cleaning the soft top

[waltklatt]

Hi everyone,
In trying to get my 220SL ready for the first spring drive, I'm trying to clean the soft top.
The top has been up for a while in the garage and has a array of dust, dirt, sawdust and whatnot.
How do I clean this off with out pressurized air? 
I tried a sticky big lint brush and it helps, but not along the stitch seams or joints.
Thanks,
Walter
1967 220SL-diesel

[thelews]

What's wrong with pressurized air?

How about a stiff bench brush and a good shop vac.

I never wash my top.  Primarily just regularly use a bench brush to give it a good regular brushing.  I even do this on my BMW daily driver, top hasn't been washed in 7 years.

[k]

http://www.haartz.com/en/consumer_info/cleaning/cloth_top_cleaning.asp

Water runs off black....off seemingly clean tops

[waltklatt]

Thank you John and K,
I dont have any pressurized air to use to wash, but the brush seems a good way to go.  I'll buy a new one on my next trip to the car show/flea market.
I have not washed mine in a long time since I put it on about 4 years ago.
Walter
1967 220SL-diesel

[thelews]

The brush is nothing special, most hardware stores carry them.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=1072

RaggTopp products are excellent, I've used them for years.

[Bob G ✝︎]

Good fine.

When I had my detail show and got in Canvas tops I found they hold a lot of dirt.
Using a medium course brush and following with a vacuum cleaner tool helped to remove
the  first part of the soil from the top. I liked a company that  is called Ragg Topp they were suppliers
to canvas awning and had a wonderful canvas spry cleaner  and a sealing spray that when curred by sunlight
or a hair dryer would put a polymer coating on the canvans that repelled water.

They were approved by Hartz canvas tops.

Bob Geco

[graphic66]

Watch out using compressed air to clean things. Most compressors have some oil blow by into the tank and spray out a very fine mist of oil in the air. They do make oil separators for your compressor to eliminate this, mostly used when painting I believe.