Hey everyone, I'm just curious as I just picked up my 3 a few weeks ago and am wondering what your using to clean your seats during an interior detail. Thanks
What are you using to clean your seats in the Model 3
- Thread starter Massimo99
- Start date
This will eventually come up so I’ll post it here. From the manufacturer:
Cleaning and Care | ultrafabrics
I use clorox wipes.
Cleaning and Care | ultrafabrics
I use clorox wipes.
I use Armor All Cleaning Wipes. Reason is they were able to get sunscreen off the seats very easily and dont dry out in their container so I can leave them in the car without worry.
https://www.amazon.com/Armor-All-Cl...9269&sr=8-4&keywords=armor+all+cleaning+wipes
https://www.amazon.com/Armor-All-Cl...9269&sr=8-4&keywords=armor+all+cleaning+wipes
Had the same problem. The Clorox wipes cleaned off the sunscreen too but I liked that it didn’t leave a shiny residue.
Leatherique two part cleaner and conditioner. Cleaners, alone, dry out the material. A two part isn’t much more effort than a wipe but over time seats remain supple. aspx Home Page
As someone who has been detailing cars as a side hobby for a few years this thread hurts to read. There's 2 parts to properly cleaning leather.
1. Removal (cleaning with dedicated leather cleaner) you'll want to remove your human oil off the leather pores, not just visible dirt
2. Protection, the leather will dry out and crack if not properly protected
I use Ammo leather cleaner and then follow it up with Ammo leather protection, don't like it shiny? Wait 10 min after application and run a clean MF over the area, it'll remove the reflection but leave behind protection.
Honestly what product you use is up to you (please for the love of anything you find holy No Clorox wipes on leather) just remember you gotta clean out the pores in the leather then protect them.
Here's a good explanation on the whole process.
1. Removal (cleaning with dedicated leather cleaner) you'll want to remove your human oil off the leather pores, not just visible dirt
2. Protection, the leather will dry out and crack if not properly protected
I use Ammo leather cleaner and then follow it up with Ammo leather protection, don't like it shiny? Wait 10 min after application and run a clean MF over the area, it'll remove the reflection but leave behind protection.
Honestly what product you use is up to you (please for the love of anything you find holy No Clorox wipes on leather) just remember you gotta clean out the pores in the leather then protect them.
Here's a good explanation on the whole process.
Very useful for leather seats. However, the interior of the model 3 (besides the steering wheel) is not leather, it’s polyurethane.
The seat material is not actually leather...could that make a difference in selecting a product? It might be possible that a different surfactant would be better for this material than actual leather.
Do we know what the material is that Tesla uses for the seats?
Polyurethane is kind of general term, but we know the application of the polyurethane is for car seats. I think it would be reasonable to assume that the compound would be similar to other products used for the same application. A quick check I did recommended products that used ammonium chlorides for cleaning purposes.
It turns out that Clorox Wipes include ammonium chlorides as the active ingredients. Ingredients such as (C12-14) and (C12-18) N-Alkyl Dimethyl Ethylbenzyl Ammonium Chlorides and N-alkyl Dimethyl Benzyl Ammonium Chloride (C12) (C16) and (C18).
So Clorox wipes may actually be pretty good for Tesla seats. I checked Ammo leather cleaner and could not find the ingredient list. Other car leather cleaners I looked at did not include these compounds or other ammonium chlorides so I am guessing Ammo does not either.
It turns out that Clorox Wipes include ammonium chlorides as the active ingredients. Ingredients such as (C12-14) and (C12-18) N-Alkyl Dimethyl Ethylbenzyl Ammonium Chlorides and N-alkyl Dimethyl Benzyl Ammonium Chloride (C12) (C16) and (C18).
So Clorox wipes may actually be pretty good for Tesla seats. I checked Ammo leather cleaner and could not find the ingredient list. Other car leather cleaners I looked at did not include these compounds or other ammonium chlorides so I am guessing Ammo does not either.
barjohn
Member
I use Optimum No Rinse (ONR) in a spray bottle and a micro fiber towel to wipe it. Cleans nicely, not shiny and haven't had any issues. ONR is a lubricant mild soap and you use distilled water with about an ounce of ONR. Very mild cleaning agent.
insaneoctane
Active Member
Well damn, I did not know that. In this case I take back my comment, you can still use the Ammo cleaner which works on plastic, leather, pleather and vinyl but don't use the leather protector since there is no need.
I guess Clorox wipes then aren't that bad if it's not real leather.
WallyP
Member
I use and am a big fan of ONR for exterior cleaning, but haven't thought of it for interior cleaning. Any comments from detailers out there on any down sides to this?
Brian from Peach State Detail did a video where he uses ONR for this purpose on a Model X.
ONR works great for the exterior and to some extent the interior. Unfortunately, it does not do very well removing sunscreen ( at least not the brand I use for my kids).
Similar threads
