When I had my detail shop we preferred the steam clean method with the white towel. For most of our interior cleaning we used Meguirs APC. ( all purpose cleaner. Diluted to various ratios it always did a great job of cleaning and rinsed out well. We would buy it in 55 gallon drums. It worked well as a spot cleaner or in the extractors. We always steamed the steering wheels also. More bacteria on a steering wheel than a toilet seat.
On my 20 year old F250 I removed the belts (not too hard) and soaked them (just the belt parts, not the mechanism) overnight in a bucket of cleaner. Then hit them with my Bissell and they were just like new! Sprayed the mechanism with lube while it was out, whole mess looks and works like new.
Scott. Try the same method for a beige seat belt you may change your cleaning preference. After cleaning with a pressure washer we blow with compressed air. It removes most of the water instantly
Scott, reckon you can put together a next level trim restoration test where you put malco epic revive up against solution finish (for example), BUT with four sections each: neat, coated with a ceramic coating, coated with cerakote/wipe new, cerakote/wipe new on its own. I’ve found the best restoration method to be; feed, then coat. It would be incredibly interesting to see how restoration products do with a coating over the top in comparison to the hybrid restore/coat products like cerakote & wipe new.
Great video Scott The Seatbelts are probably most overlooked and doing a full detail it’s amazing how disgusting they can get especially in the lighter color seatbelts you can actually see such a dramatic difference after doing these methods thanks for producing these great videos
This is very helpful Scott! I installed custom Flame Red belts in my car but then my mechanic put a nice greasy thumb print on the drivers side - it's super visible when the belt is retracted or worn. I tried scrubbing with mechanics hand soap (Goop) but it did nothing. I flirted with hitting it with some brake cleaner but was afraid it would either discolor the belt or dry out the nylon. But now I will try the power washer with hot water idea and if that does not work try to track down a steamer. Any suggestions on a more aggressive soap? Thanks
Always do a test spot on the end of the belt to make sure, but a drop of dish soap or laundry detergent is a good option. It's a fine line with seat belt fabric for "too agressive" and "not enough" I've found.
Great video! I would be interested in seeing you test some of the products sold by youtube detailers like detailgeek, m.a.d., etc. I wonder how the products they sell stack up.
Scott, what do we consumers do when our coating starts sticking/fading. Just apply a new coat after a wash, or do we need to do something else to get the remaining coating off first?
Depends on what was on it - if it was a ceramic coating it would probably require more intensive prep. If it's a spray, a simple Isopropyl alcohol wipe or paint prep spray and throw some more on!
