Cleaning hood mat?

[MattN03]

I tried to search for cleaning the hood mat, but couldn't find anything (I know this topic has been covered before!! UGH!!).

Can anyone recommend a safe product to clean a hood mat? I'm prepping my 03 Mach 1 for a car show this weekend and need to get the mat in a little better shape. I've already done the rest of the compartment with Hyperdressing and it looks great!

[MattN03]

Re: Cleaning hood mat?

Here are a few pics.

The hood mat


Gotta love Hyperdressing!


The "Shaker"

[cute02spec]

Re: Cleaning hood mat?

I just hosed my off and hope for the best. I wouldn't even know where to begin with one, since it's a mix between a fabric paper kind of material. You could always just remove it, although some car makers fail to paint the paint of the hood that is covered by the mat.

[MattN03]

Re: Cleaning hood mat?

I just hosed my off and hope for the best. I wouldn't even know where to begin with one, since it's a mix between a fabric paper kind of material. You could always just remove it, although some car makers fail to paint the paint of the hood that is covered by the mat.

The area under the mat isn't painted

[frustrateddetailer]

Re: Cleaning hood mat?

try using apc with a gentle brush say like a childs toothbrush. it will take lots of time but i think it will do. . . if apc can't do the job, try using safe degreaser. but try spot testing first. . . .

[Ryan L.]

Re: Cleaning hood mat?

I have had pretty good luck with spraying it down and applying the Vinyl and Rubber Protectant.

Looks pretty good!!!

[pagode]

Re: Cleaning hood mat?

Well being a Mustang enthusiast for many year and owning a show winning 1987 LX coupe with orginal 1k smoke paint and grey cloth interior. I have been down that path before. The hood pads are a fiber so do not use any delamleen or strong cleaner they just frey and look worst. At a $100 a pad I recommend you take a neutral cleaner and a micro fiber towel one with a little all purpose clearner the other with just water ring them both out and start with the one with the cleaner and follow with the one with plain water to wipe the dirt off.
Since they are a fiber of sorts I do not think they can be treated like vinyl but a good fabric guard sprayed may help repell soil when the next cleaning comes around for that Pony Show.
Happy trailes to you!!!
xdetailer

[roushstage2]

Re: Cleaning hood mat?

Just be prepared for that thing to drip FOREVER! I cleaned it once, and haven't done it since.

[G Force]

Re: Cleaning hood mat?

I remove mine,brush it slowly with detergent,rinse with lots of running water,it has to be flat not distorted when drying(in the sun).

[Joseph K]

Re: Cleaning hood mat?

To clean the mat when I am detailing my engine bay (probably every 3 months or so), I go over it with the water hose with medium pressure, making sure to "sweep" my way across all of it. Then, after letting it drip out for 5 minutes or so, I will spray it down with diluted S.G. (probably about 1:6, simple green:water), then spray the rest of the engine bay down with the diluted S.G. and let it sit for 5-10 minutes. Come back through and spray it all off, using the same "sweeping" motion on the mat, making sure to get out all of the degreaser. You could just wait for it to all drip out (which would take forever), but I just took my shop vac and put a wide spread end on it and went over the entire mat to dry it. It looks great The water in my shop vac was pretty dirty too...

[Tim Lingor]

Re: Cleaning hood mat?

Hey,

I never use a wet product for cleaning the hood mat as it can create a real mess.

I usually use a dry foam type cleaning product. Meguiar's APC foam in the aerosol works very well for this. Apply it to a cloth and gently wipe down the matt. Be warned, as once you start you have to finish it all or you will get clean patches that really stand out and look terrible.

Tim

[Jeepster04]

Re: Cleaning hood mat?

I just take it off, spray APC+ on it then spray it off with a water hose. And yes, it will drip forever.

[roushstage2]

Re: Cleaning hood mat?

I actually just recently (last week) wiped mine down with a damp towel also soaked with WBD, and it cleaned up real nice!

[CarbonBlack]

Re: Cleaning hood mat?

Just a quickie, On my folk's suburban (and most cars i assume) that mat is made to fall in the event of a fire. the clips are heat sensitive, and release the mat in the event of high heat.

the mat smothers the fire (or so I have been told)

-nick

[roushstage2]

Re: Cleaning hood mat?

That's what I've heard. Although the amount of engine fires I've seen that the mat didn't apparently do anything, give me a fire extinguisher.