Help needed with dirty interior head cloth

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manus

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Hi peeps,
I have a problem the interior head cloth in my wellcraft cabin is dirty and I am getting conflicting advice about cleaning it. It's general dirt and a bit of mould but I've been told
A. It cant be cleaned and I need to replace it
B. It can be cleaned with bleach and water
C. It can be cleaned but use amonia instead of bleach
D. If I try and clean it, that will remove the protective surface and it will rot away
E. Keep the lights off and ignore it!!!

Are there any products that will help or can you please give me some solid advice. The material is the kind found in many US built cabins, the white carpet-like substance. See the pic attached.
Thanks in advance
 
I've used spray on upholstery cleaner, typically sold for cars. That seems to get surface superficial stuff off but doesn't do stains. Its pretty cheap, you can try it an area, you just spray it on and sponge off. sometimes you need a couple of goes or lending a helping scrub, but its not bad.
 
I've used a proprietary mildew and mould cleaner in similar circumstances (I think the one I used was Dettol, but there are several) and it's done a reasonable job. In the case of these kinds of product, which normally contain fungicides as well as bleach, it's particularly important to follow the advice above and test it on a small inconspicuous patch first.

I usually spray it on the surface, leave it to work for five minutes and then go over it with a damp sponge, regularly rinsed, just in case there are long term effects. No disasters yet ;)
 
B.
Weak thin bleach with water and spray on the carpet-like cloth only and extract dry the surface once reached desired results. Carpet extraction machine (cheap to hire) or blotting (no rubbing or scrubbing).
Don't use a brush or it will become very fluffy.
Start with the weakest mix possible.
Wear a mask
The problem may come from a leaking oval window as it did in this case.

The pic shows one I completed after the leaking had been left for some time, in addition to the mould growing, the water had reacted with the fixing staples used on the upholstery to create some rust marks into the mix (great fun) :)

P1040523.jpg
 
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Wow that looks like a nice job - how do you get rust marks out, I've had a leak through an oval window and it has left a rust streak down headlining type material. Can't seem to get it out for love nor money :-(
 
WhiteMischief said:
Wow that looks like a nice job - how do you get rust marks out, I've had a leak through an oval window and it has left a rust streak down headlining type material. Can't seem to get it out for love nor money :-(
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It depends on what the material is as to what you can get away with, in terms of aggitation and products used.

Sometimes a stain is just that..a stain.

With the above pic, the headlining was near black with mould and the shelves and sides below the windows were mouldy and rusty, but were sorted out to the level you see in under a day, so it's possible to save some, but of course different colours will not take bleaching without losing some of the shade.

If the original colour is white then it's as simple as the above process, however you may need to address the area many, many times to produce the correct results without harming the fabric.
A weak oxalic mix may help with severe rust staining, but again you will need some form of fast extraction in order that the product is not on the fabric for too long, a form of flashing the product.

Remember that the staining will be on the base of the fibres and will seem as if you are making no progress for a while.
With each pass you should notice the stain getting lighter and lighter.

But as others have said, test on an area out of sight to begin with, then it's plain old persistance and patience.

Replace the screws as these will continue to cause problems.

More thought into design would save a ton of problems down the road.

Once corrected, use a hydrophobic fabric protector, (scotchgaurd etc) as you should on all your fabrics from day 1 out of the factory, they build it, but they don't protect it.:)
 
jfm said:
Manus, I'd get Marine Reflections to do the job for you. That pic of theirs above looks a fantastic job.
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Nice of you to say so JFM, but you'll have me shot.
I like letting members know how to correct problems on here as advice, but don't want to be banned, I love this forum and it's the only one I belong to, If need be I would much rather remove the link to my site and offer the advice as a non-pro.
 
It has has a slight texture but has no visible holes, I suspect not very porous would be most accurate. Standard headlining material ishow I would describe it but I suspect you see more types than me :-)
 
Marine Reflections said:
Nice of you to say so JFM, but you'll have me shot.
I like letting members know how to correct problems on here as advice, but don't want to be banned, I love this forum and it's the only one I belong to, If need be I would much rather remove the link to my site and offer the advice as a non-pro.
Click to expand...


You wont be shot! The rules are strange and unwitten, and i don't pretend to understand them (!) but if you contribute to the forum (as you do in heaps, this thread being an example) not merely "advertise" here, I think you're ok

I don't want to drift this thread but briefly (in 2-3 sentences) do you rate the A Glaze line of products?
 
Vinyl - thats the word I was looking for. Senior moment!

I had been recently introduced to magic sponges by a fellow forumite (who) I did give one a 10 second try on it but got distracted. There was no magic occuring in those seconds but having seen what theyhave done else where it is worth another go.
 
Thanks

Guys thanks very much for the excellent advice. Marine reflections, if you were based in Ireland I would bring the boat to you guys, that is a top class job.
Thanks everyone for sharing the helpful tips and advice, once I get the head cloth sorted I'll maybe even tackle the vinyl bits!!!
Thanks again guys
 
jfm said:
You wont be shot! The rules are strange and unwitten, and i don't pretend to understand them (!) but if you contribute to the forum (as you do in heaps, this thread being an example) not merely "advertise" here, I think you're ok

I don't want to drift this thread but briefly (in 2-3 sentences) do you rate the A Glaze line of products?
Click to expand...

I still have a whole package from when the company launched, but that's not to say the products don't work, lots of detailers jumped on board when the hype first started because they had Sunseekers approval.
I don't use them, but only because I am happy with the techniques and applications I use.
 
WhiteMischief said:
It has has a slight texture but has no visible holes, I suspect not very porous would be most accurate. Standard headlining material ishow I would describe it but I suspect you see more types than me :-)
Click to expand...

Yes the Melamine (magic foam) might not be enough for rust marks on the vinyl on it's own, but they are great little things, try a oxalic mix first to loosen it off.
 
Marine Reflections said:
Nice of you to say so JFM, but you'll have me shot.
I like letting members know how to correct problems on here as advice, but don't want to be banned, I love this forum and it's the only one I belong to, If need be I would much rather remove the link to my site and offer the advice as a non-pro.
Click to expand...

Why would you be banned for offering good advice? And no you definitely should not remove your site link!
 
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