Dashboard and interior trim
The one surface where the wrong product creates a driving hazard. A manufacturer prohibits shine because of what it does to the windscreen.
What not to do
Furniture polish is unsafe on Dashboard and interior trim
Unsafe
Do not do this. The risk is established, and it is described below.
The harm is not to the dashboard. Silicone and wax raise the gloss unevenly, and the maker states the increased gloss may cause reflections in the windscreen and make it difficult to see through — a cleaning product creating a driving hazard somewhere else.
Evidence
Strongly supported
Sources
General Motors LLC, published via NHTSA · Manufacturer documentation
Relied on for: That silicone and wax-based products and those containing organic solvents such as naphtha or alcohol must not be used on a vehicle interior, because they increase gloss non-uniformly and the increased gloss may cause reflections in the windshield and make it difficult to see through under certain conditions. (states this directly)
Precautions
- Test on an inconspicuous area first
Start here
What this is, what tends to go wrong with it, and what to do about it.
Made from
What tends to go wrong
- Dustvia its material
Mostly textile fibres and skin, held by static as much as by gravity — which is why a dry cloth on a plastic surface makes it worse.
Why it is difficult: Static and dust, Mechanical action and abrasion, Why different surfaces get different dirt, Surface roughness
A concentrated water-soluble dye with nothing else in it. Nothing has to be emulsified or dissolved — the only question is whether the surface has taken the colour up.
Why it is difficult: Capillary absorption, Dye migration and colour bleeding
A sticky, yellow-brown tar film deposited everywhere at once. It is the reason a room smells after everything visible has been cleaned.
Why it is difficult: Adsorption of odour molecules, Solubility and polarity
Coloured by turmeric in most prepared mustards, and curcumin is a pH indicator — which is why an alkaline cleaner turns a yellow mark red.
Why it is difficult: pH indicators in stains, Fat-soluble pigments, Photodegradation, Pigment retention
The commonest cleaning problem that is not dirt. The tackiness is the plastic's own additive arriving at the surface, which is why wiping it off works for a week.
Why it is difficult: Plasticizer migration, Damage versus soiling
The science behind this: Solvent crazing, Static and dust, Solvents and polymers, Plasticizer migration
Part of Car interior.
In detail
Gloss on an instrument panel is a safety matter rather than a style choice. A manufacturer's service bulletin prohibits silicone and wax-based products and anything containing organic solvents such as naphtha or alcohol, for a reason that has nothing to do with the plastic: they raise the gloss unevenly, and that gloss 'may cause annoying reflections in the windshield'. So the products sold to make a dashboard look new are the ones the maker rules out, and the harm appears in the glass above rather than on the panel — a clean that succeeded and created a problem elsewhere. What is permitted is unremarkable: a mild NEUTRAL-pH cleaner sprayed onto a clean towel rather than the panel, wiped on, worked into crevices with a SOFT brush, excess wiped off. Never a stiff brush, nor one previously used with a harsh chemical. Laundry detergents and washing-up liquids with degreasers are excluded by name — too much soap leaves a residue that streaks and attracts dirt. Scented or bleach-containing wipes are prohibited outright: the maker says they cause chemical attack on interior surfaces.
What works
Neutral cleaner is safe on, in specific conditions, Dashboard and interior trim
Safe only in specific conditions
This is only appropriate within specific limits, and nothing is established outside them.
Only within these limits:
- A mild, NEUTRAL-pH cleaner. Not a laundry detergent and not a washing-up liquid with a degreaser in it
- Sprayed onto the cloth, never onto the panel
- A SOFT bristle brush for crevices — never a stiff one, and never one previously used with a harsh chemical
- Wipe the excess off. Too much soap leaves a residue that streaks and attracts dirt
Test an inconspicuous area first. The maker gives the tell: colour transfer onto the cloth, or any change in appearance, means chemical attack and the product must not be used.
Precautions
- Test on an inconspicuous area first
Evidence
Strongly supported
Sources
General Motors LLC, published via NHTSA · Manufacturer documentation
Relied on for: That only mild neutral-pH cleaners are used, that laundry detergents and dishwashing soaps with degreasers are avoided, that too much soap leaves residue that streaks and attracts dirt, that cleaner is sprayed onto a clean towel and worked with a soft bristle brush, and that stiff brushes are never used. (states this directly)
Related
- Dashboard and interior trim is made from Household plastics
Sources for this page
Sources
General Motors LLC, published via NHTSA · Manufacturer documentation
Relied on for: That silicone, wax-based and organic-solvent products are prohibited because they increase gloss non-uniformly and that gloss may cause reflections in the windshield, that only mild neutral-pH cleaners are used, that cleaner is sprayed onto the towel and worked with a soft brush, that stiff brushes are never used, and that scented or bleach wipes can cause chemical attack. (states this directly)