Cleaning vynil trim

Avoid silicone spray. Many trim areas—especially parts of the dashboard exposed to direct sunlight—are constantly bombarded by ultraviolet rays which break down the molecules comprising the vynil skin, allowing raw vynil molecules to escape the panel.

Silicone based products do not usually contain UV-protectors. What is even worse, silicone may intensify the UV degradation by acting like a magnifying glass. Silicone oil can also dissolve the essential oils in the vinyl skin. All this leads to the formation of cracks in the vynil skin. Silicone also has very strong electrostatic attraction which may be considered beneficial in that it will tend to stay where it is placed, but will also attract every dust particle in your town.

To clean the trim parts, clean (or mildly soapy) water and a nailbrush or toothbrush is generally enough. To remove more stubborn stains I found computer cleaning products very useful (my products of choice are Foamclene antistatic foam cleaner and PC-Clene antistatic cleaning wipes from Automation Facilities but numerous other companies manufacture similar products). They are capable of removing the dark, dirty coloration from the veins of the trim surface. After cleaning, I use Turtle Wax Carisma, a petroleum-based spray.

To remove dust from recesses and hard-to-reach places like vent grilles, use an air duster spray can, also available in any office supply store (Automation Facilities has this, too, called Sprayduster).