[argento]

Probably already covered, but here's another thread on cleaning the headliner.

I purchased a 2014 F10 535i which had a light smell of smoke, especially after sitting outside on a hot day. It was clear the previous owner had likely clean-b@mbed the car’s interior b/c the smokey smell was mixed some cleaning product. All the usual suspects were then cleaned, but a hint of smoke remained afterward. All the plastic and door panels were cleaned with soap/water and then Aerospace 303, the leather was cleaned using Leatherique (covered in plastic wrap and soaked for a week), the climate system vents and internals were treated using BG Fresh 708 antibacterial cleaner, and the carpet was cleaned using the same cleaner and wash listed below. Afterwards, hoping this would be enough to mask the remaining smell, I used Zaino Z10 (Leather in a Bottle) on all the leather as it provides my other BMW with a new leather smell for months. However, the hint of smoke still remained.

That left the headliner as the only smoke-infused fabric not yet thoroughly cleaned. With all the other cleaning, I did wipe the headliner down with a damp (water) microfiber towel. I was holding out not having to treat the headliner further, because it’s an odd shape with multiple nooks and crannies, it seemed a tedious job. But with everything else smelling fresh to my nose, the headliner obviously still smelled of smoke. I did a lot of research and most professional cleaning shops point out that the headliner is one of the biggest culprits in bad smelling cars.

In the end, it was not so difficult after all. I realized I had all the cleaners and tools on hand and it took less than 45 minutes.

The following is provided as REFERENCE ONLY, it’s simple and you can deviate to fit your scenario.


MATERIALS:
Light Duty Cleaner: P&S Xpress Interior Cleaner, pH Neutral ($33/gal, Amazon)
Wash: McKee’s 37 Rinseless Wash N-914 V2 ($24/32oz, McKee’s online) [Diluted 1:256oz (=1oz per 2gal)]
Brush: Adam’s Polishes Detailing Brush ($14, Amazon)
Microfiber Towel
OPTIONAL: Medium Duty Cleaner: Koch-Chemie Green Star All Purpose Cleaner ($14/L). I have not tried the medium-duty cleaner and recommend testing on a hidden area prior to use.



PRECAUTIONS:
-This process is for ANTHRACITE headliner (S775A), NOT ALCANTARA (S776A).
-After 15+ minutes of cleaning, the P&S Express vapors affect me more adversely than others. As such, I use a 3M breathing mask each time I use this product.
-Open all the doors and roll down all the windows. Appy in open air environment, IE: garage with door open. Not in direct sunlight.
-Setup box fans blowing inward from the rear of the vehicle. This will mitigate the vapors and help more quickly dry the headliner if you use too much product.
-I removed the A-pillars and first tested the procedure on these parts. These came out of the process looking new. No issues using the light duty cleaner in my case.

NOTES:
Important: Spraying cleaner on the headliner is not recommended. This will result in cleaner raining on you and falling on other areas of the car where the product has not been tested. While these products are meant for vehicle usage, spraying generally makes a mess and adds much more work in this case
Note: Application of product - Lightly spray the light duty cleaner onto the detailing brush. It should not be dripping with product. If you see a lot of white foam building up on the headliner it may be too much product. In my case I would spray the brush and agitate the headliner and rarely see white foam, but I knew there was product on the brush.
Note: If you’re not dealing with a smoke smell or equivalent, you may only want to apply the wash product with a microfiber towel for cleaning.

SINGLE COMPONENT CLEANING:
-Since I removed the A-pillars, the process on them was to lightly spray the pillars with light duty cleaner, immediately agitate with the brush and wait 10m.
-Then use a microfiber towel sprayed with wash and firmly wipe the surfaces, effectively removing the cleaner.
-Allow to dry somewhat before installing.
-FYI this is the same process used for carpet cleaning with these products, except vacuum the cleaner up after 10m to remove. Then wipe the carpet with wash as a finish.

HEADLINER CLEANING:
-The recommended order of application is to first clean the sunroof cover, followed by the headliner area accessible from the rear seat. This covers about half or more of the surface to clean. Next do the headliner accessible from the front seats, b-pillars, and sun visors. Note: If you have time, it may be more effective to remove the hand holds in the headliner.
-Use the brush to apply and agitate the light duty cleaner. Cross-hatch, mixed with circular motion scrubbing.
-By the time you finish applying the cleaner on the last surface in the sequence (~20-25min), it’s time to return where you started and wipe down with wash.
-Use a microfiber towel sprayed with wash and firmly wipe the surfaces, effectively removing the cleaner. Note, this was not a quick wipe and done. I spent the same amount of time wiping the areas down as I did agitating with the brush. Cross-hatch, mixed with circular motion.

C-PILLARS & REAR DECK:
-It was difficult to access with this type of brush without banging the glass and possibly damaging the tint. Find a better brush, or...
-In my case, I only wiped down these areas thoroughly with wash on the microfiber towel.

RESULTS:
Before this process I could put my nose close to the sun visor or headliner and obviously smell the smokiness. Afterwards, it was effectively gone. Not sure how it will work in every situation, but GL.