Bandit Posted January 15, 2004 Posted January 15, 2004 I have tried several methods to clean the Tan Leather Interior of my SC400. None seem to make much difference. I've even soaked it with leather cleaner and used my finger nails to work the leather, still no results. Then I was at my local WalMart and saw the NEW Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. This thing has done wonders in cleaning, not only the leather interior, but the dash, door panels, door jams, etc.. It is wonderful! I used it to clean all the build up in the door jams, under the hood, edge of the trunk. It does not last very long, it took two sponges for just the front seats. But, do not bear down too hard or you will remove the dye from the leather. You use no detergents, only a bucket of clean warm water to keep rinsing from. Give it a try and let me know what you think! It will clean just about any stubborn hard surface you can think of! It's almost like a superfine abrasive contouring sponge. The shade of the interior lightened up a couple of shades due to the buildup. The door panels and dash look like new. And the buildup in the door jams, under the hood, around the trunk and even in the Suun Roof well look as ggod as new. I cleaned these areas and then waxed them and the results are amazing.
SW03ES Posted January 15, 2004 Posted January 15, 2004 I have the Magic Eraser but haven't used it on the cars yet, what makes the eraser work, some sort of detergent?
Bandit Posted January 16, 2004 Author Posted January 16, 2004 There is no detergent in the Magic Eraser. It is more like a micro abrasive that will contour to the surface that you are cleaning. The water serves as a lubricant and a means to carry the soil away. It slowly degrades as you use it. Just don't bear down hard, start light and increase the pressure until you see and feel the results you want. It will clean the vinyl to as new condition and it will do wonders for the leather. Just be prepared to condition the leather with Lexol or some other conditioner as soon as it drys.
VBdenny Posted January 17, 2004 Posted January 17, 2004 bandit, what is it? one of the wipe type things, or is it in a can or spray bottle? sound like something great. denny
99lsguy Posted January 17, 2004 Posted January 17, 2004 I've got an area on the upper glove box/ CD dash area that looks like a piece of tape was on it - it has that "gooey" look which is faintly "white". I've tried everything to get if off. I don't think anyone else has even noticed it but they don't know about all of us "crazy fanatics" here at LOC I'll look it up and give it a shot! Thanks...........
jocigar Posted January 18, 2004 Posted January 18, 2004 They look like a cheap white foam blocks... you look at it a think, did I just pay for this thing? But it really does work, we use it around the house to remove marker marks that our 3 year old leaves everywhere :-) I will try it on the bmw drivers seat since I cannot get the grime off with anything else I have tried... it always looks dirty/darker than the rest of the interior. Thanks for the tip!
Bandit Posted January 18, 2004 Author Posted January 18, 2004 Exactly, I've seen this material used in packing material. I tried to find a piece of it to see if it was the same, no luck. But, it is an amazing piece of material. It may help to eliminate the goo on the dash. I know it does wonders on grime on leather and cleaning the grime off of vinyl. Try it and let us know what you think!
acf Posted January 20, 2004 Posted January 20, 2004 Dare I try this on the spots on my plastic instrument panel?
Bandit Posted January 20, 2004 Author Posted January 20, 2004 It is a very fine micro abrasive. I would not try it on anything that needs to stay transparent. It may work fine as a finely step on a surface that you are polishing out with a polishing compound or buffing tool. I wouldn't use it on your instrument panel.
TOGWT Posted February 4, 2004 Posted February 4, 2004 ~One mans opinion / observation~ Sounds like something I’d like to try, I detail classic cars and something like this may work on ‘ingrained’ type stains. Do you have any details on this product (who makes it, where it’s available, etc)? TIA I’ve been using (with success, thus far) a cleaning solution (Water /Woolite 6:1 ratio or stronger) on to an applicator pad and apply to one area at a time (i.e. a seat back). Gently agitate the surface with a boar’s hair cleaning brush. This removes stubborn grime and will not harm the leather. Use a clean, damp Microfiber towel to rinse the leather. + Conditioner (Zymol Treat)and UV protection (303 Aerospace Protectant) ~Hope this helps~ Experience unshared; is knowledge wasted…/ justadumbarchitect * so i question everything*
jocigar Posted February 4, 2004 Posted February 4, 2004 It should be as easy as going to your local super market house cleaning section. That is where my wife got the mr.clean version. Where do I get a boar's hair brush? that sounds like it should also work well.
blake918 Posted February 23, 2004 Posted February 23, 2004 These erasers are awesome :D . I just used them in my new LS with many, many miles, and the erasers were great! I highly recommend. Thanks for the suggestion bandit!
jocigar Posted February 23, 2004 Posted February 23, 2004 Glad it worked. I still have not given it a try... too cold. Did you use it with water/woolite? Any signs that it removed some of the dye color? Thanks!
blake918 Posted February 23, 2004 Posted February 23, 2004 I did use the eraser after using a very, very strong solution of Woolite and Water, and the eraser was a dark grey color after I was done cleaning my tan leather! I don't think the temperature affectes them. All you do is dip the eraser in water and ring it out just like you would with a sponge, and clean everything in sight.
Neo Posted February 23, 2004 Posted February 23, 2004 I tried this thing a few weeks ago on a very stubborn stain in the car. I have not been able to get it out with anything else. Although the Magic Eraser did not get it all out, most of it is. I may try a few more times. ;) I think there is a disclaimer about using it on dark surfaces though. I have a tan interior and I did not see any fading from the usage. I don't know about darker parts of the car or darker interiors though.
2XLexV8 Posted March 9, 2004 Posted March 9, 2004 Good Evening, I tried the Magic Erasers on my 92 SC400 project. Several stubborn areas came clean easily. Particularly the trim at the edge of the carpet at the door sills, and the outside corners of the seats (where shoes leave marks). I'm using Leatherique to recondition the seats. They ask for 400-grit sandpaper to break down the outer "crust" of silicone and other stuff, and allow the product to get in. I thought 400 was too coarse, but, Magic Eraser did the job. Our interior is grey, and we didn't notice any significant color change. When we cleaned the tan leather in our 00 LX with normal cleaners, the rag came away grey too. Surely, there's some long-winded explanation for that. Thanks for this great tip, bandit.
Bandit Posted March 15, 2004 Author Posted March 15, 2004 Just found a new use for the Magic Eraser. I had some stubborn marks on the rearview mirrors. The passenger side had lightly hit something and left a dark mark along the outside edge. There were also numerous bug stains I could not get rid of. The magic eraser is much like, maybe, 5000 grit buffing pad. It is a very, very fine abrasive. It removed all the marks from my outside mirrors and they look brand new. I was very impressed. It has work very good for numerous surface marks on the paint. Understand that it will leave a dull finish that you will have to go back with a fine buffing compound and then re-wax. Good Luck!
blake918 Posted March 17, 2004 Posted March 17, 2004 Check this out before and after Mr. Clean magic erasers. I think my car might have been the dirtiest car ever, but I'm trying to change that. They don't even look like the same seats after I cleaned them!!!! :D I'd say they're well worth the $5! before: and after...hold on to something you'll be shocked
blake918 Posted March 17, 2004 Posted March 17, 2004 One more set for yall to take a peek at: I hit just about every surface imagineable in the car: dash, steering wheel, shifter, even a few spots on the cloth headliner, and a bunch of trim pieces! Just detailed the car...I used Pledge on the wood, and it looks terrific if I might say so! B)
Bandit Posted March 19, 2004 Author Posted March 19, 2004 Wow, it looks great. Now just have the Drivers seat and console recovered and your interior will be perfect.
blake918 Posted March 19, 2004 Posted March 19, 2004 Yep :D ...pretty incredible! My 'new' driver's seat, console, and steering wheel will be here today or tomorrow. I can't wait!
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