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Beware! The headliner material "pills" easily...

Discussion in 'Prius v Main Forum' started by Mike500, Mar 1, 2012.

  1. Mike500

    Mike500 Senior Member

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    This is my first post, and I've owned my "v" for about 3 weeks, now.

    I've had to clean a spot on the headliner near the hatch. The material "pills" easy, as I found out with rubbing it with an old t-shirt and Scotchgard spot remover.

    I've found that the headliner should only be cleaned by "blotting" with any cleaner.

    It's disconcerting, since my older cars' headliners did not "pill" easily.

    Anyone else had this experience?
     
    #1 Mike500, Mar 1, 2012
  2. KK6PD

    KK6PD _ . _ . / _ _ . _

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    Well I for one have never heard the term "Pills" related to fabric. You got sum splainen to do Lucy... :eek:
    BTW Welcome to the group, you have certainly found the right place. You got questions, so do we that's why were here and the questions do get answered!
    4 more posts and you can post a pic of what "Pills" Fabric looks like. :D
     
    #2 KK6PD, Mar 1, 2012
  3. Mike500

    Mike500 Senior Member

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    Fabric "pilling" occurs in all fabrics and is most pronounced in "high tensile strength fibers," like the PET or polyethylene terephthalate or "polyester" fibers used in making the "fuzzy" material in the headliner. Rubbing the fabric back and forth tends to pull the fibers out of the backing and forms "pills" or "rolls" on the surface of the fabric.

    In weak tensile finers, like cotton, the pills fall off easily. The tightness of the weave and the "glue" retaining the fibers to the backing would minimize "pilling" caused by friction and rubbing. I'm almost sure that the seat covering material is of much higher quality, since it would most likely be subjected to wear.

    Hope this 'splains it, somewhat.
     
    #3 Mike500, Mar 2, 2012
  4. Wanderer

    Wanderer Hybrid neophyte

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    Thanks for the heads up Mike. I'll be careful should the need arise. I hate it when that happens especially to my flannel sheets. =). I think the headliner would bug me too. W
     
    #4 Wanderer, Mar 2, 2012
  5. CLUBGUY

    CLUBGUY Member

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    It's disconcerting, since my older cars' headliners did not "pill" easy.

    Have not received our v as yet but I remember this happening on a VW beetle...as I recall, nipped off the larger pills/nubs with a nail clipper and the remaining fibers with an electric razer.....

    Thanks for the headsup...!!!
     
    #5 CLUBGUY, Mar 2, 2012
  6. KK6PD

    KK6PD _ . _ . / _ _ . _

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    OK Mike, time for your next Prius Chat adventure, posting a pic...since you now have 7 posts, you are now allowed to post pics, please take one, post it, I still am not sure what you are talking about..... It's just me, sometimes a pic is really worth 1000 words!
    Thanks!
     
    #6 KK6PD, Mar 2, 2012
  7. schinia

    schinia Member

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    unfortunately there are a lot of things we haven't heard of, for example: once, upstate NY, i replaced all the screen on my fathers porch. which was no picnic. after a couple weeks, there were holes in the different sections of screens! the insects were eating their way in! really mad , i went back to the store where i bought the screen, and complained, and the owner told me i didn't buy the insect proof screen !!!
     
    #7 schinia, Mar 2, 2012
  8. KK6PD

    KK6PD _ . _ . / _ _ . _

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    I would be more worried about any insect that eats through a screen to get to you, "Insect Proof" really, is that a screen that can handle 10kv and ZAP bugs that try to enter!
     
    #8 KK6PD, Mar 2, 2012
  9. Mike500

    Mike500 Senior Member

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    Yeah,

    I could, if I hadn't removed the "pilled up" part, already.

    Luckily, I noticed it and rubbed no further. The surface is just a little uneven there, now.

    I won't be rubbing on it, again, just to see if it happens, again.

    Now, if there is a stain, I'll just "blot" it off without rubbing on it.

    Sorry, I didn't take a photo of the "pilling" and "rolled up" fibers.
     
    #9 Mike500, Mar 2, 2012
  10. Wanderer

    Wanderer Hybrid neophyte

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    Have you ever had a cotton sweater get little mm sized fabric balls after being washed? That is pilling. As Mike mentioned most fuzzy fabric will do it at some point. W
     
    #10 Wanderer, Mar 2, 2012
  11. Mike500

    Mike500 Senior Member

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    Here's a good Wikipedia article on "pilling."

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pill_(textile)

    I've always wondered, when I saw those military pilot's gloves on TV, and why they had "pillis" on them. It's because they are knitted out of very strong "high tensile" material.
     
    #11 Mike500, Mar 2, 2012
  12. KK6PD

    KK6PD _ . _ . / _ _ . _

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    OK, that I get. In fact I started using a nice sharp razor to shave those little "Balls" of my sweaters. That always worked for me.
    I see the light! :D
     
    #12 KK6PD, Mar 2, 2012
  13. Wanderer

    Wanderer Hybrid neophyte

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    That is about all you can do other than buy a tool that sort of does it quickly. They never work well. :thumb:
     
    #13 Wanderer, Mar 2, 2012
  14. Mike500

    Mike500 Senior Member

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    I just went out and cleaned another spot off the headliner.

    Instead of rubbing the spot remover, I "blotted it" by soaking an old white t-shirt and transferred the liquid to the fibers of the headliner. The t-shirt soaked up the cleaner along with the spot. The black material showed up on the white cloth of the t-shirt. I "blotted" it until there was no longer and black transferred to the t-shirt, and the headliner (Bisque) no longer show the ugly black stain.

    There were no "pills," and the fibers in the area I cleaned looks intact as the rest of the headliner.

    So, that's the correct way to clean the headliner, I'm almost sure.
     
    #14 Mike500, Mar 2, 2012
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