Cleaning the upholstery?

R

Rparker28

Senior Member
All- I recently purchased a 1929 Model A town sedan that had been sitting in a barn for 61 years. Needless to say it was dirty. I washed the car and vacuumed the inside out. The upholstery even though vacuumed still is dusty dirty. What could I use to give it a good cleaning so that you could feel good about sitting and driving in it? Would today's chemicals harm the old upholstery? Ralph
 
captndan said:
I would suggest going to a detail shop that has the right equipment and know-how.
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X2 on that. There are some shops that use steam which is the best. I also bought a carpet cleaner at Costco that has an attachment for upholstery and it works pretty good on my Highlander. Don't need it on my roadster because the seats are vinyl.

David Serrano
 
Yes, two things you need in this is a steamer and an extractor. Ask for those two items by name. If they have them, chances are they can do you a good job. If they don't, then be forewarned! ;)
 
Thanks guys......We Have an automotive upholsterer in town and maybe they can clean it for me. I know that the material has a lot of age on it and I don't want to ruin it. My desire is to leave the car as original as possible and driving it that way.Of course I will get new tires and such but everything else will be left alone. The paint job was courtesy of someone who was pretty good at using a paint brush. It has a paintbrush patina. Got one more cylinder to get unstuck and hopefully she will run,Ralph
 
Rparker28 said:
Thanks guys......We Have an automotive upholsterer in town and maybe they can clean it for me. I know that the material has a lot of age on it and I don't want to ruin it. My desire is to leave the car as original as possible and driving it that way.Of course I will get new tires and such but everything else will be left alone. The paint job was courtesy of someone who was pretty good at using a paint brush. It has a paintbrush patina. Got one more cylinder to get unstuck and hopefully she will run,Ralph
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Ralph,
When our REAL GURU, Claude, had a REALLY BAD stuck valve, he'd pop off the manifolds, heat the stem with a propane torch & flush it with carb cleaner, followed by some GOOD Penetrating oil.
Bill W. (Assistant Guru of Stuff!)
 
Thanks Bill for the insight......I cannot wait to get her running and back on the road. I have got some of the other items checked off the list like,battery,plugs and coil bought. Replacement light bulbs,gaskets etc........It is going to be amazing and my dad(which is another reason I bought the car)is chomping at the bit to relive some of his childhood memories as when we are working on it he tells me the story of how the adults would ride inside the model a and the kids would be up on the running boards going down the dirt roads to get to his aunts house. I LOVE it!
 
Dave, I never thought about the air compressor. I got one and I will absolutely will try it. That is why you are a senior and I am a junior......appreciate you,Ralph
 
Weed sprayer filled with carpet/upholstry cleaner.
Use a wet/dry shop vac (in wet mode). Suck out years of dirt.
Works for stains in the house carpet as well.
No need to rent a machine.
Hope this helps. Jeff
 
If the fabrics are original style, non synthetics like wool, cotton,(mohair, broadcloth, bedford cord, etc.) be very careful what's applied. Water stains or halo type rings could develop. Check with professionals as stated or one can try some diluted Folex cleaner on a non visible area and vacuum. Not sure about the compressor idea-- which may drive the dirt in to the natural fabrics.
 
Thanks all for the advice.....going to upholstery shop Tuesday to see what my options are. I will let everyone know what they say. If I can do it myself that would be good for me,Ralph
 
My 31 Town Sedan came with the original Broad Cloth with stripe seat upholstery and I used a Bissle green carpet/curtain cleaner. I mixed up Woolite and water as a cleaning agent, and the dirt that came out was amazing.
 
Thanks Ed! Here is an update for everyone. I worked on the model A again today for alittle while and so while I was drinking my coffee I remembered that I had a can of tuff stuff upholstery cleaner. So I went and got it and a upholstery brush and I started cleaning the upholstery. Well........it is much improved! No discoloration or splotches or any issues. I know that it still needs a deeper cleaning but it made a huge difference......the car smells better and looks better and even removed some stains on the seats. Just sayin........Ralph
 
All.....Went by the upholstery shop today and talked to the owner who has been in business since 1961. He works on high end hot rods and classic cars. He recommended that I did not use any liquids on the car but that I should just do a deep vacuum several times until I got as much dust and dirt as possible out of the upholstery. He said with the age of the material and the type of material it would be risky to do anything else. I used tuff stuff Memorial Day and it still looks good and smells good. I think that I will just vacuum as he said several times and maintain that,Ralph
 
forgot to mention that the natural fabrics years ago were dry cleaned with products containing carbon tetrachloride , nasty and toxic. The closest product for the lay person was Energine , etc. Interesting that the shop had no drycleaning option. Wonder what the high end professional detailers use for concours cars. We have one in our area and will report back if any suggestions. Also, if on brownish or tan fabrics that are stained or lightened by prior cleaning, one shop recommended dabbing with coffee to bring back color !!
 
Hi Ralph, Just FYI Mikes Affordable in Maysville is having their annual Grandfathers day this Saturday. Lots of Model A's and Model A folks there. Maybe we'll meet up there. I'm right up the road from you in Chatsworth.

TerryO
 
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