White marks on black interior...?

[PT87]

Hi folks!

All jokes aside...

My wife and I have a 2017 Infiniti and 2017 Mazda, both with black interiors. For whatever reason, when my wife's skin comes in contact with the black interior bits (be it leather seats, rubber/vinyl dash, etc.), there are faint white marks transmitted. It's wherever she really touches the interior. Oddly enough, my skin doesn't leave any marks. At first I thought it was makeup or a body lotion, but we eliminated those variables.

The issue is with cleaning these. I like to use Turtle Wax Dash and Glass because of the matte finish it leaves, but when I attempt to clean the marks, they simply do not move no matter the scrubbing. I tried some diluted dish soap the other day with zero results either. To be honest, they only thing I have had luck with is rubbing the marks (on the vinyl/rubber...no luck on leather), with my thumb. That seems to lift them.

I figured someone on this forum would have a good idea, before I blindly throw money at products.

Any clue?

Thanks!

[DrBeasleys]

Got any photos of the white marks?

[PT87]

Got any photos of the white marks?

I took the headrest off and snapped this.



Edit: back of headrest where it was touched by hand

[ducksfan]

Does she wear sunscreen? Could be zinc oxide.

[JeffsRealm]

Do you have a dog that rides with her?

I get white spots from my dog on my black interior, drool or wet nose spots.

[PT87]

Thanks for the replies. Sunscreen and pets are out.

Any suggestions on a product (ideally mild)?

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[oneheadlite]

I see this a lot on BMWs that come through our (repair) shop. I've always wondered what the root cause was; I had always assumed it was lotion as it's most often female driven cars that I've noticed it on.

I wonder if the Turtle Wax product you're using just doesn't have enough cleaning power? What if you were to try a dedicated interior cleaner (I use Griot's Garage, McKee's and many others available through AG also have good reviews), then follow it with your Turtle Wax product to leave the finish you prefer?

A diluted All Purpose Cleaner would probably work just as well; I like the interior cleaner route as I'm just a hobbyist and like the peace of mind of "This is an interior cleaner" without worrying about dilution ratios.

While I don't go crazy with cleaning the inside of customer cars, I do know that I've gotten that type of white marking off of door panels with Griot's interior cleaner and a microfiber towel. If you have deeper texture, you could get one of the interior detailing brushes they sell here (I know Joe @ next level uses one in one of his interior cleaning videos).

For switch gear like turn signal stalks and light switches, I've gotten rid of people funk (as we refer to it, no offense to the Mrs!) quite easily with Optimum No Rinse @ rinseless wash dilution. Melts off the funk, doesn't leave a gloss or eye catching finish. I know ONR is supposed to be safe to wipe down every part of a car, but the old fashioned part of me prefers to use an interior dressing product instead. I should try doing the whole interior on one of our rental cars and see how it looks.

[DETAILROOKIE]

My wife leaves the same marks all over any car she sits it. It turned out to be her make up. Not sure if this is the case with your wife, but something to consider. I now make my wife wash her hands after she does her make up because it is a pain to clean.

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[PT87]

My wife leaves the same marks all over any car she sits it. It turned out to be her make up. Not sure if this is the case with your wife, but something to consider. I now make my wife wash her hands after she does her make up because it is a pain to clean.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Autogeekonline mobile app

Thank you! I'll have to look more into the makeup thing. Any products/techniques that you've found to help?

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[PT87]

I see this a lot on BMWs that come through our (repair) shop. I've always wondered what the root cause was; I had always assumed it was lotion as it's most often female driven cars that I've noticed it on.

I wonder if the Turtle Wax product you're using just doesn't have enough cleaning power? What if you were to try a dedicated interior cleaner (I use Griot's Garage, McKee's and many others available through AG also have good reviews), then follow it with your Turtle Wax product to leave the finish you prefer?

A diluted All Purpose Cleaner would probably work just as well; I like the interior cleaner route as I'm just a hobbyist and like the peace of mind of "This is an interior cleaner" without worrying about dilution ratios.

While I don't go crazy with cleaning the inside of customer cars, I do know that I've gotten that type of white marking off of door panels with Griot's interior cleaner and a microfiber towel. If you have deeper texture, you could get one of the interior detailing brushes they sell here (I know Joe @ next level uses one in one of his interior cleaning videos).

For switch gear like turn signal stalks and light switches, I've gotten rid of people funk (as we refer to it, no offense to the Mrs!) quite easily with Optimum No Rinse @ rinseless wash dilution. Melts off the funk, doesn't leave a gloss or eye catching finish. I know ONR is supposed to be safe to wipe down every part of a car, but the old fashioned part of me prefers to use an interior dressing product instead. I should try doing the whole interior on one of our rental cars and see how it looks.

Thanks! Going to pickup some Griot's interior cleaner today (locally available). Will let you know!

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