Author Topic: Using Henry and steam mop on roof? Nénetté for the bodywork?  (Read 7097 times)

davidguthrie

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Fellow Saabistas!
I've used our Henry vacuum cleaner on the soft top to remove bits of fluff and dust that settle thereon and it seems to work really well, though for a thorough, pre-reproofing clean I'd also use a stiff-bristled brush.
Now, we have a steam mop thing that does a great job on the kitchen and bathroom floors; it has a soft cotton pad on a kind of triangular plastic end. I wonder whether using this on the roof would be of benefit ... or harm?
Has anyone tried this? Do the aficionados consider it unwise/unnecessary?
Also, I've just snaffled a Nénetté lustreuse. Its soft cotton mop is impregnated with Nénétol. It's been around since 1947 and I remember my mother using one to dust in the house, though it was primarily intended for la carosserie. Seems to me this would be a great lazy-boy clean-up between thorough wash-polish-wax sessions. Anyone had a go with these?
David Guthrie

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Re: Using Henry and steam mop on roof? Nénetté for the bodywork?
« Reply #1 on: 14 June 2018, 09:36:25 PM »
Hey Dave

That's a big and emphatic NO to using a steam mop on the roof. Just don't do it. The fabric on these roofs takes enough hits from cleaning/scrubbing; dirt; sunlight; stone impacts; repeated folding/unfolding, acid rain; cleaning chemicals and frost without adding to the list, so I for one would not advise you don't do that to it.
Also don't allow a pressure washer near it either unless its to wash it down from a great distance where only a misting will form and gently settle on the hood without any of the pressure blasting.

As for the Nenette mop, I have a good old-fashioned Nenette mop that I've had for years - I used it ONLY when my car was left cleaned polished, and waxed, but when after say, a period of dry weather, or the car has been left in the garage uncovered for a length of time, the inevitable dust had settled on it. Rather than wash the car again I'd give it a very light and gentle 'brushing' down to remove the dust.
However... These are mostly frowned upon in the detailing world because in brushing the car down with the Nenette mop, you are effectively dragging (microscopic) dirt particles across the paint which isn't ideal, and it's for this very reason that  people now use snow-foaming to reduce the amount of physical action used against the paint when washing it, because the accumulative effect is that physical action will ultimately leave those microscopic skate-marks that you can see when you look across a painted surface in sunlight.

I'd say use it, but only when the car has been polished and waxed very recently and, don't use it every day.

I take mine with me when I show the 'modern' Midget, just to give it a dust down halfway through the day. To be honest though, the paintwork on the Midget is 39 years old now, and in need of some serious TLC so, although I still two-bucket wash it with a grit-guard and lambs-wool mitten, dry it with fluffy microfiber towels, and then polish it followed by a wax coat, the Nenette mop is not really going to add much damage to the already elderly paintwork in this instance, and as stated its only used at shows when its dry, to remove any dust that has settled on it.




« Last Edit: 14 June 2018, 09:38:52 PM by Max Headroom »

davidguthrie

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Re: Using Henry and steam mop on roof? Nénetté for the bodywork?
« Reply #2 on: 14 June 2018, 10:58:59 PM »
I hear you, boss! No steamer. Just Henry. And the nailbrush. And Johnson's baby shampoo (blue). And Fabsil.
And the Nénetté mop is useful - just cleared off some road dust with it and I'd only use it for that purpose, not as part of a cleaning régime proper. Too much fun to be had doing the old sno-foam, TBM and wax!
Good to know there are people what know whereof they speak in here. Gawd knows what sort of nonsense I'd get up to!
BTW, just back from a few days in France. Ooooh! Those lovely open roads with so little traffic! Pure joy!
Trust you are well and enjoying the Jimmy!
David Guthrie

Max Headroom

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Re: Using Henry and steam mop on roof? Nénetté for the bodywork?
« Reply #3 on: 16 June 2018, 11:43:27 AM »

If the nail brush is a really good stiff one like mine :o go easy with that too, because although you're gettting the grime out of the hood fibres, (particularly in areas like the guttering and the edges of the glass rear window) you're probably damaging the fibres too.

With the SAAB roof, unless its a monthly scrub and proper deep clean which is when you'd likely use the nail brush, I would choose two good quality clothes brushes which will had varying bristles (mine were two different Kent brushes - probably one of the best clothes brush brands around - pricey but the bristles were absolutely spot-on for the hood fabric) these were used for brushing the hood on a weekly or 'whenever-needed' basis, and mine were kept in the car.
I can't find mine at the moment - no doubt stored safely away in the garage - but they were these two...
Brush #1
Brush #2 (mine was without the handle but I think it's now only available with the handle)

You might find these cheaper if you shop around on, say - fleaBay



The modern Midget hood is vinyl and therefore a very different cleaning/maintenance regime to that of the SAAB. Having owned the SAAB with it's fabric roof, I have to say that I  prefer vinyl even though it may not look as nice as fabric, it suits the older MGs, but would never look nice on a SAAB!
I would/could NEVER fold the SAAB roof if it was wet or frost-covered - with vinyl all I need is a quick wipe over with a microfibre towel and the roof is fully dry; removing bird crap is far easier too.
The flexible transparencies on the Midget are a bit high-maintenance though; if they aren't cleaned regularly and properly, they go yellowed and opaque. The glass window on the SAAB was far superior.
Testimony to my cleaning regime with the Midget over my twenty years of ownership is the fact the hood windows are still crystal clear and relatively scratch-free on a hood that is now 39 years old! For the Midget transperencies I used Greygates plastic polish - also brilliant for keeping modern plastic headlight lenses in tip-top nick


davidguthrie

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Re: Using Henry and steam mop on roof? Nénetté for the bodywork?
« Reply #4 on: 16 June 2018, 11:31:00 PM »
Hey, Mark. Good to hear from you! Very thorough coverage there and my, your MG's a sweet one! My little beaut is due a good going-over very soon. I've got a pretty good brush for the top; that and Henry should do the job nicely.
Obiter dictum: Into the garage for a general check-over and checking the power steering fluid reservoir/tank/thingy (CHF202) a possible wheel bearing out of whack and also to change the spark plugs for the NGK PFR 6T-10G ones (it may already have these, but new sparkies will always help); mind you, I checked the air filter - hardly stained at all and the engine oil still has a greenish tinge, so someone's been looking after this bairn! My garage are a good bunch and they do stuff thoroughly.
Just back from a few days in la belle France, trooping (top-down, natch) round country lanes in the Bray area: joyful! Car ran sweet as a nut. Saw only two other Saabs - a 9-5 estate and an old 90, both French reg. But I did see an MGB GT and a Midget (also French) out for a jaunt in Lyons-la-Forêt.
David Guthrie

davidguthrie

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Re: Using Henry and steam mop on roof? Nénetté for the bodywork?
« Reply #5 on: 17 June 2018, 01:19:12 AM »
Here's the bairn in France. House is nice eh? ... We stayed in the barn.
David Guthrie

Max Headroom

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Re: Using Henry and steam mop on roof? Nénetté for the bodywork?
« Reply #6 on: 18 June 2018, 10:14:10 PM »


Wow! What a fab picture that is!

Glad all went well on that trip - sounds truly fabulous.

Not too much going on here in Blighty - I took the Midget to a local MG meet on Sunday with my son ("MGs In The Park"), just a 13 mile run out to the Cotswold wildlife park for us on Father's Day.
It did drizzle a bit on and off but the hardened open-topped drivers among us remained stoic, and the weather just about held off enough to keep the top down  for the entire day ;D

I passed a couple of open SAABs coming the other way, its still very much in my blood to wave at them, but I somehow stopped myself.  ::) :)
On the way home a 1930s Austin Ruby passed me going in the opposite direction and he DID wave; I guess the classic car fraternity are starting to melt in to 'one' these days. A Ford Escort from the same era as the Midget waved at me the other week on the run up to Silverstone!


Tuismperd_nr_1

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Re: Using Henry and steam mop on roof? Nénetté for the bodywork?
« Reply #7 on: 12 November 2019, 06:32:44 AM »
I don't advise to use a Steam Mop on the roof as the fabric might take stone impacts, sunlight, etc.