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I have a 2015 RX 350 whose interior is in a poor state. There are marks on the headliner, and the carpet is very dirty. I can vacuum it but need a way to make it clean.
Can you suggest products that can help clean it (the cleaning product in the house does not appear to work, plus I don't want to spread the marks when I try to scrub it clean)
I don't plan on hiring the car cleaning person, as they are quite expensive in my area.
Try reading and searching the Detailing forum listed below. They should provide some tips. There are also some car detailing forums elsewhere that have a lot of data on how to clean your car.
First go to a car wash and use their industrial vacuums or the pay vacuums at many gas stations
I recommend Folex carpet cleaner for the fabric surfaces such as the roof liner and pillars.
Those crayon marks will be a challenge.
Try reading and searching the Detailing forum listed below. They should provide some tips. There are also some car detailing forums elsewhere that have a lot of data on how to clean your car.
First go to a car wash and use their industrial vacuums or the pay vacuums at many gas stations
I recommend Folex carpet cleaner for the fabric surfaces such as the roof liner and pillars.
Those crayon marks will be a challenge.
Many thanks for the quick reply.
I will take care of the leather later, as it has developed cracks, and I am not sure how the dying will help restore it
For the rest of cleaning, I will try: Folex carpet cleaner, assuming that it will work for the headliner and sunvisor too, along with the area around the pillar.
I have searched online for products, but it makes the job much harder because of too many choices, and I am not clear how this will work/ I tried a product from walmart last year, and it just spread the marks around and made it worse.
hence the reason the post is to see what has worked for you fellows, and I can try the same for the marks just like mine
P.S. This car was in pristine condition three years ago when I used to drive it. And since then, the family has been using it, and it's in a very poor condition.
Thanks
I have had good luck with Spot Shot for carpet and fabric. Please test in an inconspicuous area. Soft brush to work in the spray and white towel to absorb it.
Anything that has been absorbed below surface might come up as you wet it with product.
I take a wet shemois (sp? used to purchase real leather but the fake one are good enough) and after wringing out the water [damp] gently clean all leather surfaces. This leaves minute amount of moisture on the seat which keeps the leather from drying out.
If nothing else works on the crayon marks, test a small area using spray brake parts cleaner, which is available at every auto parts store or Wal-mart. It will remove almost anything and evaporates in seconds. You will still need to scrub them. Be careful as it may change the appearance of the area.
I use Folex and Spot Shot intervhangeably to clean fabric and carpets. Folex is a trigger spray and Spot Shot an aerosol.
I have used Formula 409 and a toothbrush on really dirty cracked leather seats and it does remove much of the dirt from the crack, Follow up with warm water and a brush. This may change the appearance of the leather, but it is coated with polyurethane.
Afterward spray it with some Aerospace 303 to protect it and make it look better. This is also good for the door panels and dash.
Brake cleaner spray is indeed a good choice for headliner stains. People seem to think it will be too harsh, but after they carefully try it, they realize it works very well.
OK wow. this is what I would do. test everything in a small area first
- get a very good steam cleaner, one that works just with water. get a good handheld carpet cleaner
- vaccuum what you can with a shop vac
- use the water steam cleaner to try and remove stuck stains, dirt. wipe area dry
- use handheld carpet clear on carpet
be careful on headliner because it's easy to ruin. the water steam cleaner should be OK. I've used it before in another vehicle and it helped to lift grime from carpet
I would start with the headliner since I'm fairly confident the carpet can be saved. the headliner will require patience and multiple passes. if you are not careful and apply too much moisture the headliner will sag. it is almost perhaps worth considering just replacing the headliner if you are having trouble removing those marks from it
I read that Formula 409 shouldnt be used for leather. So what is the best wayt to clean dirt out f the cracks and then some means to reduce the cracks or crasks appearances
I ahve parchmant color for leather. https://leatherrenew.com/products/au...e-leather-kits
wll, these clean up the dirt and fix the cracks. I am not familar with Dye, I assume that it is for repairing but not adding another layer of color over the seat as I am afraid that it will appears as a patch of different color.
If your RX is base model the seating surfaces including perforated centers are covered in Nuluxe artificial leather with some vinyl sections on the sides, if your car has Touring package then perforated seat centers are real leather but seating edge panels are Nuluxe or vinyl. F-sport model and special orders got the real leather seating surfaces. I'd phone the Leather Renew company and get a recommendation for what works on your interior but I don't see any product mentioned there for Lexus Nuluxe artifical leather or vinyl surfaces. The cracking on Nuluxe artificial leather is caused by sunlight uv rays.
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How to clean the interior
