Car Clinic: What's the best way to clean mud off my car's roof lining?

My muddy mountain bike tyres have marked the fabric roof lining inside my VW Golf. How should I clean it?

KW, Leeds

The stain could contain oil/grease as well as mud, so take care. Let the mud dry then gently brush or vacuum it off. Don’t rub hard because this could make the problem area larger.

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Dampen the area with a bit of water and gently dab it with a microfibre cloth, using it like blotting paper — sucking, rather than rubbing, the stain out. Let it dry and check the result. If it’s still there, dampen the stain with Halfords upholstery cleaner (£3.99 for 500ml) or something similar and then repeat the process.

INSPECTOR GADGET
Dave Pollard has written several Haynes manuals and has tested just about every car-related accessory — read more from Dave here.

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