Cleaning the inside of Prius?

MNPriusGirl · 03-16-2005, 06:17 PM

I just picked up my Prius today :P and noticed that the interior is a very different material from previous cars I have owned (ie: dashboard, doorframes, etc.). Does anyone have any suggestions on what has worked best for them as far as removing scratches, dust, etc. that will put the "luster" back into the material after use? I am afraid that if I use the usual Armorall polish it won't work properly. Thanks for your input!

V8Cobrakid · 03-16-2005, 06:29 PM

dont' use armoral.. it's not that good for the life of the car. water for the seats. center and armrest.. well.. good luck. i want to replace mine with a different material. i clean the rest of the car with products from www.moreshine.com expensive but known for working very well in the auto industry. i tested them last night with a dirt.. er.. truck.. a truck that has more dirt on it than color.. wel... untill i used the cleaning products.. there is actualy color under all of that dirt.. and it looks good too.. well.. half of his door loooks good. that's all i cleaned for "research" purposes. hehe.

V8Cobrakid · 03-16-2005, 06:30 PM

i would recommend not using anything shiny on the black dash.. you don't want that reflection magnified.. in all reality.. you can use just water for the entire car. a very mild soap would help too.... if really dirty.

jeromep · 03-16-2005, 06:41 PM

Treat the MFD screen like you would the screen on a flat panel computer display or the display on a laptop. I have owned 6 PowerBooks so far and none of them has ever had screen scratches or marks, so I think my advice is sound.

I do clean my MFD with a light window cleaner solution. Same stuff I have used on the PowerBooks for years. I also use a thick terry cloth. Typically I premoisten the cloth in warm water and ring out very well so it is just damp, not dripping; never let it be dripping. Then I spray on the cloth a small amount of window cleaner and wipe down. I come back around with a thick, dry terry cloth and do a very light drying. No streaks and greasy finger marks are gone, no scratching either, same as with the myriad of PowerBooks.

If you feel uncomfortable using window cleaner take some and dilute it in a 50:50 solution with warm water. That is also effective, but again, never spray anything on the MFD directly.

V8Cobrakid · 03-16-2005, 07:20 PM

i use a cleaning cloth from lensecrafters... but now the cloth is dirty.. i need to wash it.. it works very well. Maybe i'll try a little mixture of water and window cleaner. i need a clean surface every once and a while.

inventor00 · 03-16-2005, 07:46 PM

Quite a number of us locally use the microfiber cloths for autos that they sell at Costco. Or any microfiber cloth- great duster (I also use the California duster on the outside- we mostly get dust not dirt so I just "dust" it off most of the time. (Southern California).

03-16-2005, 06:17 PM	#1
MNPriusGirl Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Minnesota Posts: 1 My Car: Model: Package: Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Friends: 0	Cleaning the inside of Prius? I just picked up my Prius today :P and noticed that the interior is a very different material from previous cars I have owned (ie: dashboard, doorframes, etc.). Does anyone have any suggestions on what has worked best for them as far as removing scratches, dust, etc. that will put the "luster" back into the material after use? I am afraid that if I use the usual Armorall polish it won't work properly. Thanks for your input!

03-16-2005, 06:29 PM	#2
V8Cobrakid Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: s.f. bay area Posts: 2,948 My Car: 2004 Prius Model: N/A Package: #9 Thanks: 10 Thanked 26 Times in 25 Posts Friends: 5	dont' use armoral.. it's not that good for the life of the car. water for the seats. center and armrest.. well.. good luck. i want to replace mine with a different material. i clean the rest of the car with products from www.moreshine.com expensive but known for working very well in the auto industry. i tested them last night with a dirt.. er.. truck.. a truck that has more dirt on it than color.. wel... untill i used the cleaning products.. there is actualy color under all of that dirt.. and it looks good too.. well.. half of his door loooks good. that's all i cleaned for "research" purposes. hehe. __________________ Silver #9 purchased June 12th '04 - over 146,000 Miles (as of 2/27/2010), Decals, 1200Watt Modified sign wave Inverter, 10" sub, BT Tech Rear Brace, coastaletech 2" receiver hitch, Scion TC Rims, 215/50/17 tires (rides nice) (stock psd fluid)

03-16-2005, 06:41 PM	#4
jeromep Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Eastern Washington State Posts: 827 My Car: 2005 Prius Model: N/A Package: #5 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Friends: 0	Re: Cleaning the inside of Prius? Treat the MFD screen like you would the screen on a flat panel computer display or the display on a laptop. I have owned 6 PowerBooks so far and none of them has ever had screen scratches or marks, so I think my advice is sound. I do clean my MFD with a light window cleaner solution. Same stuff I have used on the PowerBooks for years. I also use a thick terry cloth. Typically I premoisten the cloth in warm water and ring out very well so it is just damp, not dripping; never let it be dripping. Then I spray on the cloth a small amount of window cleaner and wipe down. I come back around with a thick, dry terry cloth and do a very light drying. No streaks and greasy finger marks are gone, no scratching either, same as with the myriad of PowerBooks. If you feel uncomfortable using window cleaner take some and dilute it in a 50:50 solution with warm water. That is also effective, but again, never spray anything on the MFD directly.

03-16-2005, 07:46 PM	#6
inventor00 Orange County Prius Club Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Newport Beach,CA Posts: 851 My Car: 2005 Prius Model: Package: #6 Thanks: 10 Thanked 7 Times in 5 Posts Friends: 4	Re: Cleaning the inside of Prius? Quite a number of us locally use the microfiber cloths for autos that they sell at Costco. Or any microfiber cloth- great duster (I also use the California duster on the outside- we mostly get dust not dirt so I just "dust" it off most of the time. (Southern California).

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03-16-2005, 06:30 PM	#3
V8Cobrakid Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: s.f. bay area Posts: 2,948 My Car: 2004 Prius Model: N/A Package: #9 Thanks: 10 Thanked 26 Times in 25 Posts Friends: 5	i would recommend not using anything shiny on the black dash.. you don't want that reflection magnified.. in all reality.. you can use just water for the entire car. a very mild soap would help too.... if really dirty.

03-16-2005, 07:20 PM	#5
V8Cobrakid Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: s.f. bay area Posts: 2,948 My Car: 2004 Prius Model: N/A Package: #9 Thanks: 10 Thanked 26 Times in 25 Posts Friends: 5	i use a cleaning cloth from lensecrafters... but now the cloth is dirty.. i need to wash it.. it works very well. Maybe i'll try a little mixture of water and window cleaner. i need a clean surface every once and a while.