Alcantara Help?

ARizzle

ARizzle

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Hello everyone! I drive a 2013 Subaru STi and it is in fact the first car that I've ever owned with Alcantara, as well as the first car I have ever come in contact with Alcantara used in the car. I had a question about cleaning the alcantara.

I normally just vacuum the seats every week, which is a bit extreme but I love being in a clean seat. Aside from vacuuming, is there anything else I can do to make sure that I am sitting in a fully clean seat? (Also, I do not eat, and only drink water in the car).
I have also done some research and found that Leathermasters has an Alcantara cleaner. I have also read that you can use Megs Interior Detailer.
I am not really concerned with the price of the product, I want the best thing I can get to protect my seats!

Thanks!


Alex
 
Okay, this stuff sounds like a pain in the a$$. What is supposed to be the attraction/reason behind it?
 
To keep this material clean use plain water on microfiber to wipe it every week or so but when there is stain or something use a cleaner like Chemical guys nonsence or a carpet cleaner with a microfiber towel small brush or scrub pad but try the least aggressive first then once clean vaccum the fibers back up and protect them with a product like Chemical guys fabric gaurd you can also use a steam cleaner...good luck
 
Tools I use to CLEAN my alcantara with no problems:
1. Boars hair brushes
2. Low GSM Micro Fiber towels
3. Lift off carpet cleaner (basically acts as an extractor)
4. Terry towels for extra scrubbing power
5. Folex (diluted)
6. Adams Carpet and Upholstery cleaner
7. Woolite/Dreft (diluted)

-Don't use steam
-Don't scrub too hard
-Don't spray anything directly on the alcantara, spray it into the towel you're using then wipe gently.

Its not a pain to keep clean at all for me; my seats look brand new and my 2011 STI was bought new and has 36k miles.
 
bsmith0404 said:
Their website says not to use steam?????
Click to expand...

Thats the way I do it when there is alot of alcantara I wrap a microfiber towel around the steamer spray cleaner on the microfiber then clean the material i havent had a problem yet
 
bsmith0404 said:
Okay, this stuff sounds like a pain in the a$$. What is supposed to be the attraction/reason behind it?
Click to expand...
It's basically artificial suede (what vinyl is to leather kinda thing) that holds up better to daily use.
To the op I use Leather Master Nubuck protectant on my Alcantra seats to help fight dirt/stains. I also use LM Foam Cleaner which says it's safe for Nubuck and Suede. It works very well and drys fast which is very important when dealing with suede/alcantra material. Unfortunately AG does not carry Foam Cleaner so I had to buy else where(?). Water based foam cleaners are the only way to go for suede/alcantara material imo.
 
If your wondering what Alcantara is, its actually made of Microfiber ! its much more durable than suede when it comes to cleaning it. But you still have to follow certain practices to not change to look or color of the material.

I would not use megs interior detailer on alcantara !! No way. who told you that product is suitable for alcantara ?

On my M5 which has alcantara everywhere I use the Leather Masters Foam Cleaner.

Leather Master Foam Cleaner — Uniters North America

I wish Autogeek would sell it. After i use the cleaner and let it dry I follow up with a suede brush to re-fluff the fibers (very lightly).

H. Nubuck Sponge - Leather World Tech

I chose not to use the suede protectant only because its not on the seats. But if I had alcantara seats I would for sure use the matching leather masters protectant.

Leather Master Nubuck Eco-Protector — Uniters North America

but you have to be very careful with the application as to not drench the seats with the product. Less is more when it comes to product application on alcantara. If you use a foaming product you pretty much eliminate any mistakes that can potentially be made with a trigger spray product.
 
mg6045 said:
If your wondering what Alcantara is, its actually made of Microfiber ! its much more durable than suede when it comes to cleaning it. But you still have to follow certain practices to not change to look or color of the material.

I would not use megs interior detailer on alcantara !! No way. who told you that product is suitable for alcantara ?

On my M5 which has alcantara everywhere I use the Leather Masters Foam Cleaner.

Leather Master Foam Cleaner — Uniters North America

I wish Autogeek would sell it. After i use the cleaner and let it dry I follow up with a suede brush to re-fluff the fibers (very lightly).

H. Nubuck Sponge - Leather World Tech

I chose not to use the suede protectant only because its not on the seats. But if I had alcantara seats I would for sure use the matching leather masters protectant.

Leather Master Nubuck Eco-Protector — Uniters North America

but you have to be very careful with the application as to not drench the seats with the product. Less is more when it comes to product application on alcantara. If you use a foaming product you pretty much eliminate any mistakes that can potentially be made with a trigger spray product.
Click to expand...
:iagree:
The great thing about Alcantara is that it's very forgiving as long as you don't over do it with the liquid. With foam, you can get down right aggressive with it (brushing it, etc.) without any permanent scarring. The single most important step is to re-fluff the fibers once it's dry. If you don't, the best analogy I can think of is the way towels feel when they've dried on the clothesline... stiff, hard. Going back over the fabric with a soft brush or microfiber will eliminate the stiffness and leave it nice and soft. If you check out Larry's vid above, he employs a nice touch with his final step that looks very nice.
 
These are great responses guys! I'm leaning more towards the leathermasters...also, what kind of brush do you guys recommend? (Boar's Hair)?
 
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