If you are in the market for a good all-around interior cleaner, look no further than Meguiars D101 All Purpose Cleaner. This very versatile cleaner uses a foaming action to lift away dirt, making it great for cleaning just about everything from carpets, cloth seats, vinyl, and leather to headliners and even door jambs. On top of being a great all-around cleaner, it’s also very cost effective as it comes in a concentrate form, allowing you to mix it with water to meet your cleaning needs.
Here are just a few examples of how I use Meguiars D101 APC when cleaning interiors.
The photos below are a great example of very dirty vinyl door panel. Since the vinyl of the door panel has a grooved texture molded into it, you need a method that will allow you to get all the dirt and grime out of those tiny groves. What I have found to work best for cases like this is to spray the panel with some APC mixed at a 10:1 ratio, then gently agitate the area with a medium stiffness upholstery brush, being sure to work the brush in several different directions. Then you will simply wipe the area dry using a clean soft micro fiber towel and repeat if needed.
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Another great example would be the cleaning of cloth seats. Below we have an example of what happens when you take your dog to the beach and then let him climb all over the car. These seats were pretty dirty but actually came clean with minimal effort. First thing you want to do is thoroughly vacuum the area to remove all the loose dirt and dog hair. If you have access to an air compressor it also helps to blow the seats off with air, especially the seams as it will remove whatever the vacuum couldn’t. Next you will want to lightly mist the seats with some APC mixed at 10:1. (Be sure your sprayer is set to mist the APC and not stream) Let it sit for a few seconds and then take a clean, dry micro fiber towel and wipe over the seat using some pressure until clean. Repeat when needed but be sure to use a clean side of the towel. Some stains may benefit from the agitation of an upholstery brush, just be sure the fabric of those particular seats is safe for use with a brush.
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For those of you who may not have a carpet extractor or steamer, Meguiars D101 will also work great for carpet cleaning. To do this thoroughly vacuum the areas with a shop vac, spray the soiled areas of the carpet down with some APC, agitate the soiled areas with a carpet brush, wipe with a clean towel dampened in water followed by a dry towel with lots of pressure. Repeat as needed, finish off with a thorough vacuuming. (Note: D101 is not suggested for use with hot water extractors because of its foaming action)
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A few other great pictures which show the cleaning power of Meguiars D101 APC.
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- My suggested mixing ratio for general cleaning is 10:1. For heavily soiled and dirty areas I will mix at 4:1.
- I only suggest using Meguiars D101 APC on leather for extremely neglected cases where the leather simply won’t come clean using traditional leather cleaners. In such cases I will mix my APC about 15:1 and I strongly suggest testing in a discrete area before using any cleaner on leather. Clean by spraying the APC onto the surface, agitate with a leather brush, and wipe clean with a towel dampened in water followed by a dry towel.
- For cleaning of cloth headliners I suggest misting the APC directly onto your towel and gently wiping the soiled areas. You want to avoid getting the headliner material too wet as it can affect the adhesive used to adhere the cloth material. Vinyl headliners can safely be cleaned using the same method as other vinyl surfaces.
I hope this article helps with your interior cleaning needs. Please feel free to post any questions you may have.
Chad – Thanks for the write up. I actually purchased D101 a few months ago when DI had the Megs sale, but never had to use it until yesterday. I dilluted the product about 10:1 as sugguested and used this to clean my all weather mats and WOW. Amazing product for sure. Thanks for the tips above. One thing I would HIGHLY recommend is to purchase a spray bottle with this stuff.
Truly is some great stuff. Great write-up with the perfect pictures to show how effectively this can be used.
Great write-up with very good picture tutorials. I love using Megs APC for all the above reasons, it is such a versatile product! You cannot go wrong when thinking about purchasing this product, and the now you have the write-up to prove it.
Wow this stuff really works. Used it on the carpet and vinyl, really worked well. I mixed it 10:1 and it worked great, never thought it was not strong enough this way.
Jeff
Hey Rasky, thanks for the tips
Question: I tried using some D101 on the civic seats diluted at 10:1 and some stains will not come off. Do you leave it on for a period of time or wipe off with water or what? Any pointers would help.
Once again, amazing stuff you do
Thanks
Max
Hey Max,
Any idea what they stains are from? Some stains simply benefit from the use of a cleaner targeted for the specific type of stain your dealing with (Protein-based, ink, oils, dyes…). On top of that, the material used on the 8th generation Civic Si interiors is not the easiest to clean (Alcantara).
Since you cars interior uses a material typically not found in most of today’s cars, I’d actually suggest you read the info listed on the Alcantara manufactures website and follow their directions on stain removal.
http://www.alcantara.com/en_US/experience/manutenzione/smacchiatura/smacchiatura.shtml
Cheers,
Rasky
Chad,
What’s the difference between this D101 and Meg’s D103 APC? Which one smells better? I’m looking to buy one big jug of APC and would rather buy whichever solution is more versatile.
Thanks!
David
I have not personally used or smelled either product. But I have spent a lot of time researching these two products. The only difference that I could find is that the D101 will foam easily, where as the D103 won’t (but still can if you try).
Chad, could you please tell me if I’m correct?
Yes, the foaming would be the biggest difference between the two. In my opinion the D103 is probably the better all around cleaner if you only want to use one of them. I personally like having both of them though. I use the D101 for most my interior cleaning (seats, vinyl, headliner). I will use the D103 for engines, tires, door jambs, and carpets.
Of the two I’d say D101 smells the most pleasant to me, though they both smell pretty good.
Rasky
Does this product also work to clean residue and dirt off of spray in bedliners? If not what do you suggest. I think I have a buildup of that cheap spray wax they use at the carwash dulling the finish on the liner.
Hello Liz,
Meguiar’s D101, or any of our All Purpose Cleaners for that matter should all be effective at removing and loosening up that type of buildup. However, it’s likely not going to be as easy as just spraying the area with a cleaner and rinsing it off. I would suggest filling up a bucket with warm soapy water, spraying the areas you want to clean with an APC and allowing it to dwell for a minute or so. Next, get a good medium stiffness brush like you’d use for scrubbing tires or wheel wells, dip the brush into the soapy water and agitate the dirty areas until it has removed the buildup. Follow that it up with a good rinse and repeat if needed.
Hope this helps,
Rasky
I’d like buy this product, I need know the cost and all things about this product. help me please…
All you need to do is click on the link within the article and it will take you to the product page for purchasing.
Very good article, especially the way the photos were taken showing how well the product worked. I am adding this to my want list.
Thanks Mike! I’m glad you found the article to be helpful.
Thanks for the feedback,
Rasky
Chad what is your opinion on the difference between APC 10:1 and Meguiars Interior QD? Both claim to be safe to use on leather, is there any reason you would not use them for that application?
Hi Chad, Do you recommend the D101 for tackling water stains on the headliner or is there a better product for this? I have some stains on the sunroof shade and the bordering edges of the headliner. Thanks
Wow, that car was disgusting. Nice work, Chad, and pretty impressive plug for Meguiar’s APC! This product might be the solution to my problems. Too bad once the car was cleaned, it was still a Lincoln.
I thought maybe it was just a really dirty McLaren.
I really like the D103 but have not tried this one yet. I may get some to try though. I have used the D103 in a Little Green and it works much better than I had imagined and also used it on some carpets in my mothers house and it worked great. I might might have to get some of this D101 too though!
Hey Dave,
If you have the D103 already you probably won’t really benefit from picking up the D101. The most noticeable difference is the foaming action in the D101 and unless you have a need for that just stick with your D103.
If you want to try another good All Purpose Cleaner you can look at the Optimum Power Clean. It’s a little pricey compared to D103/101, but it also works very well and is a little safer on painted surfaces. D103 is a solid and cost effective APC though.
Rasky
Chad, in your photo that you posted of your work on the center consol and seat of the Lincoln, it looks like you got the leather back to a nice satin/matte finish. Is that accurate? And if so, is that typical of what D101 will do to the leather found in most cars sold in the U.S? Trying to get my ’09 Pilot leather back to that factory matte
look. Thanks!