Best APC comparison

G

getgoing

New member
Hello folks,

I was learning about All-Purpose-Cleaners from "Pan TheOrganizer" and "Auto Fetish Detail" Youtube channels.

Can you please help me compare these options?

Optimum Power Clean.
Super Clean.
Meguiar`s APC D101.
McKee`s 37 Hi-Intensity APC Plus.
Chemical Guys Nonsense.

Especially in terms of:

1. Which is most versatile with broad uses (e.g. inside + outside)?
2. Safest/easiest to use?

2. Best for fabric seat stain cleaning?
3. Which of these are interchangeable with each other (so the main difference would be price)?

Thanks for your guidance guys :)

Edit:
4. Which of these doesn`t need "neutralizing"/rinsing after using on interior?
 
Optimum Power Clean is a great degreaser and cleaner for hard surfaces, but I would not recommend it for seat fabrics or carpets due to its "industrial" fragrance that lingers in such fabrics. Their Carpet/Fabric and Protectant Cleaner is much more suited to that.

Super Clean (The Purple Stuff now made by SuperClean LLC which bought the rights from Castrol) is NOT recommended for use on vehicles, in my opinion, as it will cause aluminum white bloom or etching. I use it to clean wash media, applicator foam pads, and polishing foam pads. WEAR PROTECTIVE GLOVES if you use this product for mentioned purposes because this product full-strength will eat (chap) your hands,

Megs D101 is an effective all-purpose cleaner for interiors. It must be diluted in the "correct" ratio for interior cleaning and I find that 10:1 is much too "light" for effective cleaning of dirty carpet floor mats or dash plastics. I use mine at 3:1 or 4:1. While it can be used for cleaning coated leather in a 6:1 ratio, I prefer a dedicated leather cleaner. Do not use it on-high-end uncoated leathers or Ford Truck King`s Ranch leather!

The term "All-Purpose Cleaner" is bit of a misnomer and by that I mean a cleaner may work well for one detailing task, but not so well for another. It is kind of like a Swiss Army Knife. Yes it has lots of tools in a convenient small design, but I would not use it to assemble IKEA furniture on a regular basis. It is the reason many professional and hobbyist detailers have a plethora of "specialized" detailing products for specific detailing tasks to maximize the effectiveness and end-results.

One APC to leave off your list is over-the-counter Simple Green. It is generally well-known that this product causes aluminum etching and whitening and is not recommended for automotive use, in my opinion, due to the prevalent usage of aluminum in modern vehicle production. I use it for cleaning coffee mugs/cups and coffee maker decanters and filter holders, as it was originally designed for the cleaning of coffee roasting equipment.

One APC to add to your list is Spray NIne made by Illinois Tool Works. What makes this particular APC of interest is that it has antibacterial/disinfectant properties.It is highly regarded in the boating industry for its cleaning properties, particularly on algae scum. Given the current coronavirus pandemic, it may be a good product to use for cleaning vehicle interiors. I find it a very cost-effective home cleaner-sanitizer when bought by the gallon and used undiluted or Ready-To-Use (RTU) (About $12.00 per gallon at Fleet Farm in the Midwest, IF you can find it anymore).
 
Superior Road Warrior and Extra Tough Multi Purpose Cleaner & Degreaser, they have the highest dilutions of cleaners that I have used. 1 part product to 100 parts water for Road Warrior and 1 part product to 32 parts water. I haven`t seen the need for an all purpose cleaner when I have these highly dilute-able cleaners.
 
TheMeanGreen said:
Superior Road Warrior and Extra Tough Multi Purpose Cleaner & Degreaser, they have the highest dilutions of cleaners that I have used. 1 part product to 100 parts water for Road Warrior and 1 part product to 32 parts water. I haven`t seen the need for an all purpose cleaner when I have these highly dilute-able cleaners.
Click to expand...

I had heard of "Extra Tough Multi-Purpose Cleaner" from Apex Detail channel who seems to like it. I didn`t find many Amazon reviews of it, so I had ignored this product.
 
Of the ones under discussion, I`ve only used the Optimum Power Clean. It works well for me and don`t mind the scent. But I only reach for it when I have a greasy/oily mess that I want to emulsify. But then I hardly ever use APCs for much of anything since mild Interior Cleaners are almost always sufficient even for the near-constant doggy cleanups.
 
Accumulator said:
Of the ones under discussion, I`ve only used the Optimum Power Clean. It works well for me and don`t mind the scent. But I only reach for it when I have a greasy/oily mess that I want to emulsify. But then I hardly ever use APCs for much of anything since mild Interior Cleaners are almost always sufficient even for the near-constant doggy cleanups.
Click to expand...

Can it (OPC) be used for interior cleaning (including LCD/nav screen).

One comment on Reddit made me feel I could use one product as both APC and interior cleaner:
"It`s my understanding that interior cleaner, generally speaking, is just diluted apc."

But a following comments says they are different:
"Some interior cleaners are ph-neutral while most APC’s are alkaline."

If they really are different, what are your favorite inner cleaners?
I believe Chemical Guys InnerClean, Griot`s Interior Cleaner and McKee`s 37 "Total Interior Cleaner" are similar to each other (i.e. interchangeable)?
 
getgoing- Sorry, I know *NOTHING* about Nav/etc. screens. Our Audis do have LEDs on the dash for some things, but I`ve never treated those surfaces any differently from a regular gauge cluster.

I`m using up some old 3D/HD stuff (forget the name, don`t think they still make it) when my (very *VERY* gentle..like, too gentle) Griot`s Interior Cleaner isn`t enough, but that`s pretty rare.

Yeah, I`d avoid significantly alkaline stuff, at least on leather (which oughta be left slightly acidic) and plastic.

That comment about "Interior Cleaner = diluted APC" is way overly-general IMO, as in...worthless and even misleading nonsense. I`d sure ignore whatever that [individual] says about much of anything.
 
Accumulator said:
getgoing- Sorry, I know *NOTHING* about Nav/etc. screens. Our Audis do have LEDs on the dash for some things, but I`ve never treated those surfaces any differently from a regular gauge cluster.

I`m using up some old 3D/HD stuff (forget the name, don`t think they still make it) when my (very *VERY* gentle..like, too gentle) Griot`s Interior Cleaner isn`t enough, but that`s pretty rare.

Yeah, I`d avoid significantly alkaline stuff, at least on leather (which oughta be left slightly acidic) and plastic.

That comment about "Interior Cleaner = diluted APC" is way overly-general IMO, as in...worthless and even misleading nonsense. I`d sure ignore whatever that [individual] says about much of anything.
Click to expand...

I just came across an older post of yours, where you also mention using "Ultima Interior Shampoo Gel" along with Griot`s Interior Cleaner.
I`ll read up on UISG :)
 
getgoing- Yeah, that Ultima (and IIRC there might be a Sonus product that`s similar..not sure where I got that idea though..) does still satisfy me even though I`m generally skeptical about "no rinsing needed!" products. Heh heh, guess it`s been a long time since I had to do much interior work since it slipped my mind!

True Confession time: I found an *old* (like, early `80s or older!) bottle of Armor All Cleaner a year or two ago. I added some water to it and have used that for anything the GG couldn`t handle in the Tahoe. Noting but Interior QDs in the others in all that time. I just don`t get the interiors dirty these days except for the (oe!) carpeted mats in the A8 (which my wife uses all winter), and I extract those.
 
Another pretty decent interior cleaner I don`t read much about is Tuff Stuff Multi-Purpose foam cleaner. It works really well on my parchment cloth interior as well as the dash.
 
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