Projects Need advice on cleaning old interior stuff

So, I finally got my Pops to get a car. he has been looking for a nice 62 Thunderbird convertible driver and he found one. He doesn't pick it up until this Friday morning and is really excited. He was asking me how to best clean up the interior.

Deatials of what he wants cleaned...
white vinyl seats, white dash and door panels and the white vinyl drop top. They are all stock stuff but just has some dark spots and wear marks.... anything ya'll can think of would be greatly appreciated.

 

If you send it all to me I'll clean it up for you for free, my bird need a new interior.

 

simple green works good

 

I just did the interior for an O/T driver with car wash detergent and a pot scrubbing brush. It worked really well. Vynil is pretty hard to hurt

 

Dow Scrubbing Bubbles bathroom cleaner.............and a scrub brush, ( a gentle one).

 

NAPA has some good interior cleaning products.

 

Tony this is way off what everyone is going to tell you and there are some exceptional products out there to clean interiors today. But, the Used Car Lots used ammonia and water when I was a kid, let it air for a day after and it smells like a new car.

So you snagged a '62 T'Bird for your dad. How cool is that bro.

I bought my dad a pre-unit BSA for his 65th. It took him almost a month to get it back together and running. Ya just can't beat mechanical stuff for your dad. I'll bet he jazzed. Ya done good my friend.

You will send me pics right?

 

Nothing that has alcohol in it. Stay away from general household cleaners. They will harden the vinyl over time. Best to go with brand name auto cleaners.

 

I used some (just a little) mold-x or something like that with one of those mr.clean magic erasers...worked awesome, wiped it off let it dry a little then wiped it down with mothers vinyl protectant. the 54 had been sitting for a long time so it was rather nasty but it came out great!

 

I've always used simple green on stuff and worked well... Thanks for all the tips and yes PB i will post pics as soon as I can

 

I agree, I like those on white vinyl. I'm not impressed with Simple Green, doesn't seem to do anything better than water or dish soap IMO.

 

On old dirty vinyl I've had pretty good luck using waterless hand cleaner, like GO-JO, M-30, with a soft scrub brush! This stuff is easy on the hands too!!!

 

I use Soft Scrub w/ Bleach on the Olds, does a pretty good job of brightening up the dirty white vinyl.

 

For years, I have used plain old shaving cream, the white foamy kind, not the gel. Spray some of the shaving cream on the surface you want to clean, scrub lightly with a soft cloth or brush and then wipe off with a damp rag. The shaving cream doesn't soak into cloth like fabric upholstery or carpeting making a wet mess. Handy stuff, cleans just about everything including your hands when you are miles from water.

 

Another vote for Mr Clean "Magic Erasers"! I have an off white interior & these are the best things I have found. They work on whitewalls as well.

 

Call me old, but back in the day when I had a white interior in my daily driver I used Westleys Bleach White then a good vinyl protectant.

 

I have a 66 bird with parchment (white) interior and I agree with Dave, I've always used Bleche-white and rinsed it off with a damp rag. P.S. I've had this since 1972. Mike.

 

Simple Green, undiluted, with a fingernail brush. Rinse afterward, as Simple Green leaves a little film which can be sticky. Been using it since I discovered it in the mid-'80s.

 

YOU discovered Simple Green!?!?!? Wow, you must be bazillionaire by now!!! Where did you discover it? Was it hiding under a rock?


I've used SG and spot cleaned with white wall cleaner (being carful not to get any on the stiching) on my white interior.

I need to try the "magic Sponges"

 

I am really surprised how many guys mentioned Simple Green. I have tried it on several things and was not at all impressed. If you ever had an old white interior I would bet Simple Green would not do anything other than fresh loose dirt, just my .02. I was not going to recommend this because of how strong it is but, when I get a real stubborn stain or mold I use bleach, nothing is better that I have found. Use it in a well ventilated area and wash with soapy water afterwards to get the bleach off. I use bleach on more things than you could imagine!

 

Silicon spray works well on stains on vinyl. Alot of upholsterers use it for cleaning up pen marks, glue, dirty hand stains, etc after they ***emble the interior.

 

Castrol Super Clean and something like a fingernail brush. If that doesn't clean it, nothing will...