Door card cleaning
 

Hi

I've recently drop a goolie and put ink over my driver's door card.... :speechless-smiley-5

I had a pen leak in my front leg pocket which then marked the card when I was sat in the front seat for my lunch break.

Obviously this looks a mess, so I was wondering what cleaners people use on their door cards?

Kelv

Try something like WD40.

Also I use IPA, that's not India Pale Ale but IsoPropyl Alcohol (!), on glue and other residues/marks. May work on your ink.

+1 for IPA also, although as normally 99% pure alcohol, best test perhaps on vinyl on the bottom edge to make sure it doesn't dissolve the vinyl.

Good luck and let us know the results.

Cheers
Steve

I would first try IPA, turps, nail polish remover as those are what I have on hand. AI also says household ammonia:

"Moisten a clean cloth with a small amount of ammonia. Place the cloth on the stain and allow it to sit for a few minutes. Use the cloth to gently wipe the area until the ink is removed."

Sounds so easy!

I would personally be very wary of the highlighted. Pretty nasty stuff IMHO and might "melt" the vinyl. Just my opinion, no offence intended!

Thanks, I'll give some of these a go - watch this space

First try with hand sanitiser, it's certainly made a difference......

That may well be alcohol based so similar to IPA ? I've also had some success using hand wipes, but I'd be careful with those in case it spreads the ink rather than lifting it off - you'll need to dab it off I'd imagine.

You need to be careful that whatever you use doesn't leech the colour out of your door card or soak through and weaken the notoriously vulnerable adhesive.

Alcohols - IPA, methylated spirit, etc. are probably fairly safe. Another cleaning solvent that I use is perchloroethylene (PERC or dry cleaning fluid) but if you were to try this you'd need to test it in an unobtrusive place first. I'm not sure I'd risk acetone. It is rather inclined to damage things and is used to remove adhesive.

There is a method that I have used with partial success to restore leather seats that involves using a combination of paint thinners and a small amount of similar (doesn't need to be an exact match) coloured spray paint. It is supposed to lift the original colour from within the leather. It might be worth trying thinners, but again test somewhere inconspicuous first.

Finally, something I have actually used on Volvo door cards is melamine foam. It is very mildly abrasive and is often cited as a miracle sponge. It is also very cheap, but blocks do not last long.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/133204214376

I'm pretty sure I used these with a potent mixture of fairy liquid, sodium percarbonate, methanol and ammonia as part of a deep clean of the interior of my Mk1 V90.

Use any of these ideas at your own risk!

Toothpaste could be worth a try. With a cloth rather than a toothbrush