Argh! Grease stain on seats...

DaveG · 03-06-2005, 02:57 PM

I was doing some maintenance in my condo last night and unbeknownst to me, managed to get some black grease from a parking gate all over the back of my jacket.

Of course I didn't notice until I had driven the Prius in to work... Grr..

The back of the driver's side seat has black grease stains all over it. This will really be a test of the fabric to see how well it will come out. I did some light cleaning with alcohol at work and it seems to have taken 75% or so out, but there are still spots.

Will continue and experiment with some mild soap and water and clean white cloth to see if I can gently work it out...

To be continued...

Dave

jayman · 03-06-2005, 03:41 PM

Dave:

Sorry to hear that.

I learned - the hard way like you - a *long* time ago that if I'm doing anything more complicated than vacuuming the floor, I put on coveralls.

And wear separate boots. And gloves. Also a Welder's Cap as I once got some grease in my hair and couldn't figure out why my headrest in my Prelude kept getting greasy ...

DaveG · 03-06-2005, 04:11 PM

Well, at least I did it to myself, which makes me feel better in a way - not nearly as bad as having someone else drop something on the car or make a mess inside :P

I'm fairly confident I can get the stains out though, from all reports I've read, the fabric is extremely high quality and resists stains (and cleans) well.

Dave

bobc · 03-06-2005, 04:12 PM

Yeah,

Sorry to hear.

If you're still working the stain, try ethyl alcohol, followed with a rinse with water...

Good luck,

Ray Moore · 03-06-2005, 07:05 PM

It may be impossible to get it out completely. I have the same fabric on my sofa and it is warranted against food based stains but not petroleum based. As a last resort, and after thorough testing in an unseen area you might try lightly dampening a white cloth with carburetor cleaner and then remove that with dawn dishwashing detergent. Test first. I remove petroleum stains successfully sometimes from carpets and concrete this way.

DaveG · 03-06-2005, 07:19 PM

Update:

It actually came out better than I had hoped.

I used (in this order

-Isopropyl alcohol on a white cloth
-gentle sponge/scrub with a damp cloth (this got 75% of the stain out)
-Water
-gentle scrub/dry again with cloth
-Lemon/orange Environmentally friendly cleaning solution
-gentle wiping with cloth
-rinse with water and blot dry with white t-shirt

There are still a few very faint marks, but you'd never notice them unless I specifically pointed them out. I'll probably go take one more run at it tonight to see if I can get rid of the last little bit.

Dave

Ray Moore · 03-06-2005, 07:26 PM

Gotta love the Prius. Congrats. Don't try this in a chevy.

LisaMarli · 03-06-2005, 11:05 PM

Bookmarked! As mom with 15 year old son and grandma of 10, 6, and 3 year old boys, I Know I'm gonna need to clean the seats at some point.

Lisa

Frank Hudon · 03-06-2005, 11:54 PM

Dave, I'll give the wife some cleaner that I use on the Prius and you can give it a try. It uses emzimes to disolve grease and works well. If you interested PM me here on PC.

seeh2o · 03-07-2005, 03:30 AM

You may want to try Dawn dishwashing liquid with some warm water and a sponge on the faint stains. I use it all the time for oil stains on my clothes (gee, that makes me sound like I splash when I eat!) and it always works. FYI, they use it on birds who get mucked up in oil spills, too!

03-06-2005, 02:57 PM	#1
DaveG Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Vancouver, BC Posts: 807 My Car: 2004 Prius Model: Package: C Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Friends: 0	Argh! Grease stain on seats... I was doing some maintenance in my condo last night and unbeknownst to me, managed to get some black grease from a parking gate all over the back of my jacket. Of course I didn't notice until I had driven the Prius in to work... Grr.. The back of the driver's side seat has black grease stains all over it. This will really be a test of the fabric to see how well it will come out. I did some light cleaning with alcohol at work and it seems to have taken 75% or so out, but there are still spots. Will continue and experiment with some mild soap and water and clean white cloth to see if I can gently work it out... To be continued... Dave

03-06-2005, 03:41 PM	#2
jayman Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Winnipeg Manitoba Posts: 12,194 My Car: 2004 Prius Model: Package: B Thanks: 89 Thanked 275 Times in 241 Posts Friends: 14	Re: Argh! Grease stain on seats... Dave: Sorry to hear that. I learned - the hard way like you - a long time ago that if I'm doing anything more complicated than vacuuming the floor, I put on coveralls. And wear separate boots. And gloves. Also a Welder's Cap as I once got some grease in my hair and couldn't figure out why my headrest in my Prelude kept getting greasy ...

03-06-2005, 04:11 PM	#3
DaveG Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Vancouver, BC Posts: 807 My Car: 2004 Prius Model: Package: C Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Friends: 0	Re: Argh! Grease stain on seats... Well, at least I did it to myself, which makes me feel better in a way - not nearly as bad as having someone else drop something on the car or make a mess inside :P I'm fairly confident I can get the stains out though, from all reports I've read, the fabric is extremely high quality and resists stains (and cleans) well. Dave

03-06-2005, 04:12 PM	#4
bobc Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Durham, NH Posts: 360 My Car: Model: Package: Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post Friends: 0	Re: Argh! Grease stain on seats... Yeah, Sorry to hear. If you're still working the stain, try ethyl alcohol, followed with a rinse with water... Good luck,

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03-06-2005, 07:05 PM	#5
Ray Moore Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Texas Hill Country Posts: 820 My Car: 2004 Prius Model: Package: #9 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Friends: 0	It may be impossible to get it out completely. I have the same fabric on my sofa and it is warranted against food based stains but not petroleum based. As a last resort, and after thorough testing in an unseen area you might try lightly dampening a white cloth with carburetor cleaner and then remove that with dawn dishwashing detergent. Test first. I remove petroleum stains successfully sometimes from carpets and concrete this way.

03-06-2005, 07:19 PM	#6
DaveG Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Vancouver, BC Posts: 807 My Car: 2004 Prius Model: Package: C Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Friends: 0	Update: It actually came out better than I had hoped. I used (in this order -Isopropyl alcohol on a white cloth -gentle sponge/scrub with a damp cloth (this got 75% of the stain out) -Water -gentle scrub/dry again with cloth -Lemon/orange Environmentally friendly cleaning solution -gentle wiping with cloth -rinse with water and blot dry with white t-shirt There are still a few very faint marks, but you'd never notice them unless I specifically pointed them out. I'll probably go take one more run at it tonight to see if I can get rid of the last little bit. Dave

03-06-2005, 07:26 PM	#7
Ray Moore Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Texas Hill Country Posts: 820 My Car: 2004 Prius Model: Package: #9 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Friends: 0	Gotta love the Prius. Congrats. Don't try this in a chevy.

03-06-2005, 11:05 PM	#8
LisaMarli Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: San Jose, CA Posts: 115 My Car: Model: Package: Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Friends: 0	Bookmarked! As mom with 15 year old son and grandma of 10, 6, and 3 year old boys, I Know I'm gonna need to clean the seats at some point. Lisa

03-06-2005, 11:54 PM	#9
Frank Hudon Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Posts: 4,144 My Car: Model: Package: Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post Friends: 0	Dave, I'll give the wife some cleaner that I use on the Prius and you can give it a try. It uses emzimes to disolve grease and works well. If you interested PM me here on PC.

03-07-2005, 03:30 AM	#10
seeh2o Prius OG Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 367 My Car: 2004 Prius Model: Package: #2 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Friends: 0	You may want to try Dawn dishwashing liquid with some warm water and a sponge on the faint stains. I use it all the time for oil stains on my clothes (gee, that makes me sound like I splash when I eat!) and it always works. FYI, they use it on birds who get mucked up in oil spills, too!