If you love your Jeep soft top, you must clean and maintain it as best as you can. The elements are harsh on your soft top with rain, mildew, UV rays, heat, bird droppings, tar, tree sap and plenty of other things. While Jeep owners love the sun, the sun is not nice to our soft tops. The UV rays of the sun cause the fabric to fade, threads to fail, and our vinyl windows to yellow, crack, and fade. For these reasons, we must spend time learning the best way to clean jeep soft tops to prolong their life. If you conduct proper and regular soft top maintenance, it will last for plenty of years to come. If you made an investment on a Jeep Bikini Top as your alternate top for the summer months, don't neglect it. Your Jeep Bikini Top needs care and maintenance and what is surprising is that a couple of minutes spent on your Jeep Bikini Top will extend the life and improve the look.
Jeep Soft Top Maintenance
You ought to maintain your soft top on a regular basis. Different seasons during the of the year, as well as the age of your soft top, may require more upkeep. As a general rule, you should to be applying a Jeep soft top protectant every 30 to 90 days, depending on the factors already mentioned. There are three areas you should concentrate on when it comes to your soft top. They are: 1) The fabric, 2) The Windows 3) The Zippers. The first two are obvious, but sometimes the zippers get ignored until it is too late. You need to purchase an oil to keep the zippers in working order. The products you are going to need are soft top cleaner, protectant, polisher and oil.
Applying Soft Top Protectants
Soft tops look like they are made of canvas, but in reality, they are made of PVC made to be flexible by adding “Plasticizers." Acrylic, polyester, cotton blends and other synthetics are woven to form your soft top. These fabrics are treated with water repellant chemicals since they are considered breathable fabrics. As with any soft top, with time you may encounter a breakdown of the fabric and experience leaks. Applying soft top protectants on a regular basis will extend the life of the top and prevent an early onset of leaks. The protectants are going to assist with the functionality as well as the look of the tops by safeguarding them from rain, UV rays, mildew and heat.
Garage Your Jeep Whenever Possible
This next topic may seem like a no-brainer, but because of the free-wheeling mindset of the Jeep owner, sometimes it goes unmentioned. Two of the best ways to protect your Jeep soft top is to garage your vehicle. By garaging your Jeep, you are reducing the exposure to the elements. This does not mean that you can skip the soft top maintenance, but it does mean that you are buying time. Keep in mind, whenever possible, even if you don't have a home garage, you can garage your Jeep at the mall, the doctor’s office, or work. When you are out, take a few minutes to look around before you park and see if the facility offers garage parking.
Cleaning Your Soft Top
The most crucial factor is to purchase the best cleaner for your Jeep soft top. Also, take some time to read the instructions and follow them closely. Many trusted brands to think about are Mopar soft top cleaner Bestop, and RaggTop. These brands offer the products you need: Cleaner, Protectant, Polisher and Oil.When purchasing your soft top maintenance products, remember that these are brands that have been around a long time, and they know through testing how to keep your top in great shape.
Products
Bestop is a long-standing brand that makes Jeep soft tops, Bikini Tops, Safari Tops Windjammer and Duster Combos. Since they make soft tops, they understand the necessary upkeep. They offer a Cleaner and Protectant Combo Pack that includes everything you need for your Jeep soft top, and a Cleaner, Protectant and Polisher for your windows. You will still need to purchase a Zipper Cleaner/Lubricant. Raggop offers a Pack with Cleaner and Protectant, but you will still need to purchase the Window Polisher and the Zipper Cleaner/Lubricant. Mopar has the best Zipper Cleaner and Oil product for your Jeep soft top. The Cleaner/Lubricant works on all types of zippers, both plastic and metal. The bottle has a special brush that lets you remove dirt and deposits lodged in the zipper channel & applies the oil as well. Don't Forget Your Zippers!
Soft Top Cleaning Steps
Because your Jeep soft top looks like canvas it doesn't mean it is, right? We discussed this earlier so don't tidy your soft top with regular household products. Never use Bleach, Detergents, Ammonia or Alcohol based products. These products will deteriorate your top & reduce the quality & lifespan of the soft top. Wash your soft top at least one time a month, or when you notice dust or dirt collecting. Make sure the shampoo/cleaner you use does not contain oils. Oil will act as a dust magnet. Stick to the trusted soft top cleaners and it will remain protected. Use a soft bristle brush to get grime & dirt loose from the surface. Make sure you thoroughly rinse all residue away to ensure the life of the soft top. When cleaning the windows, wipe from them left to right or up and down so that you don't scratch the surface. Make sure you rinse the windows thoroughly. Apply soft top Protectant, and do this in the shade so that the Protectant doesn't dry out, allowing you the time you need to spread it around. Apply it in a circular or crisscross motion. When applying the cleaner to the Windows, make sure you use a soft terry cloth or a cotton rag, and apply the cleaner inside and out.
You made an investment on your Jeep soft top, Bikini Top, Safari Top or Windjammer Duster Combo, so you need to protect it. Make sure you get the industry trusted products from Bestop, RaggTop & Mopar, follow the instructions, and keep a maintenance schedule.
