Development of Interior Stain Removal Technology

Customers desire to keep the interior of their vehicles as clean as possible. A field survey was made of the types of dirt and stains found on interior trim parts as the starting point for the development of products that meet this need. The survey findings showed that soiled stains resulting from long periods of use are commonly found on seat surfaces and cloth seats also have beverage stains. Dirt stains are typically seen on plastic trim parts.

An analysis of the components of soiled stains revealed the presence of higher fatty acids that tend to adhere to the urethane coating on the surface of genuine leather seat covers and to the polyester fibers of cloth seat covers. A coating technology was then developed for bringing dirt to the surface so that it can be easily removed by wiping with a wet cloth. This new coating provides the contradictory performance attributes of allowing easy removal of soiled stains by wiping with a wet cloth while simultaneously making it difficult for beverage stains to penetrate the seat fabric.

A close observation of dirt stains on plastic trim parts showed that dirt penetrated into the recesses of the convex-concave grain shapes of the trim material surface. By focusing on the grain shapes, a wiping cloth was developed for effectively scooping out such dirt.