Interior cleaning question

Hi there

I have a satin on the interior of my Honda Accord. It was from a smoothie spill a while back, and while I did sop all of the excess up, these stain emerged on the plastic and I can’t get them out. When they become wet from a wipe, etc, they completely disappear, and then when they dry, the stains emerge again.

I’ve tried lysol wipes, Mr. Clean soap with a damp cloth, gentle brushing with soap, and every time, it disappears and then reappears once dry.

Any tips here on how to tackle this?

Thanks

Neel

Consult a professional auto detailer and see if they can clean it up.

Wipe a bit of Armorall on the stain to put the shine back.If that doesn’t work,see a pro.

1 Like

Don’t use household products on your seats. Unless you are certain they won’t damage the seat, it very well might. Take the car to a detailer and see what they recommend. You might talk to more than one before you grieve them a shot at it. Maybe one shop will be more experienced with this type of stain. Figure out how to conduct the conversation so that you know that they really are as experienced as they claim.

I would use spray wax. Auto type.

You have cleaned that cover enough times, I suspect that your drink lifted some of the color from the paint.

When a trade-in has this type of damage we have a trim company that visits once a week that performs interior repairs, this service is normally not available to customers. They match trim panel coatings perfectly.

A replacement console panel is $300, not a practical solution. You could repaint those doors, there are interior spray dyes available but don’t expect to find a perfect color match.

You might find that perfect (or near perfect) color match here;

or here;

Thanks for the replies guys. It never occurred to me that the paint would get lifted by a little drink spill. Are my smoothies that toxic to peel off a layer of paint? And that still doesn’t explain why the colour is restored with just water.

Smoothies have fruit… fruit has acids… acids damage the gloss on the surface of the vinyl…the water replaces the gloss until it dries…

That’s my theory.

3 Likes

The drink may not have removed color, but added it as it soaked into the fabric. Either way, if you want to address it, you probably should get an experienced detailer to fix it. I’d use one with a storefront that has been in business for several years. It will be more expensive, but being able to pay the overhead over a long time indicates the business is a success.

Why not? That’s really up to the customer. I imagine there are people out there who would buy a $300 cover to get rid of an unsightly stain. I’ve found that $300 is pocket change to some people and a fortune to others.

2 Likes

Look at the photo again.
The spill/stain is not on fabric. It is on the hard plastic center console.

1 Like

I’ve used the SEM colorants and they are very good. I used it on interior leather and also exterior vinyl roof. I had a perfect match. They do not chip, peel, or flake off. I had to buy the color chips though to figure out what color to order.

I thought it was a vinyl fabric, not hard plastic. The plastic could still absorb something from the liquid, though it’s less likely. Plastic isn’t impervious like metal is. Absorption tests measure mass gain, and it’s a standard test.

Buy the same smoothie and wipe the rest of the panel with it. It would all be the same color :slight_smile:

Sorry, couldn’t help it.

How about shoe wax to stain it?

1 Like