cleaning jobs, and they might work, but you really do not know whether is it the best product for the material being worked on. You will say, "well I had no problem it worked great."

But then you do not see what the long-term result is.

That is might point, either of us is correct, it depends on your point of reference.

Regards
Bud Abraham