cleaning beige interior

I am bummed to hear this!

I will be getting a beige interior with much wariness and reservation, but I don't have a choice.

I was planning on using scotch guard, and putting all weather rubber mats on the floor. However I have three children and I know they will leave their mark especially after soccer and softball games.

I am interested in hearing what others have to say.

Do you guys get your cars professionally detailed, interior shampoo, etc.?

 

I've used Scotch Guard and it seems fine. Then again, I've only had the car for a month. So....We'll see.

I also have a grey interior on a black exterior. Thank, gawd!

I also have a nice Japanese fabric (low key but very nice) on the armrest to keep it extra clean. Try a handkerchief....Whatever you do, don't grandmother the upholstery with plastic, please!

 

You can find a good discussion of seat covers for the ivory/beige interior at this link: Seat Cover Discussion

I also read on another board that Scotchguard works fine, but you need to be careful not to overspray onto the plastic parts of the interior of the car, as it makes the plastic extra shiny.

Haven't run across any suggestions besides Kosame's regarding the armrest, though...

I just don't understand why Toyota does not offer the gray interior as an option in most of the Prii - it would look great with the Salsa Red exterior!

 

The center console is held on with only 4 screws. You can remove it and then cut a piece of cloth to cover it. You can even add some padding. You don't need to glue it down so when the replacement cover gets dirty, you can remove it and throw it in the wash. I've done it and it's quite easy. You could pick all kinds of different cloth or vinyl coverings.

I'm sure the door covering can also be removed but I havent' done tha part yet. It would require removing the whole inside door panel. Not impossible, but not simple either.

I suppose that one could be padded too.

 

i think you just need to get a good protection and cleaning system in place and you will alright.

i have fab protection put on by my sister (she works at ford dealer) because it was cheap. and i dont know how much that affected anything, but i have put some major stains in the seats without any long term consequences so far.

i accidently sprayed taco sauce all over and it wiped up without a trace. but i did that immediately after it happened so i expected that.

what i didnt expect was that i had a bright pink gel pen sitting on seat with the cap off and it put a little circle smack dab in the middle of the front passenger seat about 4-5 times larger than a dot. as far as i can guess, it was there at least a few days by the time i noticed it.

i didnt hold out much hope for success to be honest with ya, but to my surprise, it wiped off with just a damp cloth.

since then, i put a cup ring from a coffee cup on the center console lid. it came off easily too.

so all i can suggest is put something on it to protect it and try to keep it as clean as possible... or wash up before going home.

many many years ago, i worked at a job where i was filthy at the end of my shift. no two ways around it. washing up at work was useless as i always took a shower immediately upon arriving home.

so when i drove the good car to work, i would lay down a towel on the seat and worn a light windbreaker that had long s;eeves for driving only. that way, i only had to worry about washing my hands.

 

For shame... eating while in the prius!

 

I'm with you! I saw a Salsa Red today on my way to the Toyota dealer (getting an MFD replacement and brake switch recall done today) and told my wife I'd buy that in a second if it had the dark interior. Instead, I'll be trading in my driftwood #0 on a silver #6 this month...partly to get rid of the beige interior, but mostly to get the VSC, smartkey and side airbags.

Anyway, I keep a plastic jar of some kind of wet wipes (I think it's Armor All Cleaning Wipes) in the car and periodically use one of those to wipe down the armrest. Works great (looks terrible until it dries, though)!

rpm

 

i frequently dont have a lot of choices. sometimes eating in my car is the only way im garanteed to eat.

 

I find that cleaning the beige interior is a piece of cake

You need two white shop towels, say from WalMart

Wet down one until is is very wet, but not dripping

Take this wet towel and wipe down the seats, arm rests and center console

THe fabric can take being quite wet, and you can rub the nap gently back and forth to remove any stains. I remove dog slobber this way

Once you have the fabric wet down, then switch to the dry towel

Rub it dry gently, back and forth

The final pass of the dry towel should be in the direction of the nap of the fabric. This makes it look and dry nice

EASY EASY EASY

I have removed pet mud paw prints this way with ease


Chris

 

Chris:

Was the fabric treated in any way after leaving the factory?

 

I am curious how all of you clean the dashboard. Mine has gotten very dusty and when I try to wipe it I seem to not be able to get it up. The surface is much rougher than dashboards I have had in the past.

Alan

 

buy one of those California Dusters (WalMart). works great.
rob

 

Hmmm sort of puts some question into the accuracy of Henry's "Dog's rule, cats drool" comment. ;-)

I have one of those Swiffer things in my upper glovebox too. Works fine.

 

I love the beige interior; nice contrast against the Seaside Blue. Some suggestions about "housecleaning":
1. a spray bottle of upholstery cleaner will work fine, as will a brew you can make yourself from a mild mix of water and dishwashing soap, such as JOY.
2. the two spots that get the dirtiest are the center console and the armrest.
Spay the cleaning solution on them and use a nylon bristle brush to clean them. The fabric is pretty sturdy, I've discovered, in spite of it's delicate appearance.
3. Dry them off with a cotton bath towel. I keep a small cotton tower in the front door compartment to small spills and for wiping my glasses.

A partial solution to the center console: I got two sets of inexpensive carpeted floor mats. With two sets, you'll have two drivers mats with the rubber inserts for your feet, and two large front passenger mats with no rubber insert, and four little rectangular back seat mats.
Use the two driver's mats for the front seats, and the two large passenger mats for the rear seats.
Take one of the little rectangular mats and lay it on top of the center console. I fastened a short length of elastic rope to the front end to keep the mat in place and folded over the armrest. The rear end of the mat will be held in place by the seats. Put a small piece of indoor /outdoor carpeting or some other padding underneat the mat and you will have a comfortable cushioned support for your right arm.
Use the remaining three little rectangular mats to protect the carpet in the trunk. I use one to hold my window scraper, wiper to keep the drip off the beige carpeting. Works fine because the mat has those little prongs that hold it in place.
I chose maroon as the color for the floormats; but almost any color will go with the beige interior. My car is blue, the mats are maroon and they contrast nicely.
I keep the nylon bristle brush and my spray cleaner in the little drawer in the front end of the center console. Handy. I also use seat pillows in the front, both to keep the driver seat clean and also to raise me up so my knee joints don't get sore. The driver seat is a tad too low for tall drivers.
Good luck.
Bob

 

I try to vacuum out my car maybe once a month. Yeah, the dust on the dash and MFD is really obvious very quickly but I find that using the vac with the little round brush attachment gently takes care of the dust issue on the dash as well as the MFD.

Randy

 

I keep both front seats covered with large thin Arizona Cardinals Towels I got from one of the fb games. They wash and dry easily and I can eat/drink without much worry. In the event I notice any dirty spots on the console or doors I quickly wash with a clean wet cloth and it looks dark at first but drys fine. dirt seems to lift right out with no problem and I have not done any fabric treating.
The only thing that was a near disaster was when a pen was left in one cupholder and leaked ink all over the inside of the cup holder and got smudged all over the console cover, some on the door as well as the steering wheel. I was able to get all ink stains out with rubbing alcohol and much blotting. The steering wheel did discolor in a couple of small
spots from the rubbing alcohol but most people wouldn't notice. Usually not many pasengers in the back seat so I don't cover them up. I also frown on "messy foods" in the car but crumbs can be vacummed up or shaken out of the towel no problem. Just beware of pens left in the sun and don't let hubbies eat greasy fried chicken in the car. popcorn chicken o.k. sandwiches o.k.
and as for the dash area, vacumming with a duster attachment and following with a wet dust rag works pretty well for me.

 

I wiped down the dash and steering wheel and everything else that isn't upholstery with the ArmorAll Protective Wipes and it gave all those charcoal colored areas a nice satin finish that I love. Did that about a month ago and it still looks great and the dust doesn't seem to stick to it. Be careful not to get it on the NAV screen, though.

 

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Can you describe this rubber insert? I have a full set of prius floormats, but there is nothing different about the two front seat mats...