VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - GENERAL Upholstery - Interiors & Glass Cleaning upholstery

Hello Everyone,

I had a guy give me a bunch of odd parts for my '37. One item is a sun visor that is in good condition but needs to be cleaned. It appears to be mohair (it did come out of a '37 "many" years ago) and I would like some suggestions on how to clean it and with what type of cleaner.

Thank you in advance.

Dave, 'way back in the early '60's I needed a car badly (to begin a new job) and my dad gave me his '51 Chev. It was a nice looking car on the outside, but the interior was a sickening yellowish - the result of my dad's smoking a pipe in the car since it was new.

A friend told me about Orvus Paste - a mild cleaner used by the "horsey set" for cleaning soft blankets etc. I tried some on a small patch and was astounded with the results - cleaned up just like brand new. So I did the whole interior. It looked great!!

Might be worth looking into. I googled it and found it's still around.

I had good luck by mixing launery detergent with a little water. Beat it to make a foam. Just dip a soft brush in the foam and scrub easy then let dry.

Hello Kaygee,

There are a couple of 4H clubs in the area and will see if there is anyone one around that carries that cleaner.

Hello chevy1937,

I was thinking of using dawn detergent, which is used to clean oil soaked birds, as it is suppose to be pretty gentle. But I wanted to wait to see if there might be something that others have used with good luck.

Thank you both for your suggestions.

Hey Dave... for the record, Kaygee also inherited a second '51 from his Uncle. It too had a yellowed interior from having a pipe smoked in it. This time instead of going the time consuming cleaner route, he chose the more expensive "Hampton Coach" route. Came out pretty nice. It's now in my garage and has held up nicely as well...

I have used an aerosol upholstery cleaner in the past. Can't remember what brand. Might check with your local detail shop or used car lot or upholstery store. The most important part of the job is do not soak or get too wet. Foam, light brushing or wiping and dabbing with clean cloth is far better than wetting and scrubbing.

Now I have a couple of options, but "Hampton Coach" is not one I can use as the cost of the interior is well outside of my budget. ( $4000 for a complete kit last time I checked. )

Something I used which works well on stains is Hydrogen Peroxide. Just pour a small amount and watch it foam up, then blot.

As with all cleaners, do a test spot first to make sure it doesn't eat the fabric. I used a carpet spot cleaner from Griots Garage, and it actually made the stain worse, so be careful.

Its not so much that it is stained as it is dirty from spending years in an open box in the basement of the guy who gave it to me.

You will find the wool mohair material is very cleanable. The main thing is to not soak it. I used to use a cloth upholstery cleaner (in water) whip up suds and just use the suds and a medium bristol brush. Wipe down with a damp turkish towel when done. I am not sure what is aailable today but I used to use Lanosheen.
We also did this i the dealership used car dept. They would clean the upholstery and suck out the water with a big vacuum cleaner.

So I just picked up a bottle of orvus from my local feed store and was curious on how you went about using this product on your interior? Did you just use a damp cloth with this stuff and use a soft brush? Vacuum after it dries up?

Whip it gently to form a sudsy foam, then apply that foam to a small part of the cloth. Wipe it off and blot with a damp cloth. Lightly brushing/vacuuming when dry should bring up the nap nicely. Did the feed store not give you any suggestions or advice?

I sent the wife to get it, all they told her was that it was for horses and delicate drapes. Thanks for the instructions.

Dave and Soccernut, what luck have you had in trying to clean your upholstery? Hopefully, all went well!!

Hands down the best in results and use of application. Did one half of front seat and what a difference it made. I was amazed on how well it worked. Almost makes me not want to change interior on seats.