WIP OCD project: detailing seats
 

So I came upon a complete interior out of a 2006 Shinka: doors with beige inserts, front and back console covers and all 4 alcantara seats. They materials are in good shape, but holy hell were there grimy. Sooo, over the last few weekends I've cleaning them up.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/Bi...ayhT8mws=w1000
The streaks above are leather cleaner running from the first application.

Example before/after. This is the driver's seat (and the worst one). I can only assume he drove everywhere butt naked.
I'm not using anything fancy here: tooth brush, sponge, Simoniz leather cleaner, and limited applications of magic eraser. I know it'snot best for the leather coating, but that's the least of our problems here.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/tz...kg3LYt6k=w1000

Left side cleaned up, right side not so much..

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/8x...Dgu5SnrM=w1000


First taste of victory! This is before any protectant, just bare leather.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/gn...B414OaTU=w1000

On to the alcantara. Here I spray a bit of cleaner (or even simple soapy water) and use the toothbrush to agitate the grime, then blot up with a cotton towel. I find cotton works better than microfiber for this.

Getting better. The streak in the middle left uncleaned for contrast.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/GV...8YgoKhmc=w1000

Rear passenger-side seat.
I can only assume this is where they kept all the coffee for their butt-naked drives.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/53...xl3X-V38=w1000

That towel was white before I started on this seat's alcantara:
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_M...7ddKNEvE=w1000


Door cards. A lot easier than the leather. Just soapy water, interior cleaner and long bristle brush to get into the cracks.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/I1...yJ7zIk6E=w1000

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/0M...rncOICg8=w1000


Tadaa.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/nl...wfVThJIE=w1000

Not sure yet if I'll swap this interior in my car or sell it. When I was test-driving RX8s I tested a Shinka and fell in love with this interior. But I also like my all-black interior....

Nicely done!

Do you know if this will harm the red interior? The driver side seat is a bit dirty, especially the bit close to the door.

It *should* be safe, but I wouldn't use magic eraser if at all possible. It's the nuclear option, especially on coloured leather.
Cleaners themselves are safe. Even dish soap on a sponge will do it, just rinse it off nicely and retreat the leather.
Just like your hands, soaps dry leather out.

Wow, very impressive. And inspiring. And comforting to know that even really dirty RX-8 seats can come clean.

Nice job. It reminds me of cleaning my 8 when I first got it. The red stitching on my steering wheel was brown, came back to a nice bright red with soapy water and a toothbrush. I also used one of those Bissel steamer things on the seats, carpet, and even the headliner. I never understand how people get so much dirt on a headliner. The water from the seats and carpet came out looking like cola, it ended up taking 3-4 cleanings before the water was coming out semi clear.