Auto Upholstery Bay Area - 10 auto upholstery care tips - Cooks Upholstery Redwood City

 

Your car’s upholstery probably takes more wear and tear than you realize: Soiled shoes, spilled drinks, kids and pets can quickly turn your car’s interior into a mess. Follow these 10 upholstery cleaning tips to help eradicate the mess:

1. Deal with spilled drinks immediately

It’s not always easy to do, especially if you’re traveling on the highway or in heavy traffic, but the quicker you clean up spills such as coffee, juice or cola, the less likely you’ll have a stain set in your seat fabric or carpet. Fist, dilute the spill cool water (never use hot water, it can set the stain). Then, blot the excess liquid up with a clean rag or paper towel.

2. Use glass cleaner for difficult stains

Some difficult stains that remain even after you clean them can sometimes be broken up with glass cleaner. Before using glass cleaner to remove a stain, test it in an inconspicuous area to make sure it won’t stain the fabric or carpet itself. Then saturate the area with glass cleaner, let it sit for five minutes, then blot to clean.

3. Attack ink stains with hairspray

If you somehow get ink on your car’s interior fabric or carpet, spray the area with hairspray. Let it sit for a few minutes until it absorbs the stain, then wipe it off. Repeat as needed.

4. Don’t let bloodstains set

If blood comes in contact with your vehicle’s upholstery, do not clean it with hot water, which can set the stain. Make a paste with cold water and powdered laundry detergent. Apply to the stain until the stain dries, then use a brush or vacuum to remove it. Clean up any excess laundry detergent to avoid attracting more stains or dirt to the area.

5. Clean vinyl the right way

In general, vinyl upholstery can be cleaned with a damp rag and baking soda. Rinse this mixture off with water and dish soap. Avoid using any oil- or mineral-based cleaners, which can make vinyl stiff.

6. Give carpet a deep clean

The key to cleaning interior carpet and fabric upholstery is to get deep into the fibers. Using one gallon of hot water, mix one cup of vinegar and some dish soap, then use a hard bristle brush to work into the fibers. Let this sit for about 30 minutes before rinsing with water and blotting it dry with rags.

7. Dry leather thoroughly

Leather upholstery is quite sensitive to water, but water is necessary to clean it. Use a cloth with water and a low-pH soap to clean it, then dry thoroughly afterwards.

8. Use ammonia to brighten fading carpet

If your car's non-wool carpeting is fading, vacuum it thoroughly. Then, use a mixture of half a cup of ammonia and one pint of water to mop the carpeting. Do not use ammonia if the carpeting is made of wool.

9. Remove fabric indentations with an iron

Heavy objects left in the cargo hold or other areas of the car interior can sometimes leave indentations. To fix this, cover the marks with a damp towel, then use an iron set on a low setting and gently iron the towel. Do not use a hot iron and do not leave the iron in one spot for too long, as this can melt the carpet fibers.

10. Know when to call in the pros

If you prefer to save your elbow grease or when you try these various strategies don’t work effectively, it may be time to call in Cooks Upholstery rather than continuing to attack the stain with your own methods and risk damage to the upholstery.

 

source: http://www.angieslist.com/articles/10-auto-upholstery-care-tips.htm

by Nicole Harms

 

http://www.cooksupholstery.com

Auto Upholstery Bay Area - Top 10 Tips for Classic Car Restoration - Cooks Upholstery & Classic Restoration

While this is a very exciting activity a car owner must know how to properly evaluate the condition of a car and then establish the level of restoration to be performed to such vehicle. There are 4 levels of classic car restoration, each one should be applied individually depending on the kind of project, budget and purpose. These are the top 10 tips for those classic car aficionados who want to reverse the effects of 'the sands of time' on their vehicles:

1. Sit down, grab a piece of paper, a parts catalog which would be relevant to the model you want to restore and run some numbers within your budget. Never deviate from it, otherwise the results will be obvious.

2. Inspect your car very carefully, top to bottom, inside and out; use strong flashlights to inspect the trunk, the engine area, etc. This will help you see the kind of repairs needed to be done to this vehicle. If possible take it to a car shop where it could be lifted to take a good look at the condition from beneath. Here you will determine if a the restoration process is worth the time and money.

3. After inspecting the vehicle, it is also important to decide whether you have a 'solid' car which can be restored without replacing the entire frame, floor, axles, etc. It would amaze you how this step can save you major dollars. By 'solid car' we are inferring that the car structure should be strong, as well as the floor; a little rust can be repaired but a completely rusty car which has the entire frame compromised will eventually crumble.

4. Decide whether you want to work with a "friend who knows how to repair cars" or a professional. It is often recommended not to involve friends and family on such projects as the time and money invested on this process may cause some trouble if the right procedures are not followed. Cars restored by people other than professionals tend to run well for a couple of years and in some cases start to breakdown thereafter.

5. Have a car restoration professional run some numbers and make sure they match or are close to the numbers you ran on step 1.

6. Decide the level of car restoration:

* Driver restoration: is often performed to get a car back to a fully functional and operational condition, they often include part replacement and minor cosmetic adjustments.

* Street Show: this restoration level involves getting a car into a fully working condition and repairing all major cosmetic problems (body work is required). If judged by a professional it should fall within the 80-89 point range.

* Show Car: restoring a classic car back to this form often requires professional work, if judged by a professional, there restorations and labor quality will fall within the 90-95 point range.

* Concours: this is the highest level of car restoration possible. All the work should be done by professionals, from part replacement to body work. These type of cars are intended for auto shows or private collections and not to be driven. Obviously, the original car to be repaired must be in quite optimal condition to achieve this stage, otherwise a major investment is necessary.

7. Start the restoration process, if possible follow a 2 step procedure (part replacement and chassis adjustments). Visit the car shop as often as possible to make sure the right work is being done. If this is not possible then have your mechanic send you periodical picture updates through email.

8. After the part replacement process is done, visit the shop again to re-inspect the chassis repairs needed, if sheet metal patches are necessary then remember to document the places where they are to be applied.

9. When all major restorations are done run a close and detailed inspection just like it was done during the second step to make sure everything is OK. Take it for a ride and see if it works correctly.

10. Remember to give proper maintenance to your newly restored classic using all the recommended parts and products.

The trick to getting newly restored cars to last for a long time lies within the last step, if the vehicle is properly maintained, in time, it will become a valuable asset and a sure head turner.

 

source: http://www.streetdirectory.com/travel_guide/159800/cars/top_10_tips_for_classic_car_restoration.html

 

http://www.cooksupholstery.com

 

Auto Upholstery Repair and Replacement Bay Area - How to Get Rid of Insects in My Car - Cooks Upholstery Redwood City

While insects in the home are bad enough, they rarely pose a danger to human life; however, the ill-timed ant bite, hornet sting or roach on the leg at 60 mph could be disastrous. Getting rid of ants in the pants or roaches in the glove compartment isn't just easy -- it's kind of fun, and can come with a bonus: especially when you forgo all of those nasty chemicals and bug bombs and kill every living thing in your car -- and garage -- using one simple, cheap form of atmospheric modification.

Items you will need

• Soup pot with handle
• Tongs
• Duct tape
• Garage
• Three 5-pound blocks dry ice
• Step ladders
• Three 5-gallon buckets
• Warm water
• Candle and holder

 

Step 1

Park your car in the garage, and close the garage door. If you have a remote for the garage door, take it from the car and keep it with you. Hunt down air leaks in your garage around the doors and windows. Chip a small chunk of dry ice off of your block, and drop it into a soup pot full of warm water; wait for the dry ice to start producing CO2 fog, and wave it near your garage doors and windows; watch the fog for movement, and note the places where air movement through the leaks around your windows and doors disturbs the CO2 fog. Seal those leaks by whatever means necessary, as well as you can. Duct tape, old shirts and rags, even foam sealant around the windows will all help to seal the garage.

Step 2

Place your three large buckets evenly around your garage, and as high as possible. You might even consider placing them atop step ladders. If you're only using two buckets, place them at either end of the garage; if you're using four buckets, then place them at the corners. Fill each halfway with warm or hot water. Open your car's doors, trunk and hood, and stage your blocks of dry ice near the buckets. Place a candle into a candle-holder, set it on top of your car's roof, and light the candle.

Step 3

Carefully lower the dry ice blocks into the buckets using the appropriate tools or gloves; don't touch it with your bare hands under any circumstances. Work quickly -- get all three buckets filled with dry ice blocks and billowing fog as quickly as you can, or have one assistant for each bucket and drop the blocks simultaneously. Get out of the garage ASAP; it will quickly fill with carbon dioxide.

Step 4

Watch the magic through a window and keep an eye on that lit candle. The cold carbon dioxide gas is heavier than air; as the garage fills with CO2 from the ground up, it will eventually reach that candle and extinguish it. Once the flame goes out, you know that your car is covered with enough CO2 gas to kill anything trapped inside of it or below the car's roof-line in your garage. This should happen in a matter of minutes for the average two-car garage, but the dry ice will continue bubbling away and filling the room with CO2 for at least another 20 to 30 minutes. Soon, there will be so much fog you won't see the car.

Step 5

Sit back and wait. All animals need oxygen to survive, and the heavy CO2 gas displaces the oxygen that the bugs in your garage need. Bugs don't require a great deal of oxygen, so they can go without for far longer than humans can; ants can survive in a pure CO2 environment for several minutes with no long-term side effects. This CO2-stunning procedure has been used for decades to study insects in laboratories. However, you'll want to leave your garage for at least an hour, to make sure that everything is dead. If you sealed it well, you may still have some visible fog even that long afterward.

Step 6

Open your garage door using a remote garage door opener, if applicable. If you do not have a garage door opener, wait for the fog to clear out prior to entering the garage.

source: http://autoresource.internetautoguide.com/rid-insects-car-1360.html

by Richard Rowe, Demand Media

 

http://www.cooksupholstery.com

Auto Upholstery Repair Bay Area - How to Eliminate the Spilled Gasoline Smell From a Car or Trunk - Cooks Upholstery Redwood City

 

 

Spilled gasoline inside a car or truck produces a noxious smell that can cause headaches and nausea. Most gas spills inside a vehicle result from leaking or overturned gas containers in the cabin or trunk area. Once gas has spilled on the upholstery or carpet it can seep into the fabric fibers and linger there for days or weeks. You should remove any spilled gas from your vehicle interior as quickly as possible, since fumes can raise a fire hazard. If you need to remove a persistent gas smell from your vehicle, you can use several techniques and products, depending upon the severity of the spill and odor.

 

Venting and Safety

Find the location of the gas spill, or the strongest concentration of odor. Open the trunk lid and doors, then roll down all the windows. Do this outside in the fresh air and sunlight. Let the vehicle air out for at least 24 hours, or until the smell has dissipated enough so it will not affect your health. Do not smoke in proximity to any gasoline odor -- residual gasoline fumes can ignite.

Small Spills and Odors on Carpet

Use a mixture of carpet shampoo in a bucket of hot water and a carpet brush, if the spill or odor is minimal in size and confined to the cabin or trunk carpet. Scrub the capet fibers in various directions. Sprinkle some baking soda on the area and let it sit for 1 to 2 hours. Use the vacuum to remove the baking soda.

Small Spills and Odors on Seats and Door Panel Upholstery

Use the correct cleaning solution for either leather or vinyl, to clean seats or door panel upholstery. Wipe the stain area with the cleaner and blot with plain water and a towel. Let it air dry, then apply a light coat of vinyl or leather protector-sealant. Use carpet shampoo in a bucket of hot water, to scrub cloth seats or cloth door panels. Blot with plain water and then vacuum up all moisture. Sprinkle cloth material with baking soda and let it sit for 1 to 2 hours and then vacuum.

Heavy Spills and Strong Odor on Trunk Carpet

If possible, remove the trunk carpet if it has been heavily saturated with gasoline, producing a strong odor. Wash the carpet and padding sides equally, using carpet shampoo mixed with a half cup of vinegar in a bucket of hot water. Scrub both sides thoroughly and then vacuum dry. Sprinkle heavy amounts of baking soda on one side and let it sit for 24 hours. Vacuum up the baking soda. Flip it and do the same to the other side. Pplace the carpet in the trunk. Place a deodorant stick in the trunk or spray the interior with a strong fabric refresher.

Heavy Spills and Strong Odor in Cabin Area

You might not be able to remove your cabin carpet unless it comes up in sections. If you can detach it, clean it as outlined in Section 4. If you cannot remove it, saturate the carpet thoroughly with carpet shampoo and let it soak for 30 minutes, so the shampoo penetrates down into the pile and padding. Scrub and vacuum. Use heavy amounts of baking soda, letting it sit for 3 hours or more and then vacuum it up. Use a spray fabric refresher or scented deodorant stick in the interior.

 

source: http://autoresource.internetautoguide.com/eliminate-spilled-gasoline-smell-car-trunk-1546.html

by Chris Stevenson, Demand Media

 

 

http://www.cooksupholstery.com

Auto Upholstery Bay Area - How to Get Rid of a Sour Milk Smell in a Car - Cooks Upholstery Redwood City

Accidental spills in your vehicle's interior happen all the time, particularly liquid spills, which can stain the seat materials and carpet. Milk spills are a common occurrence and they can originate from milk cartons, baby formula bottles, milkshakes and other related milk products. Sour milk smell that is allowed to linger distracts the driver and occupants and can even cause nausea if not removed. With household products and simple procedures, you can rid your vehicle's interior of this irritating smell and residue.

Items you will need

• Paper towels
• Large sponge
• Distilled white vinegar
• Spray bottle
• Toothbrush
• Leather cleaner and protector
• Vinyl cleaner and protector
• Wet-dry vacuum
• Baking soda
• 2 deodorant sticks

 

Step 1

Find the source of the sour milk smell in your car. Open up all the doors and roll down the windows. Look for any empty or partially filled container that held a milk product. Look in likely locations: Under the front seats, rear seat area, side pockets or in the center console compartment, if so equipped. Try not to spill any liquid from the container during removal. For a fresh spill, use paper towels to mop up the liquid. Use blotting motions, changing out the used towels frequently. If no container is visible, locate the odor by smell, or feel for a crusty residue.

Step 2

Clean the spill area with a large sponge. Dampen the sponge with cold water. If the seat area is infected, reach into the seams, crevices and sewn joints. Cold water will not harm leather, vinyl or cloth seats. Do not use hot water -- it will set and cook the stain. For carpet contamination, use the sponge and cold water with continuous blotting motions. Clean the sponge after multiple blots.

Step 3

Fill a spray bottle with distilled white vinegar. Spray the area where you just used the sponge and cold water on the seat material or carpet. Let the area soak for 15 minutes, allowing the vinegar to kill the organic bacteria. Use a clean, dry sponge to wipe up the vinegar moisture on the seat or compartment areas, making sure to reach into the seams and crevices. Use a toothbrush to scrub the vinegar into the carpet from all angles. Use a wet-dry vacuum to suck up the vinegar moisture from the carpet. Let the area air dry for 12 hours or more. Drying time will be reduced in direct sunlight.

Step 4

Apply leather cleaner and protector to any leather material, such as the seats or side door panels. Use vinyl cleaner and protector on vinyl interiors. Both of these products will clean deeper into the surface and provide a sealant or barrier. It is not necessary to use any type of cleaner, degreaser or protector on cloth material.

Step 5

Sprinkle baking soda on the carpet and use a toothbrush to agitate the powder back and forth into the weave. Let the baking soda sit for 15 minutes or longer. Vacuum up all baking soda residue. The baking soda will absorb any remaining bacteria and neutralize the smell. Place two deodorant sticks in the vehicle -- one in the front and one in the rear. Drive the vehicle with the windows down for a few days to allow the interior to air out.

 

source http://autoresource.internetautoguide.com/rid-sour-milk-smell-car-1365.html
by Chris Stevenson, Demand Media

http://www.cooksupholstery.com

Auto Upholstery Bay Area - How To Fix A Cigarette Burn In A Cloth Car Seat - Cooks Upholstery & Classic Restoration

 

 

 

 

 

Cigarette burns in your car seat can look tacky. When you turn the vehicle in at the end of a lease, the leasing agent can actually charge a fee for cigarette burn repairs. Fixing cigarette burns in a cloth seat is much easier than doing the repair on leather upholstery. If the seat fabric has a pattern, the job can be a little more difficult than with a standard one-color fabric.

Scrape the area around the burn to remove the "crust" or hardened material at the edges. Use a razor blade to scrape, being careful not to rip the fabric.

Scrape a handful of fibers or tufts of material from the rear bottom of the seat, if you have one-color fabric. If the fabric is patterned, cut a very small sample of the material from the beneath the front of the seat. If the patterned material only extends to the front piping, cut your very small portion of material from the bottom of the headrest, where the patterns usually extend to. Only cut enough material to match the size of the burn hole.

Apply a small amount of thick carpet glue or epoxy onto the tip of a flat-head screwdriver. Insert the tip of the screwdriver into the center of the burn hole. Add more adhesive until the hole is almost completely filled with the glue. Thicker glue will adhere better than Super Glue-style glue, because it does not absorb into the seat padding like thin glue.

Drop the fibers or scrapings directly into the hole if you have one-color upholstery. With a pattern, match the sample pattern piece you cut to the hole, and trim the piece to fit as close to the shape of the hole as possible. Do not press the upholstery fibers or pattern cut-out into the hole. Tamp the material very gently with your finger tip, as this will mesh the fibers or fabric cut-out with the hole.

Allow the glue or epoxy to dry for the time stated on the bottle for "full curing time." Repeat Steps 1 through 4 to repair any other cigarette burns you may have in your cloth seats. The fiber scraping repair method also works for burn holes in the carpet, if you take the scrapings from beneath the seats.

You can use a household hair dryer to help the cure time of the glue. Heat the glue up for one or two minutes with a hair dryer. This will also allow the glue to bond with both the seat and the patch materials better. For greater results, do not attempt this project in temperatures below 60 degrees.

Most carpet glues and epoxies are extremely flammable. Keep this project away from flame, spark, static electrical charge, and cigarette smoking

Source: http://hondaautomobilesboat.danielcadams.com/how-to-fix-a-cigarette-burn-in-a-cloth-car-seat/
By Tim Petruccio

Auto Upholstery Bay Area - How to Get Rid of Mold in Your Car or Automobile - Cooks Upholstery & Classic Restoration

 

 

Mold in the automobile is a top concern for motorist. The mold from your car may have infected your car's ventilation system which can blow mold spores throughout your entire automobile. Often this can lead to severe mold allergies and other mold health related problems. IDENTIFY THE SOURCE OF THE MOLD First thing to do is to find out why you have mold in the first place. Sometimes weather seals and gaskets on a car's door and windows can erode over time and allow moisture or water into the car. This is very c ommon in older antique or restored vehicles, or vehicles allowed to sit for long periods of time. The other common area for mold infestation is the car's ventilation system generally caused by blocked or clogged water lines from the car's condenser unit. How to remediate the most common situations: MOLD IN THE CAR CAUSED BY A LEAK First fix the leak that caused the mold. Once the leak has been repaired, then you can treat the area withOxy-Mold MX-500 fungicide. You can use a steam cleaner such as a "Bissel" with a fungicide registered with EPA for this application injected into the carpet and then use the suction to remove the excess water. Some steam cleaners use a shampoo concentrate pulled directly via a hose into the unit, others use pre-mixed shampoo. Depending on which type of cleaner you have will determine if you use the fungicide without dilution or with dilution. Treat as mentioned above and allow this to dry, then treat one more time. In general this should correct the mold problem. Some auto carpets may still have to be removed or replaced under severe mold conditions. Some seats may also have to be treated with product if they are cloth. Always do a small test spot on leathers before full-application. MOLD IN THE AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM Fix the problem that caused mold in the A/C system first. Sometime the problem can not be identified, but a mold smell emanates from the A/C system. Often an air conditioning drainage line is clogged and can easily be fixed by you or an experienced auto mechanic. Once this or other air conditioning water problems have been fixed then you can "fog" the ventilation system by using a paint sprayer and a fungicide registered with EPA for this application spraying it into the car's air intake for the air condition system which is generally on the engine side of the car. Since every car is built differently you will have to do some investigating to find this intake. Once you have located it remove any filter and then you can spray the fungicide into the intake while the A/C blower is on full-blast. This will allow fungicide to be pulled into the car's vent ducting system and kill the mold and mold spores present in the car. This may have to be done several times and in some cases have to be done on a maintenance type basis. I CAN'T IDENTIFY THE SOURCE OF THE MOLD In this case you can shampoo all of the rugs and car seats (if they are cloth) with the fungicide using a steam cleaning machine and fog the air condition system as mentioned above. This may have to be done a several times or on a maintenance basis in severe cases. By: Jim Dobbins, Sr. Mold Remediation Specialist http://www.naturesinnovation.com/mold_in_automobile.htm