Cigarette stain in headliner???

UltimateDetail

UltimateDetail

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How would I go about getting a 2 year old stain out of the headliner of a 08 cobalt??

I got a friend of mine dropping his car off tomorrow for a full detail (will take pics), and one of his main concerns is the smoke stain in the headliner directly above where he always holds his cigarette. It looks like one of those "impossible" stains to deal with.. Anyway, anyone have experience with getting off smoke stains? Thanks! Jeff
 
OPC will take it out.......spray on mf and gently rub then repeat if needed then go over with damp mf.

I do this with the work trucks I do and it always works........
 
Lightly misting with folex and then rubbing with a white cotton towel works as well. If it was me and that didn't work, I would use folex and then my vapor steamer on low with a plush cotton towel over the end. You have to move quickly or you will delaminate the headliner. This would be a last resort. I almost never steam headliners, but will if I have to.
 
statusdetailing said:
Lightly misting with folex and then rubbing with a white cotton towel works as well. If it was me and that didn't work, I would use folex and then my vapor steamer on low with a plush cotton towel over the end. You have to move quickly or you will delaminate the headliner. This would be a last resort. I almost never steam headliners, but will if I have to.
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Yeah I gotta get some folex, do you know of anywhere that sells it?
Also I wish I had the steamer, I only have a shop vac, extractor and tornado classic to work with.. Still I'm worried if I use the tornado or extractor it will delaminate it.
 
dad07 said:
OPC will take it out.......spray on mf and gently rub then repeat if needed then go over with damp mf.

I do this with the work trucks I do and it always works........
Click to expand...

Could APC+ be a substitute? I'll have to try it with just APC+ until I get some OPC.. Also how do you like OPC? That's optimum right?
 
Great to hear hand.
Black or classic?
I've learned to keep one hand on the tool and the other with a cleaning towel to immediately remove residue and overspray from glass...especially nicotine/APC.

Surprisingly, I have not yet run into any smokers here in Md.
 
APC works ok if lightly misted on and wiped of with a cotton towel but I personally think Folex works better, and it's rinseless. You can buy it at Home Depot or Lowes. Extractors don't work well on headliners at all, and they can definitely cause them to delaminate.

A lot of guys won't use steamers either, but I've found that when you put a towel over the end and use it on low, moving fast, it works great. If used incorrectly a steamer will definitely remove headliners.

APC or Folex (my personal choice because it's rinseless and won't attract more stains) and a cotton towel works 99% of the time and is safe. Good luck.

I'm sure there are a variety of rinseless spotters here on autogeek that would work great as well! :xyxthumbs:
 
Vegas Transplant said:
Great to hear hand.
Black or classic?
I've learned to keep one hand on the tool and the other with a cleaning towel to immediately remove residue and overspray from glass...especially nicotine/APC.

Surprisingly, I have not yet run into any smokers here in Md.
Click to expand...

I was going to get the Black, but I read the bad experiences people had with it, and decided on the classic.:xyxthumbs:

Yeah I agree, i'm gonna always have a MF ready, I watched the tutorial for it and saw the guy did that..

But, isn't maryland one of the states with the highest amount of smokers? lol I vacationed there once and everybody was smoking.. Nevermind it was the boardwalk in ocean city:rolleyes:
 
statusdetailing said:
APC works ok if lightly misted on and wiped of with a cotton towel but I personally think Folex works better, and it's rinseless. You can buy it at Home Depot or Lowes. Extractors don't work well on headliners at all, and they can definitely cause them to delaminate.

A lot of guys won't use steamers either, but I've found that when you put a towel over the end and use it on low, moving fast, it works great. If used incorrectly a steamer will definitely remove headliners.

APC or Folex (my personal choice because it's rinseless and won't attract more stains) and a cotton towel works 99% of the time and is safe. Good luck.

I'm sure there are a variety of rinseless spotters here on autogeek that would work great as well! :xyxthumbs:
Click to expand...


Ok, sounds good! Thanks for the help! I think i'll stop by home depot and pick up some folex, because I don't want more stains attracted..

I'll have to remember your tips for the steamer when I get one in a month or so. I was thinking of getting the one autogeek stocks. And I definitely am ruling out using an extractor! Wouldn't be fun trying to put the headliner back on:xyxthumbs:
 
dad07 said:
OPC will take it out.......spray on mf and gently rub then repeat if needed then go over with damp mf.

I do this with the work trucks I do and it always works........
Click to expand...

:iagree: This is what I have done with great success. You must be carful with headliners - each very with how much they physical cleaning they can take.


**Here is one headliner restoration I did some time ago now....

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/show-n-shine/40427-headliner-restoration.html


*I personally wouldn't us a Tornador on a headliner. I feel like it could damage the headliner so fast you wont have time to fix it, if problems arise during cleaning.
 
I live in NY and If I need folex I go straight to home depot they ha en multiple sizes but the best deal is right next to carpet shampoo machines a gallon for like 15 to 18 bucks
 
Attntwodetail said:
I live in NY and If I need folex I go straight to home depot they ha en multiple sizes but the best deal is right next to carpet shampoo machines a gallon for like 15 to 18 bucks
Click to expand...

+1 Relatively expensive product because it doesn't dilute very well. But well worth the price. Excellent performance.
 
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