Home >> Collecting >> Antiques

How to Restore Antique Car Interiors

Antique car interiors are prone to damage over time. Moisture that has formed on a carpet can turn to mildew, stain and leave an odor. Rips in the dashboard are common as old leather ages, especially if the interior leather was not properly cleaned and conditioned. Leather will crack from drying out and from direct sunlight. Inexpensive techniques will restore an antique car interior while simultaneously beautifying the car and retaining (or increasing) its value.

Things You'll Need

Gentle liquid laundry detergent
Bucket
Mixing stick
Plastic dish-washing gloves
Scrub brushes
Garden hose
Clean towel
Leather cleaner
Soft dry cloths
Leather conditioner
Clean rag
Upholstery cleaner
Leather or vinyl patch kit
Iron
Vinyl cleaner

Instructions

- 1
  Mix three to four cap-fulls of gentle liquid laundry detergent into half a bucket of warm water. Stir together with a mixing stick until the water is soapy. Dip a scrub brush into the soapy water while wearing your dish-washing gloves.
- 2
  Rub old vinyl seats gently with the water and detergent mixture. Scrub away surface dirt only in hard-to-reach areas where the vinyl isn't fragile, targeting stubborn grime in the corners of seats especially those with piping. Dump out dirty water and repeat with clean soap and water if necessary, rinsing the scrub brush clean under a garden hose before reusing. Dry seat with a clean towel.
- 3
  Apply a generous amount of leather cleaner onto a soft, dry cloth and rub the surface of leather seats and upholstery thoroughly. Flip the cloth over to its clean side and repeat. Apply a generous amount of leather conditioner on a second clean cloth and rub into the surface of the leather. Wait an hour and polish the leather by buffing excess conditioner away with a clean rag.
- 4
  Clean car upholstery with upholstery cleaner made for car interiors. Use upholstery cleaner in spray form, and spray all over the upholstery, including floor upholstery. Spray a little more on old, set-in stains and let sit for a half an hour. Don't over spray the floor as that is harder to dry than upholstery seat sections. Gently scrub the upholstery with a clean, dry scrub brush until stains or surface dirt is lifted. Repeat as needed, until the original color of the fabric is clean.
- 5
  Use a leather or vinyl patch kit to repair tears in antique leather or vinyl. Follow the directions that come with the patch kit to repair the material. Take an iron, if an iron is needed, and use a patch that matches the color of the leather exactly. Place the patch over the clean, dry tear. Set the iron to medium steam heat and place over the patch until it melts into the leather or vinyl. Follow directions for sanding and finishing the material, using the products included in the kit. Recondition the leather with leather cleaner, or the vinyl with vinyl cleaner.

Antiques