How to remove grease from headliner

**adudley88** · 08-11-2010, 11:16 PM

I'm trying to remove this 'grease' from the headliner of this '02 BMW 540i. The guy said it's from a bicycle tire? I tried spraying part of it with folex and rubbing gently, but not much came off. I obviously don't want to just end up turning the grease 'lines' into a grease smear...not sure what I should try. Any ideas?
Thanks, -Ash

**mcpp66** · 08-11-2010, 11:22 PM

What about using a steamer?

**adudley88** · 08-11-2010, 11:35 PM

Originally Posted by mcpp66

What about using a steamer?

I don't have one at the moment.... I do have an extractor, but with how bulky and awkward the nozzle is, I doubt I could make any progress. I'm really afraid of making it worse than it already is.

**Grizzly** · 08-11-2010, 11:49 PM

Spray some APC Plus on a terry cloth and give it a good scrubbing.

Do not get it too wet.

**Bullitt AK** · 08-12-2010, 12:14 AM

i have heard CG lightning fast stain extractor is good to use on tough stains like grease..i cant say for sure because i haven't used it, but actually have some on the way....i have a steamer and i don't think that would do anything honestly..i dont see how the extractor could make the stain any worse...but its such a small line im not sure how effective that would be either...and i probably wouldn't use personally one because the suction on a gentle surface like that...you could use a wetvac on it with a small nozzle after its wet

thats the type of stain that it going to take multiple careful passes...personally if what you have is folex then id just start chipping away with that

**GaryD** · 08-12-2010, 10:24 AM

extra strength magic eraser might help some. U will know right away if it working, check the face of the eraser see if you see any stains. I would dampen the headliner and also wet the eraser first, squeezing out excess water

**Y2KSVT** · 08-12-2010, 10:50 AM

Be very careful with wetting the headliner. Getting it too wet can/will loosen the adhesive, causing it to separate from the headliner board. If you wet it, let it dry completely before wetting it again.

I just replaced the headliner in my Mazda 6s. Headliner material is pretty delicate, so test the product out on a small spot before tackling the entire stain. Just my advice.

Mark

**jsgntulok** · 08-13-2010, 10:09 PM

I have had good results using Megs APC to get stains out of the headliner. Spray it on a white terrycloth towel then lightly rub. So far, knock on wood, there have never been any "wet" stains left on the headliner. Megs APC has worked on many different stains for me. Never had to deal with one caused by a bike tire.

Mike Phillips · 08-13-2010, 10:15 PM

Most important thing to understand is you can't push hard on the headliner as you will stretch the material and it may not fully decompress. So tread carefully when pushing or "scrubbing" on it.

What you need is something that will dissolve the grease so it will release and pull or flow out without changing the appearance/color or look/tightness of the headliner.

If it's important to you... maybe visit an "established" fixed location detail shop, or an "established" mobile detailer, and let them take a look at it and see what they suggest. They might have the tools and experience to fix the problem at a cost that's more than worth your time and struggle, not to mention it's easy when working on light colored headliners to turn a molehill into a mountain.

**BobbyG** · 08-14-2010, 05:33 AM

I ran into this a couple of times and picked up some "Contact Cleaner". This is a spray that dissolves grease and similar materials. I can't tell you how many things I've used it on through the years from cars upholstery, shirts with ink stains, grease etc. Always test in a non-conspicuous area first.

Something like this.

Amazon.com: DeoxIT® DN5 Mini-Spray, nonflammable 5% solution 14 g: Home Improvement