How effective are interior wipedowns?

M

mikebai1990

New member
This is a bit of a weird question, but usually you guys mention that you clean the interior with a wipedown with an APC (Meguiars, Simple Green, whatever). How effective is that wipedown? Other than getting rid of dust, I usually find that wipedown doesn't really do much to clean off any light stains on vinyl and such.



Am I missing something? Or are wipedowns only done to remove dust and particulate matter?
 
I tend to steam as much of the trim as I can and avoid chemicals. If I'm cleaning the interior with chemicals then I will use something mild such as a woolite mix or a very diluted APC. I use Meguiars Leather Cleaner and Conditioner often on interior trim if it's not in bad shape. Certain things like scuffs I might use a magic eraser.



If I'm doing a wipe down to remove dust or particulate matter I just use a damp cloth. On a wash package I mention that it includes "wipe down, not clean the interior". I only use a chemical if my intention is to clean anything on the interior.
 
On a vehicle that is kept maintained and free of kids and dogs, interior wipedowns are pretty effective, imo. It may be that a damp microfiber almost seems to have cutting power because that's all I ever use to get rid of dust, fingerprints, residue, etc.
 
When I think of interior wipedown, I just think of a damp cloth or mf towel used to remove dust.



When I clean and dress the interior, I use Meg's APC+ diluted 10:1 and wipe/clean everything with a mf towel. This helps with the sticky stuff you find from spills, etc. I also like to start from a clean base, instead of applying on top of old dressing.



I have used my steamer too and that works well, I just can't find my attachments so it's useless now :(
 
I usually use Meg's Interior detailer (the "quik" one).



I find its actually surprising effective on dirt. By dirt I mean the normal "gunk" and dirt that builds up over time on commonly touched surfaces, such as the steering wheel, or shift knob on a manual car (even automatics, but needless to say, it builds up much faster in manual cars).



The only thing is, you have to use some pressure on the MF you're wiping with. Use some strong pressure and it lifts the dirt right off.



I can't say I've had any spills or major stains on the interior as of yet (luckily), but I have had to get rip of soap residue once, thanks to the less-than-satisfactory tinter I went to. Looks like the soap sort of left "stains" in some spots - looked like running water spots that dried there. I had to use a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser and some Meg's APC to really put a dent in it.



I don't think I ever got it 100% out... maybe 95%. It sort of disappeared though after I put on my protectant, 303. I'm sure its still there, especially since I last applied 303 many months ago and I'm sure its long worn off by now... but again, its not really noticeable so I don't think I could find it and point it out even if I wanted to.
 
mikebai1990 said:
This is a bit of a weird question, but usually you guys mention that you clean the interior with a wipedown with an APC (Meguiars, Simple Green, whatever). How effective is that wipedown? Other than getting rid of dust, I usually find that wipedown doesn't really do much to clean off any light stains on vinyl and such.



Am I missing something? Or are wipedowns only done to remove dust and particulate matter?
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I was thinking of the same thing the other day. I usually vacuum and the dress the interior (dash, console, door panels) with a cleaner/conditioner, like Meguiar's #40. Then buff out with a MF for a matte look.



Alex
 
paul34 said:
I can't say I've had any spills or major stains on the interior as of yet (luckily), but I have had to get rip of soap residue once, thanks to the less-than-satisfactory tinter I went to. Looks like the soap sort of left "stains" in some spots - looked like running water spots that dried there. I had to use a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser and some Meg's APC to really put a dent in it.



I don't think I ever got it 100% out... maybe 95%. It sort of disappeared though after I put on my protectant, 303. I'm sure its still there, especially since I last applied 303 many months ago and I'm sure its long worn off by now... but again, its not really noticeable so I don't think I could find it and point it out even if I wanted to.
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I just had my windows tinted and they made a huge mess of the interior and exterior. Actually the drips on the exterior are still stuck there because they got sun baked, but I'll be polishing them out soon. Anyway I'm still looking for a good product to actually clean the stuff off of the interior vinyl. I started trying to clean it with 303 but it wasn't taking it off so I stopped, any suggestions? I havn't heard of Mr. CLean Magic Eraser or Meg's APC around here.
 
Yea, 303 isn't really a cleaner, so that's why it wasn't coming off. Mr. Clean Magic Eraser and Meg's APC are both fine choices. You can also try Woolite+water, and any other kind of APC. Those should all work fairly well.
 
I used megs APC+ for the first time ever on the inside of my Jeep and my MF was dirty by the time I did the entire interior. Amazed me what came off a fairly clean looking interior.
 
BlueLibby04 said:
I used megs APC+ for the first time ever on the inside of my Jeep and my MF was dirty by the time I did the entire interior. Amazed me what came off a fairly clean looking interior.
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What dilution did you use? How does it smell? My quess is Meg's Interior Detailer is another formula based on an APC.
 
Bunky said:
What dilution did you use? How does it smell? My quess is Meg's Interior Detailer is another formula based on an APC.
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For interiors, I use the product as suggested at 10:1. It has an orange-citrus scent. It's not something you would use all the time once your interior is dressed. Meg's Interior QD on the other hand really wasn't meant to do heavy-duty cleaning. It's for touching up and helping with the dust. It has a eucalyptus scent to it.



Some people seem to love Meg's Quik Interior Detailer, but IMO it's overhyped and not a necessary product. Water + mf towel works about as well as this product, you just won't have the scent.
 
Omikron OC 120 foaming APC is what I use on interiors that are stained from body oil, sweat, food etc



The door trims get a good scrubbing with a microfibre pad and it does a great job with door jambs as well.
 
Bunky said:
What dilution did you use? How does it smell? My quess is Meg's Interior Detailer is another formula based on an APC.
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Meg's APC actually smells a lot like the generic "soap" smell. But its not a big deal... doesn't really linger if you're not doing the fabric. Even if you are, it's not a big deal, because its not a particularly unpleasant scent, just a little bit generic. THe pleasant sort of generic-ness.



The smell goes away quickly, however.
 
BlackElantraGT said:
For interiors, I use the product as suggested at 10:1. It has an orange-citrus scent. It's not something you would use all the time once your interior is dressed. Meg's Interior QD on the other hand really wasn't meant to do heavy-duty cleaning. It's for touching up and helping with the dust. It has a eucalyptus scent to it.



Some people seem to love Meg's Quik Interior Detailer, but IMO it's overhyped and not a necessary product. Water + mf towel works about as well as this product, you just won't have the scent.
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I think it is better than water but I but good for light cleaning applications only. I keep reading you want something with nonionic surfactants since it does not attract dust back after you clean. I have no idea of Megs QD. APC, or Woolite meet that requirement.
 
It depends on the definition of a wipe down. My wash and vacuums include a "wipe down" of all vinyl, plastic, and leather surfaces. Depending on the product I use for the wipe down, I can remove a lot of grime. If the interior is just dusty and has very light soiling, I use a neutral non-ionic surfactant based product that also neutralizes odors. For heavier soiling, I use an alkaline colloidal cleaner. If I am doing a full detail or full interior detail, I simply spend more time on problem areas and cracks and crevices. In short wipe downs with the proper cleaner can be very effective.
 
brwill2005 said:
It depends on the definition of a wipe down. My wash and vacuums include a "wipe down" of all vinyl, plastic, and leather surfaces. Depending on the product I use for the wipe down, I can remove a lot of grime. If the interior is just dusty and has very light soiling, I use a neutral non-ionic surfactant based product that also neutralizes odors. For heavier soiling, I use an alkaline colloidal cleaner. If I am doing a full detail or full interior detail, I simply spend more time on problem areas and cracks and crevices. In short wipe downs with the proper cleaner can be very effective.
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Can you identify these products?
 
No matter how dirty or clean an interior is, a full interior detail means (to me) that every square inch (except fabric) gets scrubbed with a tooth brush and APC.
 
Damp wipedowns with no product (or that Meg's Interior Detailer- good stuff) work fine for me on the pampered cars as their interiors never get truly dirty, but the dog-haulers need a spritz of Griot's Interior Cleaner.



mikebai1990- I found your original post a little confusing...if I do a "wipedown with APC" it'd be a pretty thorough cleaning, enough to require a rinse to get all the APC residue off everything. In that case I'd expect it to be pretty effective on any dirt :nixweiss
 
Accumulator, for example, if I mix a somewhat strong dilution of Simple Green and just wipe it onto the stained/dirty areas of the interior vinyl, I find that it doesn't really come off. I find that these types of wipedowns only remove surface dust, whereas dirt stains would need to be taken out with Simple Green and a lot of scrubbing.
 
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