Our 2017, with “moonstone,” partly-white seats are starting to get some minor stains on them, so I’m wondering what sorts of cleaners work for them. This video: recommends, apparently, a cleaner called Auto Magic 49 Body Shine. Do any of you have experience with this cleaner, or just in general with cleaning the white Softex material?
Softex is a synthetic material so you probably don't wan't to use products made for leather. Armor All Matte Finish Protectant has worked wonders several times for me. Spray it on, wipe it off. If it's really grimy I scrub with a soft nylon brush then wipe. It cleans the material and brings back the factory matte finish, not shiny & slippery like traditional Armor All. You can get it at Walmart for under $5. I taped off half the seat of a BMW I did to show the difference, try doing that and post a photo.
So then this Armor All product really can function as a cleaner, and not only as a protectant? That video claims that what they recommended works great on Softex, and I don’t immediately see anything about it being intended for use on leather. However, the description, looking it up on Amazon, might imply that it leaves the surface looking shiny (“wet,” it says), so that might not be good.
Yes, it cleans remarkably well. They also have a similar product called Interior Detailer that might be the same product with a different name, works just as well. The key word is "Matte" so you avoid shiny and/or slippery.
+1 My 2014 4Runner has the exact same seat material as my Prime. I've been using plain water with a white towel since 2014 and it just works. I also don't wait until it gets grimy to wipe it down mostly because they're black like the Prime and show dust early. In this case that's a good thing.
Yeah, so far mine haven't gotten greasy or grimy yet. In that case, it probably would need some soap.
The OP is asking about moonstone seats, which show a lot more stains/grime than black seats. Blue jeans leave marks etc.
Local Toyota Dealer Service Manager suggested Mother's VLR. Works great and leaves a matte finish. Walmart or any parts store.
I would avoid "protectants" on seats. These leave a residue, and this tends to attract more dirt. I would use a mild soap/warm water solution and a brush, and give the material a good scrubbing. Rinse well at the end, leaving just a clean seat with no soap or other residue.
