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Hi all, recently my buttons in XK get very sticky and feels terrible to touch.... have searched many threads online but still don't know what kind of product is the best solution for this issue..
these three buttons are the worst in the interior.
just wanna if I can use baby wipe to clean it? Or just a microfiber towel with some water? Cause I am afraid those kind of chemical product will ruin the paint of the buttons... so I prefer just to use something as common as possible
thanks in advance
Last edited by xialiulaoren; Jun 17, 2018 at 02:16 PM.
Trying to clean the buttons might remove the graphics, depending on the ingredients in that cleaning product. I'd try a drop of hand lotion on my fingertip, rub it gently on a small part of the sticky surface and see if it helps.
I have a soft plastic case LED flashlight that got sticky over time. Hand lotion removed the stickiness and made it like new.
Last edited by Stuart S; Jun 17, 2018 at 02:59 PM.
Trying to clean the buttons might remove the graphics, depending on the ingredients in that cleaning product. I'd try a drop of hand lotion on my fingertip, rub it gently on a small part of the sticky surface and see if it helps.
I have a soft plastic case LED flashlight that got sticky over time. Hand lotion removed the stickiness and made it like new.
Thanks for sharing. So you mean hand lotion NOT hand sanitizer right?
I try to avoid anything that is defatting like hand cleaners or alcohol based products. Plastics need oils to survive.
ok I see. So actually those shiny buttons are not metal just plastic? There is a 3M product here that is recommended for plastic cleaning. If they are plastic I guess this one will work.
It's acid based, acids are defatters (remove oils). I'd avoid it.
Honestly I'd start with water and a microfiber towel. Remember, whatever is on there was on your hands at one time. Women love lotions and they leave a gummy residue as well.
Looked at a XK at my local dealer before buying the one I own. It was off lease from FL and all the plastic buttons were sticky. I talked to the service manager about it, a woman, and she said it was due to a driver using hand lotion and not letting it soak in before driving the car. No way to correct it.
I'd try the water and microfiber as Ranchero suggested and then work up from there if that doesn't work. Those plastic and rubber button tops are easy to mess up. But I hate sticky - so did not get the car from the dealer.
ok I see. So actually those shiny buttons are not metal just plastic? There is a 3M product here that is recommended for plastic cleaning. If they are plastic I guess this one will work.
I went to Amazon and read the label on that 3M product. It does not state that it is safe to use on printed plastic.
"Description
Adhesives - 3M™ Citrus Base Cleaner - A liquid cleaner/degreaser that can be used to dissolve and remove dirt, grease, tar, and many non-curing type adhesives. It can also be used to degrease substrates for adhesive bonding in place of many chlorinated or petroleum-based solvents. Net weight is 18.5 oz each."
Citrus based products like this one from 3M contain d-Limonene, which is a cleaner and degreaser. I would not use it to clean the sticky buttons because it might be too strong and damage the graphics.
The concrete floor of our 100,000 sq. ft. warehouse was cleaned by a contractor that used a d-Limonene product to completely remove years of accumulated forklift tire rubber and other ground-in dirt. The result far exceeded my expectations - the concrete floor looked like new. A side benefit was that the warehouse smelled like an orange juice factory for weeks.
d-Limonene is also used in many waterless hand cleaners.
I repeat my suggestion to try a drop of hand lotion. Not the thick, goopy stuff, but a thin viscosity that can thin out the stickiness, be wiped off, and another light coat applied that is absorbed into the plastic. That worked for me to restore my LED flashlight housing.
Last edited by Stuart S; Jun 17, 2018 at 09:21 PM.
The coating that was originally intended to create the soft touch feel is deteriorating with age, giving it a sticky feel. You need to remove that layer. Dealers do this all the time using Noxema makeup remover pads - lots of rubbing!
You too will swear by this stuff.
And it should solve the sticky problem the right way, not by removing the coating but sealing it.
Its new technology.
FYI
Prevent denim stain- use Ink Stop by Leather Masters. Its the only leather protection and conditioning ever needed- according to the leather institute in UK.
Interior cleaning question
