Cleaning Radios? How Do you guys?

Z

zgoalscorer

New member
Guys you know those nasty radios for some reason the dirt finds them. Whats the best way to clean them? Special little secrets like using qtips for the vents? What ideas do you guys have? A vapor steamer I would be worried to hit that with the radio.
 
I TuffStuff all knobs to remove grim/hand lotion from them. You'll have to get the area around the buttons/knobs as well because it will typically transfer there too. Don't forget the steering wheel with this stuff. Don't over-saturate the radio of course, but a little TuffStuff on the controls isn't going to hurt anything. ONLY exception to this, Audi Touchscreens seem to be more sensitive to cleaning agents. Be careful with those. Just use water, no soap on these.

I use a 1" wide paint brush cut to half length to dust out vents. I've tried using brushes made specifically for detailing but the ends always curl/fray/add more debris from it falling apart.
 
DJsDetails said:
I TuffStuff all knobs to remove grim/hand lotion from them. You'll have to get the area around the buttons/knobs as well because it will typically transfer there too. Don't forget the steering wheel with this stuff. Don't over-saturate the radio of course, but a little TuffStuff on the controls isn't going to hurt anything. ONLY exception to this, Audi Touchscreens seem to be more sensitive to cleaning agents. Be careful with those. Just use water, no soap on these.

I use a 1" wide paint brush cut to half length to dust out vents. I've tried using brushes made specifically for detailing but the ends always curl/fray/add more debris from it falling apart.
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I would recommend spraying any cleaner directly on any surface on the inside of the car. You can never tell what the chemical reaction is going to do on the surface. Especially the radio because of the plastic or touch screens. Some APC will cloud the plastics, on touch screens, most are coated and mar very easy. That's my experience with them.

I use foam brush and very soft bristle brush, along with MF towels and PB APC mixed 1 part APC to 10 part water.
 
If you have access to an air compressor, try using foam or cleaner of your choice along with a good vent brush. After every crack and tight area is brushed clean, use your air gun or steamer to blow out the cracks. I know the normal reaction is "if I blow out the cracks it will blow foam everywhere"...and yes it will. The fact is you have to clean everything anyway so it really don't matter. I'm with everyone on staying off of touch screens with cleaners but everything else is fair game and steamer safe."
 
I use a Tornador with a water/fabric cleaner mix. This is a cleaner that uses compressed air to send an extremely fine mist of cleaning solution to the soiled areas. Once I hit the spots with the solution; I turn the control to air only and blow the affected area dry. Use a MF cloth as a follow up and there is practically no physical touching to the now cleaned area.
 
Damn Shade you've got a full setup. I only wish I could fit all your gear in my truck. I bought my truck for its style and mileage; not the thought that I'd eventually be working out of the bed.
 
DJsDetails said:
Damn Shade you've got a full setup. I only wish I could fit all your gear in my truck. I bought my truck for its style and mileage; not the thought that I'd eventually be working out of the bed.
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When I first started this I was working out of the garage and eventually purchased a 4unner to tow the trailer setup ......... now I have 3 trailers and use a Tahoe to pull one of them.

I think an open type of setup is best to use if at all possible since it's accessible from all sides. Then again, it would be nice to have a "hidden" type setup that could be locked up and walk away without worry.
 
It may not be good for speed, efficiency, or cost, but I grab a 99-cent bottle of rubbing alcohol and a $3 package of Q-Tips. I go over the dash and all the buttons, knobs, controls, etc with that. A single drop of alcohol on one end of the Q-Tip gives me cleaning power and dirt attraction. The dry end of the same Q-Tip removes the remaining dust from that area.

I fully detailed an Aerostar minivan's dash and interior panels and used about 150-200 Q-Tips (generic Walgreens brand) and a third of the bottle of rubbing alcohol. I had been living in the van so it was particularly filthy.
 
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