After washing - Allow the fabric to dry for as long as possible (preferably 24-hours) before using the protectant. An hour or two isn’t long enough, it may feel dry but that’s only the uppermost surface layer (using a protectant on a damp fabric will ‘seal in’ the moisture and encourage the formation of mildew)
Mould / Mildew - dirt and moisture are essential to mould / mildew propagation; if the contamination is not removed the fungus will degrade the material. Just like mould and mildew contamination in other areas, you cannot wash or shampoo it away; this only exacerbates the problem.
The fungus is caused by living organisms that must be killed before the material is cleaned, and all the moisture is eliminated by thoroughly drying the material or the mildew will return
a) Use Milton baby bottle sterilising tablets and a soft toothbrush. The fluid will kill any mould spores. Mix as directed and apply solution with a nail brush and gently scrub. Leave for 5 mins and rinse off.
b) Use a medium soft brush and a 4:1 solution distilled water / ammonia and then rinse with cool clean water
c) For tougher stains apply a solution of no more than 1/2 cup (4 oz.) bleach and 1/4 cup (2 oz.) Raggtopp™ Cleaner per gallon of water and then rinse thoroughly. May require repeated cleaning
Badly stained material - wet the area to be cleaned with distilled water plus (a) or (b) above, lightly spray and rinse thoroughly. For neglected convertible fabric tops leave above solution fabric cleaner on overnight, keep damp by covering with a plastic sheet, once stains are removed rinse thoroughly and apply protection.
Please note that excessive soaking with bleach solution can weaken seam threads. Rinse the entire top to remove all of the bleach solution from the vinyl, and rinse the car body to prevent streaking on painted, chrome or other surfaces.