What has everyone been using to clean the dash and the console? I am not sure what kind of material was used plastic or vinyl and certainly don't want to use the wrong cleaners

 

I used Murphy Oil Shop, have used on all my cars for the past 40+ years, cleans and protects, and smells good too!!!

 

Ok, Listen up! The best way to clean the interior is to first wipe the dust from all the surfices with a One-Wipe dust cloth. Always keep on in your car. With a simple gental wipe you will be amaized how it holds the dust. Next, take a small 100% cotton towel, soak it in warm water then wring it out till it is just damp. Open up the towel and lightly spray it with Windex several times. Then carefully wipe all the plactic serfaces to remove any dirt and fingerprints. The towel should be only damp and not soaking wet. You can follow up with another dry towel if you wish. Make sure the towels you use are 100% cotton. Make sure that when they have been laundered that you do not use fabric softner, as this will leave a flim on serfaces. Dust the seats with the One-Wipe colth followed by a carefull wipe with a lightly dampened cloth with just water only followed by a dry towel to obsorb any moisture left behind. Interiors should be cleaned gently. Never use harsh cemicals or brillow pads of any kind.

 

Great advice m-benz, sometimes the best cleaning measures are the simplest. I have used a dampened towel with a little windex sprayed on it for years, follow it up as you suggest with a dry towel and avoid wax buildup on interior surfaces. I have used those leather wipes by armor-all and others on the leather seating surfaces and they work well also.

 

I have used Murphy's Oil Soap on all my cars for the past 45 Years.
Cleans, protects and leaves the car smelling great. try it, you'll like it!!

 

Have to hi-5 Prower39 on this one.

Murphy's is GREAT!

I use it to clean just about anything Wood, Vinyl, or Leather.

Does a truly excellent job on Leather. I even use it on antique leather pieces (150+year old sheaths, straps, belts, etc,.). nothing I've found will restore (soften), shine, and clean like it. And, without build-up (if done right) or flaking. No harsh chemicals.

Best results: Mix one part Murphy to two parts water. Apply liberally, with a soft cotton rag/towel, making sure you get down into the crevaces. Don't worry about excess, as long as it isn't dripping. Rub (not wipe) with a dry soft cotton rag/towel. Finish with a light buff of a horse-hair brush (for that perfect shiney look).

Warning: Murphy's will stain cloth: don't drip, don't slop.

 

I agree, good advice. Don't use armor-all or any other "wipes" or protector/cleaners unless you want a shiney dash. I haven't had the interior detailed since my 98 Chrysler Van came back all shiney. Boy was I pissed. Most Detailers, screw up the "dull" factory finish with somekind of protector. Its not needed, even here in Florida. Damp cloth & Murphy Oil soap is enough.

 

Ok, all of you Murphy's Oil Soap advocates have convinced me. I will substitute MOS for windex in future cleaning endeavors with my Crossfire. I have used it for years on wood, but never thought of it for cars interiors. Thinking I am going to dilute it quite a bit though.

 

where can a gal get this good stuff,,,I just got my Xfire Sunday and want to start off on the right foot
thanks

 

Hey Fitbiz, welcome to the club. I've had mine a week and love it. I too want to know where to get this murphy's oil soap because I couldn't find it at some automotive stores.

 

You can get it at any drug / discount store.... Walgreens, Target, etc..

 

This probably constitutes Too Much Information but here goes.

Funny to see Murphy's Oil Soap on a Crossfire site. We've used for years but I thought its customers were mainly old ladies and hippies. Murphy's is well-known to furniture restorers and leather and tack workers, such as horse fanciers, because tho gentle it seems to dissolve fats (like sweat) well and then -- unless you rinse well -- the oil in it somewhat replaces the oil which is stripped. It was a previous generation's "Simple Green," and was recommended -- by brand name -- by the US Navy in the '30s for cleaning woodwork on ships.

MOS is what is sometimes known as a "green soap." It is a vegetable-oil-based mild detergent. Used to be made by independent co., Murphy-Phoenix of Beachwood, Ohio. Gobbled up by Colgate-Palmolive in 80s-90s merger mania. Has corporate parent messed with the formula? Who knows.

Main ingredients USED to be water, then a potassium soap derived from vegetable oil. MOS's oils may include cedar oil and citronella. Both of these have natural anti-insect qualities so MOS is recommended for, among other things, washing animals. Keep your Xfire flea-free!

MOS is advertised as biodegradable and phosphate-free. It was tested in 1987 by an OSU lab as fairly alkaline, about 10.5, and Colgate-Palmolive now says it is about 11.0, about the same as ammonia. Altho considered more "natural" by many because derived from veggie oils, not petroleum, it is still a man-made formula and contains surfactants (surface-active agents) and maybe propylene glycol. Colgate says it now contains ethanol as well.

Downsides: some no-wax floor and guitar manufacturers specifically recommend against MOS because of the oil in it, they feel it can leave a damaging wax-like buildup. Even hardwood floor fanciers who like MOS say that sometimes you may need to rinse lightly with a diluted (say, 16:1) water-vinegar solution if there is a dull film that has formed. This is probably more true in areas with hard or acidic water; soap tends to bind to the minerals in hard water, and also bonds to acids. That is why you can use a vinegar solution to clean it up.

Some leather guys say the vegetable oil is not a real replacement for the natural animal fat it can strip from leather.

Colgate-Palmolive says MOS shouldn't be in prolonged contact with aluminum.

I treat MOS like a glycerin soap. If you just use an MOS solution and then wipe with dry cloth as some previous posts suggest, over time there will be a buildup. After using a light MOS solution on anything except horse tackle I also wipe as much off as possible with a damp cloth, then dry ASAP. Always use as little water as possible when working with leather or you can damage and break down the fibre structure.

Comparable vegetable-detergent products include FlaXoap (if you can still find it) and Dr. Bronner's Castile Soap (a true hippie product) which includes hemp and olive oils.

Murphy's is probably A-OK for vinyl trim. I am not going to touch the leather on my Xfire with anything until I find out from CDX what kind of leather they used and what it is finished with. Ditto the finish on the console, which I am guessing is an acrylic. Murphy's is actually recommended by painters for cleaning acryclic paint from brushes, so I don't want to use something that might strip the finish even imperceptibly.

 

Keep us updated Deco, as I am not sure what to use to clean my interior - especially the dash.