catastrophic ink spillage in the Prius

canuckican · 10-13-2004, 10:17 AM

This morning I noticed that a blue ink marker had emptied its contents all over the inside of my backpack, which normally sits in the backseat during my commute to work. Because the ink had leaked entirely through the backpack, I wound up with some serious blue ink smudged on the backseat and front passenger seat (I have the gray interior on my silver '04).

Needless to say I was panicked as the vehicle is only 2 months old. As I park in a far lot about a 5 minute walk from my building, I do not have access to water or anything like that, so I returned quickly with a big pile of paper towels and some solvents from my lab - methanol and acetone. I had NOT previously treated my seats with any product, and there was no after-market dealer Scotch-guard or anything. I applied a very small amount of acetone to the paper towel, not to the seat, and gently rubbed on the underside of the backseat (a nice hidden place) The material was absolutely no worse of wear, so having proved color-fastness, I moved to the stain. Again, a small amount of acetone on the paper towel and a bit of circular rubbing on the ink and PRESTO! The ink came right off!!! Absolutely amazing! The fabric didn't even wet really. I just brushed it very smooth with my hand afterward and you could literally not tell where the ink had been. This worked on both the darker gray parts of the seat and the lighter/whiter parts of the fabric.

I know a lot of you will say something like how bad acetone is for the chemical they have treated the fabric with, but I tell you I can see NO difference between the areas I worked on and the rest of the seat. I will of course keep an eye on these ares in the future, but my immediate impression is that that fabric and its stain guard is a MIRACLE!! I was so relieved.

I cannot comment on whether the acetone was even necessary. It is entirely possible that the stain-guard is so good that just water and a towel would have taken up the ink. I don't know, but it is possible. As I said I didn't have access to soapy water or a cleaner. It may have worked just as well.

At any rate, these seats are amazing. What a joy to own this car!

**TonyPSchaefer** · 10-13-2004, 11:42 AM

Wow! That's awesome. I had read other posts of people with multiple children and/or large dogs saying how the seats are holding up, but this takes the cake. When I saw the thread title, I figured there's no advice I can give to get ink out but I'll read the post all the same. What a surprise.

Glad to hear there was such a good outcome.

I'll donate 50 points to you for the anguish you must have felt when you saw the stain. Unfortunately, due to conversion, you only receive 37.

aarons12 · 10-13-2004, 11:43 AM

i'm very glad to hear that because i have been very skeptical of the long term prospects for this interior. so maybe the fabric is all they make it out to be

IsrAmeriPrius · 10-13-2004, 12:00 PM

These are the cleaning instructions for this type of stain from the fabric manufacturer's site:

Lipstick, foundation, mascara,
eye-shadow, perfume, shoe polish,
oil and grease in general,
grass stains and felt tips in
general (including the indelible
kind):

rub with ethyl alcohol, then with
water and rinse. For grass stains
and felt tips, which are quite
difficult to remove, especially
on light colours, it is
necessary to intervene as soon as
possible in order to prevent
them from becoming too “dry”.

Alcantara® GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR STAIN REMOVAL

jimofdg · 10-13-2004, 02:10 PM

Thanks for the reference to the manufacturer of the fabric. I will look to see if this is the type of stain protection that will save you again or (like StainMaster carpet) only once.

Can't tell; hoping for the best.

But OOooo! It comes in red, green, blue, black...and many other cars.

KMO · 10-13-2004, 03:19 PM

The standard Prius fabric isn't Alcantara, although it is available as an optional extra in Europe (for about $2000).

IsrAmeriPrius · 10-13-2004, 03:24 PM

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(KMO\";p=\"45005)</div>

Quote:

The standard Prius fabric isn't Alcantara, although it is available as an optional extra in Europe (for about $2000).
[/b]

Alcantara is the standard upholstery on all the Prius models sold in the United States (and probably Canada as well).

canuckican · 10-13-2004, 05:30 PM

I wish I had known about the ethyl alcohol earlier. That would have alleviated a lot of my fears about using the acetone and it would have been my preferred choice (being a bit "milder" than acetone). But thank you all the same, next time I will know just how to react and get it clean! Also, the tip about not letting it dry is excellent advice and was just what I was thinking as well. i didn't want to wait until the end of the work day and let it set in.

I am sure the Canadian seats are the same Alcantara as is used in the US. I couldn't be happier.

jamarimutt · 10-13-2004, 07:11 PM

Acetone, at least the pure stuff (perhaps the nail polish remover type is diluted) is not a bit milder than ethyl alcohol; it is a much stronger solvent, being an important component of lacquer thinner. If the Prius seats can take acetone without discoloring they can take just about anything.

Mike N · 10-13-2004, 08:37 PM

I'm amazed that the acetone didn't just dissolve the seat material immediatly. I have found very few synthetics or polymers it doesn't attack.

10-13-2004, 10:17 AM	#1
canuckican Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Windsor, Ontario, Canada Posts: 75 My Car: Model: Package: Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Friends: 0	catastrophic ink spillage in the Prius This morning I noticed that a blue ink marker had emptied its contents all over the inside of my backpack, which normally sits in the backseat during my commute to work. Because the ink had leaked entirely through the backpack, I wound up with some serious blue ink smudged on the backseat and front passenger seat (I have the gray interior on my silver '04). Needless to say I was panicked as the vehicle is only 2 months old. As I park in a far lot about a 5 minute walk from my building, I do not have access to water or anything like that, so I returned quickly with a big pile of paper towels and some solvents from my lab - methanol and acetone. I had NOT previously treated my seats with any product, and there was no after-market dealer Scotch-guard or anything. I applied a very small amount of acetone to the paper towel, not to the seat, and gently rubbed on the underside of the backseat (a nice hidden place) The material was absolutely no worse of wear, so having proved color-fastness, I moved to the stain. Again, a small amount of acetone on the paper towel and a bit of circular rubbing on the ink and PRESTO! The ink came right off!!! Absolutely amazing! The fabric didn't even wet really. I just brushed it very smooth with my hand afterward and you could literally not tell where the ink had been. This worked on both the darker gray parts of the seat and the lighter/whiter parts of the fabric. I know a lot of you will say something like how bad acetone is for the chemical they have treated the fabric with, but I tell you I can see NO difference between the areas I worked on and the rest of the seat. I will of course keep an eye on these ares in the future, but my immediate impression is that that fabric and its stain guard is a MIRACLE!! I was so relieved. I cannot comment on whether the acetone was even necessary. It is entirely possible that the stain-guard is so good that just water and a towel would have taken up the ink. I don't know, but it is possible. As I said I didn't have access to soapy water or a cleaner. It may have worked just as well. At any rate, these seats are amazing. What a joy to own this car!

10-13-2004, 12:00 PM	#4
IsrAmeriPrius Progressive Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: Southern California Posts: 4,338 My Car: 2005 Prius Model: Package: #6 Thanks: 3 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Friends: 0	Re: catastrophic ink spillage in the Prius These are the cleaning instructions for this type of stain from the fabric manufacturer's site: Lipstick, foundation, mascara, eye-shadow, perfume, shoe polish, oil and grease in general, grass stains and felt tips in general (including the indelible kind): rub with ethyl alcohol, then with water and rinse. For grass stains and felt tips, which are quite difficult to remove, especially on light colours, it is necessary to intervene as soon as possible in order to prevent them from becoming too “dry”. Alcantara® GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR STAIN REMOVAL

10-13-2004, 02:10 PM	#5
jimofdg Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: DG, IL, US Posts: 533 My Car: Model: Package: Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Friends: 0	Re: catastrophic ink spillage in the Prius Thanks for the reference to the manufacturer of the fabric. I will look to see if this is the type of stain protection that will save you again or (like StainMaster carpet) only once. Can't tell; hoping for the best. But OOooo! It comes in red, green, blue, black...and many other cars.

10-13-2004, 05:30 PM	#8
canuckican Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Windsor, Ontario, Canada Posts: 75 My Car: Model: Package: Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Friends: 0	Re: catastrophic ink spillage in the Prius I wish I had known about the ethyl alcohol earlier. That would have alleviated a lot of my fears about using the acetone and it would have been my preferred choice (being a bit "milder" than acetone). But thank you all the same, next time I will know just how to react and get it clean! Also, the tip about not letting it dry is excellent advice and was just what I was thinking as well. i didn't want to wait until the end of the work day and let it set in. I am sure the Canadian seats are the same Alcantara as is used in the US. I couldn't be happier.

10-13-2004, 07:11 PM	#9
jamarimutt Senior Member Join Date: May 2004 Posts: 986 My Car: Model: Package: Thanks: 0 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts Friends: 0	Re: catastrophic ink spillage in the Prius Acetone, at least the pure stuff (perhaps the nail polish remover type is diluted) is not a bit milder than ethyl alcohol; it is a much stronger solvent, being an important component of lacquer thinner. If the Prius seats can take acetone without discoloring they can take just about anything.

10-13-2004, 11:42 AM	#2
TonyPSchaefer Your Friendly Moderator Join Date: May 2004 Location: Far-North Chicagoland Posts: 10,506 My Car: 2004 Prius Model: Package: #9 Thanks: 39 Thanked 168 Times in 109 Posts Friends: 23	Wow! That's awesome. I had read other posts of people with multiple children and/or large dogs saying how the seats are holding up, but this takes the cake. When I saw the thread title, I figured there's no advice I can give to get ink out but I'll read the post all the same. What a surprise. Glad to hear there was such a good outcome. I'll donate 50 points to you for the anguish you must have felt when you saw the stain. Unfortunately, due to conversion, you only receive 37.

10-13-2004, 11:43 AM	#3
aarons12 Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: long island, NY Posts: 705 My Car: Model: Package: Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Friends: 0	i'm very glad to hear that because i have been very skeptical of the long term prospects for this interior. so maybe the fabric is all they make it out to be

10-13-2004, 03:19 PM	#6
KMO Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Cambridge, UK Posts: 936 My Car: 2009 Prius Model: Package: T Spirit Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post Friends: 0	The standard Prius fabric isn't Alcantara, although it is available as an optional extra in Europe (for about $2000).

10-13-2004, 08:37 PM	#10
Mike N Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 54 My Car: Model: Package: Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Friends: 0	I'm amazed that the acetone didn't just dissolve the seat material immediatly. I have found very few synthetics or polymers it doesn't attack.