Soft Top Cleaning

[bostewart]

Re: Soft Top Cleaning

Thanks sandman, is that an original ford cloth top or was that done later. It looks great. any more pictures.
and thank you I've been looking for one of these to compare mine to. I have no Idea what my wife will say yet.

[Sandman]

Re: Soft Top Cleaning

Bo, send a PM to Ol'Dave and he can give you more info.

[bostewart]

Re: Soft Top Cleaning

Thanks Sandman I will do that.

[thomas44]

Re: Soft Top Cleaning

Works great on tan tops------don't let the bleach scare you

[bostewart]

Re: Soft Top Cleaning

I will be doing the tan top washing in the morning I have the Rag top cleaner and protector and bleach. So wish me luck.

[Ediron]

Re: Soft Top Cleaning

I will be doing the tan top washing in the morning I have the Rag top cleaner and protector and bleach. So wish me luck.

Just remember it will look a lot better when compleatlly dry.Some stains may show when the top is wet.

[bostewart]

Re: Soft Top Cleaning

Yea I'm getting kind of used to the wet marks. I don't drive it in the rain with the soft top. Next year I will replace this with Bradford's type of top.
The woven Cloth is just to hard to keep the dirt out which causes all the issues. The Vinyl sail cloth I have on my other car is so much easier to take care of. So I will be changing tops before topless season starts next year.

[JohnA]

Re: Soft Top Cleaning

Resurrected this old thread 'cause it's full of good advice. Now that I have the hard top off for my first summer of convertible ownership, I realized the soft top was pretty grubby looking. So I bought some Raggtopp cleaner and had a go. First picture is before (with the top wet), second picture is after one scrubbing with the cleaner, and the third picture is after letting the cleaner soak a bit and then scrubbing.

It's clearly going to take a few more scrubbings. I've got about a third of bottle of the cleaner left, but can easily get more. I'm not sure if I'm going to try the bleach + Raggtopp mixture, as I think that was suggested more for mildew. I think what I have is just general grubbiness from previous owners who didn't clean it.

But as always, thoughts or advice from the learned here are appreciated!
Here's my photos:

[Dizzbe]

Re: Soft Top Cleaning

I would recommend using the Raggtopp/bleach mix. And let it sit a bit 15-20 minutes & I clean mine in the sun. Just keep it wet while soaking. Also use a soft brush that can work into the fibers without damaging the threads. I now take care not to get too aggressive on the seams. Do this a couple times and it should look better.

[02Tbrd]

Re: Soft Top Cleaning

.....I think I would stay away from using bleach....

[islandtime]

Re: Soft Top Cleaning

Like Vickie, I've been using the bleach mix ever since Bradford posted it. No problems. Oh, and always in the sun. It has not faded the tops on either of my Birds.

[RetiredFire]

Re: Soft Top Cleaning

Bradford's bleach mix, worked very well for my gray top, PCR.

[thomas44]

Re: Soft Top Cleaning

Cleaned top with ragg top cleaner--1/4 tide- little bleach mixed together numerous times. Let soak in those dark marks to kill mildrew. Have 70,000 mles on my 2004 bird and have gone through brush car washes once or twice a month no problem

[JohnA]

Re: Soft Top Cleaning

Took another run at my soft top today. Used the 1/2 cup bleach plus 1/4 cup Raggtopp cleaner in a gallon of water mix. Kept it wet, let it soak, scrubbed with an upholstery brush over the period of at least half an hour, using all of the mixture.

Bottom line, I still have black marks that show when wet but aren't too noticeable when dry. Two pictures attached... the first is after today's cleaning while still wet, and the second is after today's cleaning once dry. Once dry, the fold marks on the side are still there, but the rib lines across the top almost disappear.

I guess I'll go ahead and apply the protectorant next, and then enjoy the car until another round of soft top cleaning at the end of the summer.

Here's today's pics:

[Dizzbe]

Re: Soft Top Cleaning

John, that is about what mine looks like as well. Pitfalls of the light color and fabric material.