How to *remove* Armor-All?

[bretfraz]

YIKES!!

That's not good news. I hope it comes off fairly easily but I would not hold my breath.

The silicones in the dressing are migratory. They'll embed themselves deeply into the pores of the interior plastics. I really don't like a petroleum distillate on interiors but that may be what it takes.

If you could try some all purpose cleaners first, that might be a better idea. Simple Green, Formula 409, something like that for automotive uses. I would not want you to discolor your interior just to remove the tire shine.

Good luck and please let us know what works.

 

[aquariuscsm]

In addition to a damp washcloth,make a diluted mix of something like Dawn and warm water. Dawn cuts grease and is very gentle.

 

[Blokey]

TSP (TriSodium Phosphate)

 

[djb]

Start with a damp cloth and mild detergent (hand dish-washing detergent).

Glass cleaners often contain ammonia ("Windex with Ammonia-D"). Ammonia is great on glass because it breaks down oils and other material, while leaving no residue when the water evaporates. Ammonia is bad on most organic materials and some metals. The most obvious damage is on acrylic, where it triggers 'crazing'.

 

[joaks]

Ive heard to use isopropanol but have not tried this myself.

 

[DBMaster]

My first attempt would be with a microfiber towel soaked with hot water and wrung out. Keep and big bucket of hot water nearby and rinse and wring out often. If it's actually Armor All, or something similar, that should be all that is needed to remove the greasy film. When I used Armor All in the 80's on a 70's American padded dash I used to apply it with a sponge, let it penetrate overnight, and then buff away the residue with a dry terry towel.

I don't believe that dashboards require any treatment anymore due to changes in materials. But, some seem to like that greasy look, on their tires, too.

Hey, The Fonz called. He wants his Brylcream back.

 

[wn1998]

like has been said before, just a clean towel and some simple green. Many detailers use simple green as a interior cleaner.

 

[Bgallagher]

Originally Posted By: wn1998
like has been said before, just a clean towel and some simple green. Many detailers use simple green as a interior cleaner.


Simple Green is pretty strong stuff. I wouldn't use it on my car nor any of my customers vehicles. There are MUCH better and SAFER products out there.

 

[Bgallagher]

Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm
In addition to a damp washcloth, make a diluted mix of something like Dawn and warm water. Dawn cuts grease and is very gentle.


+1 Very little dawn. I typically use an APC (All purpose cleaner, Meguiars makes a great one in a diluteable gallon that I safely use on my customer's/my interior.) Either would cut the grease (most likely silicone as most interior dressings are water based, Armor All included now) and get your dash back.

You can also bring it back to the shop and make them remove it. it isn't like you requested it. Make it their problem

 

[gary031]

Originally Posted By: Bgallagher
You can also bring it back to the shop and make them remove it. it isn't like you requested it. Make it their problem

While that "should" be the best option, from my experience, it's a bad idea. The body shop/ hack detail shop that put the greasy stuff all over the OP's interior probably has no idea how to remove it properly, and they would more than likely do more harm than good even trying. Who knows what types of chemicals they would "try" on the vehicle to remove the unknown interior product they used.

I'd probably just try to tackle it myself. Lots of good ideas in this thread, personally, I would probably try the whole dawn and hot water idea, or Woolite maybe. I've been using Krud Kutter on interiors lately and it's very safe and works great. And like Bgallagher said above, no way I (personally) would use Simple green on any interior surfaces. That stuff is way to gnarly.

 

[bubbajoe_2112]

I usually just use a little Woolite in warm water...

 

[Hokiefyd]

Originally Posted By: wn1998
like has been said before, just a clean towel and some simple green. Many detailers use simple green as a interior cleaner.


One of the local car washes use a green-colored solution to do everything in the interior. And it does a good job. I use Simple Green a lot on the cars and around the house, and when diluted properly, is a very safe product.

Ironically enough, I got an Armor All sampler gift set for Christmas, and one of the items in there was a thing of cleaning wipes. After a few sessions with the cleaning wipes, which appear to leave no residue and are lint-free, the interior is back to a nice satin...clean and dry.

 

[jrtribology]

If that's what happened then they (the body shop) did you wrong

 

[jrtribology]

Yes, I also use regular un diluted simple green to clean rubber hoses and sometimes tires as well if I haven't gone through the process of using westleys tire bleach with a soft/medium nylon bruch to clean tires.