So I am going back to rideshare driving part time, and I need to beautify my 2014 Kia Soul in a serious way.
I have always loved the way ArmorAll spiffs up my interior plastic… but always hated the way it all goes back to dried out yuck inside an hour or two.
I bought some stuff that I thought I could use on the inside, but looks like not… a ceramic coating for the exterior trim only. Haven’t used it yet, but it makes big promises. And frankly there’s hardly any trim to speak on my Soul.
Are there any amazing potions that do the same for the interior? Shine up that plastic so it stays shiny for at least a few weeks, maybe?
Also, recs for battle-tested stink control… my dog rides with me, and he’s a superstar with the riders generally speaking, but even when he’s clean he tends to give off a hearty doggy aroma in an enclosed space, and it builds. I’d like to counter that…
We like ArmorAll, and for us, the shiny newness look that ArmorAll gives lasts a long time.
BUT!
The last time we got the car detailed, the folks did an incredible job of cleaning and spiffing everything. They even cleaned and spiffed the glorious WeatherTech mats we have throughout the car. And the mats sure took a shine to ArmorAll!
For me, getting in and out of the car is like ice skating. My sneaker cannot get a purchase on the ArmorAll shine, and I think that must be what ice skating is like.
I’ve tried to use wipes to remove the ArmorAll, and the shine just smiles defiantly at my efforts. Since I am a certified old lady, my mind conjurs all kinds of falls, all ending with me in the hospital, in traction. The shine has lasted several months, even surviving one trip to Arizona complete with plenty of red dirt collected on the mats.
Moral of the story: for the floor mats in your Kia, please confine all cleaning methods to soap and water. A shiny floor mat is a dangerous foor mat, and you don’t need that liability in your new work endeavor!
Way back when Armor All first came out my car detailing fanatic buddy began having doubts. He claimed that surfaces got “addicted” to the Armor All and each application required more product and lasted a shorter time. I’m not sure what his choice is today but he wins many car shows for best-built, best engineered, etc.I’ll ask him.
When you get a new car get seat covers. If the covers get wrecked get new ones. Any time you want you seats to look brand new again you can take them off. Pays off if you end up selling the car.
A friend of mine used to put down a layer of carpet on top of the already carpeted floor of a car. Pretty easy to cut out and lay down. Floor mats help but they won’t catch all of that biggy sized drink you spilled or your kids barf.
For the plastic I just use Armor All. It leaves stuff shiny for a while and I haven’t found anything that works any better. I once thought I’d try furniture polish but they contain wax and I think that could be a problem in the summer.
Since this thread has mutated into warning about the hazards of automotive interior refinishing products:
I used to love Armor All on vinyl dashboards, until I noticed it was apparently offgassing some kind of oily residue that condensed into a foggy slippery waterproof film on the lower half of the inside of my windshield.
That stuff refused to come off the same way that @VOW documented for the direct application to floor mats, and it was annoying and somewhat hazardous when driving in direct light (low sunlight or headlamps) for essentially whiting out.