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Argh! Grease stain on seats...

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by DaveG, Mar 6, 2005.

  1. DaveG

    DaveG Member

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    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
     
    #1 DaveG, Mar 6, 2005
  2. jayman

    jayman Senior Member

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    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 ...
     
    #2 jayman, Mar 6, 2005
  3. DaveG

    DaveG Member

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    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
     
    #3 DaveG, Mar 6, 2005
  4. bobc

    bobc New Member

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    Yeah,

    Sorry to hear.

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

    Good luck,
     
    #4 bobc, Mar 6, 2005
  5. Ray Moore

    Ray Moore Active Member

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    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.
     
    #5 Ray Moore, Mar 6, 2005
  6. DaveG

    DaveG Member

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    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
     
    #6 DaveG, Mar 6, 2005
  7. Ray Moore

    Ray Moore Active Member

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    Gotta love the Prius. Congrats. Don't try this in a chevy.
     
    #7 Ray Moore, Mar 6, 2005
  8. LisaMarli

    LisaMarli Member

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    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
     
    #8 LisaMarli, Mar 6, 2005
  9. Frank Hudon

    Frank Hudon Senior Member

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    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.
     
    #9 Frank Hudon, Mar 6, 2005
  10. seeh2o

    seeh2o Prius OG

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    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!
     
    #10 seeh2o, Mar 7, 2005
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