Cleaning seat question..

[dangerjbl]

I have just purchased some EK9 SR3 Recaros and tho they are quite mint i would like to take them somewhere to get professionally cleaned to bring them up the best i can before i install them.. Im in Adelaide, i did a bit of a google search but didnt really come up with anyone who seems to specialise in seats just overall cleaning.
Any suggestions where i might start looking or any do's and dont's?

Cheers.

[senna]

This might get you started

http://www.google.com.au/#hl=en&sclient=psy-ab&q=Upholstery+Cleaning+in+Adelaide&oq=Upholstery+Cleaning+in+Adelaide&aq=f&aqi=g-v1&aql=&gs_l=hp.3..0i15.2531.9384.0.9823.31.19.0.11.11.3.1 517.6515.2-13j3j0j2j8-1.19.0...0.0.9KSk2ewZnO0&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&fp=bdc215824a94b0b5&biw=1024&bih=683

[sensei_]

got somewhere to hire a rug doctor (http://www.rugdoctor.com.au/)?

get yourself one of those for 24hrs, line up a bunch of cars/rugs/carpets and prepare a weekend to clean away.

should be cheap as chips these days (i get my hire for free, just pay for the soap, so i dont know the cost of hiring one). you will be surprised what sorts of crap it brings out even after you have supposedly cleaned/vacuumed your seats.

[TbM]

http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j480/tbmindustrys2/beavis.gif
http://honda-tech.com/showthread.php?p=43371240

[Bludger]

personally I would not recommend taking it to a pro, they won't care if they **** up yor seats.

buy some woolwash.

http://static.productreview.com.au/pr.products/t/350x350/138908_natures_organics_australian_pure_eucalyptus _woolwash.jpg

follow the instructions for diluting.

soak the seats with the solution using a cloth and get a very soft bristle brush or pressure cleaner to work it through.

then dry it.

[charliebrown]

use woolite matee

[dangerjbl]

Yes that was my concern about taking the seats somewhere that they might not treat them with care.
I would prefer to do it myself to make sure the seats arnt damaged but a bit worried about getting a washing solution back out of the seats and also getting them dry properly again.. i was thinking a steam/carpet cleaner might be the way to go as suggested

[charliebrown]

I've read some say alcantara is not meant to be steam cleaned.

Basically what i'm going to do with mine is:
- Vacuum to remove loose dirt so you don't push it into the seat in following steps
- Use bucket/cloth with warm water and just dampen the whole seat, making sure to empty the bucket after every section
- Use a diluted woolite/softly/woolwash solution (1:10ish) in a spray bottle and spray it into the seat
- Let soak for 10-20 minutes or so
- Use pressure washer (wide spray setting) and force all the dirt+dust+soap+dirty water out of the seat
- Let air dry for a day or two

If there's some hard stains or something, agitate it with a soft brush after the woolite soaks in

Also remove any metal parts prior as you don't want it to rust

[Bludger]

I've read some say alcantara is not meant to be steam cleaned.

Basically what i'm going to do with mine is:
- Vacuum to remove loose dirt so you don't push it into the seat in following steps
- Use bucket/cloth with warm water and just dampen the whole seat, making sure to empty the bucket after every section
- Use a diluted woolite/softly/woolwash solution (1:10ish) in a spray bottle and spray it into the seat
- Let soak for 10-20 minutes or so
- Use pressure washer (wide spray setting) and force all the dirt+dust+soap+dirty water out of the seat
- Let air dry for a day or two

If there's some hard stains or something, agitate it with a soft brush after the woolite soaks in

Also remove any metal parts prior as you don't want it to rust
pretty much what i would do, no need for spray bottle shit, just dampen/soak with a wet cloth.

not 1:10, follow instructions on bottle.

will take longer than 2 days to dry imo.

2 days in the sun maybe.

[sensei_]

will using a hair dryer/heat gun to go over the seats hurt it?

[charliebrown]

yeah true would take ages in this weather. dont want no sun fade on them though, most likely ill just use a light fan pointing at it

[TbM]

will using a hair dryer/heat gun to go over the seats hurt it?

Wouldnt be using a heat gun on recaros imo, if you have a dehumidifier or A/C then you could use that to suck the moisture out of it

[charliebrown]

Might be able to use that machine that is like a vacuum but sucks out water along with any gunk in it? forgot the name

[TbM]

Might be able to use that machine that is like a vacuum but sucks out water along with any gunk in it? forgot the name
Did you read that link i posted up? they use a wet-vacuum cleaner which is what i think your talking about.

[dangerjbl]

Yes that is a great link TbM im going to have a look at my nearest Easywash place and have a sus what settings are on their machines..
Charliebrown let me know how you go when your done and i will also post my results.. wont be doing mine for awhile yet just gathering my info first to avoid any mistakes. Good thread i think since how many grubby Recaros do we always see for sale!

[Bludger]

Yes that is a great link TbM im going to have a look at my nearest Easywash place and have a sus what settings are on their machines..
Charliebrown let me know how you go when your done and i will also post my results.. wont be doing mine for awhile yet just gathering my info first to avoid any mistakes. Good thread i think since how many grubby Recaros do we always see for sale!
car wash ones pretty strong.

[charliebrown]

Yes that is a great link TbM im going to have a look at my nearest Easywash place and have a sus what settings are on their machines..
Charliebrown let me know how you go when your done and i will also post my results.. wont be doing mine for awhile yet just gathering my info first to avoid any mistakes. Good thread i think since how many grubby Recaros do we always see for sale!

If time permits i'll be doing it this weekend and let it dry during the week. Before/after shots for sure. Need to go buy a new pressure washer and vacuum first cos all my shits shagged.

[TbM]

car wash ones pretty strong.

Depends on the car wash, the one down the road from me the soap setting and spot free rinse(deminerlised water i think) are not as high pressure as the normal rinse so wouldnt be too bad imo.

If your concerned with how powerful the one at the car wash is or what soap they use you could use the method Cb has described and use a personal pressure washer but finish off with wet vac like in the link.

[charliebrown]

Reckon you can borrow a wet vac from supermarket? Or is that steam cleaner

[Bludger]

sometimnes you find them cheap..

30 bux if you get them on sale, the wet vac

[infurNOS]

I followed this:

http://honda-tech.com/showthread.php?t=994876

and it worked a treat on my recaros (yellow)

also, finish off with some scotchguard, it will help clean and repel stains easier.

http://www.scotchgard.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/NAScotchgard/Global/