Reconditioning the leather interior

Luckily in the interior it did not get really hot except behind the dashboard. However unfortunately there was a lot of consequential damage because someone tried to help with a powder fire extinguisher.

Full leather interior with heated seats

First a quick recap. I had the whole interior redone with brown leather and implemented four heated seats. I also installed new brown door panels.

Impact of the fire

Already in Sweden I knew the impact of the fire extinguishing powder was significant. It was all over the car and interior since the doors were open when the extinguisher was used.

There was some good news as well. We had put a fleece plaid on the rear bench so that was not directly impacted.

How to clean fire extinguisher powder?

Once the car was back home I realized the leather was still good, but how could I clean it from the sticky powder?

I did some research online but could not find a good solution. Using your own vacuum cleaner is not a good idea since the dust will also end up in the motor and over time damage it. So I’d have to rent a specialized vacuum cleaner but still did not want to run risk to damage it and it might be too sticky.

Cleaning with water probably would not work out either since it probably would clot and only get worse.

Most often the solution I found was ‘take it to a specialized company’. So I did some further research and found Arepa.

AREPA is one of the world’s leading companies in damage assessment and equipment restoration. We have undertaken projects in more than 60 countries worldwide, and our representatives are always on 24-hour standby to reduce time lost and ensure business continuity.

I contacted them and they suggested to come over and have a look and discuss the possibilities.

Onsite assessment and test

It was a nice meeting and they suggested to give it a try. So they took the passenger seat cushion (the one with the most powder still on it).

Promising test result

Very quickly after that they shared a photo of the first results. It was amazing!

And they were even committed to cleaning and reconditioning it even further and more thoroughly.

So I took the remaining parts of the front seats out and dropped them off.

Amazing cleaning and reconditioning result!

The end result was just amazing!

They really took it to the next level. After thoroughly cleaning the leather, Arepa involved Dolmans who advised on and supported with treating the leather.

And they both offered to do this as a support / sponsoring the rebuild of my car. Thank you very much to both Arepa and Dolmans!!

It will still take a while before I can actually start using the seats again but I’ll take you for a ride in the Volvo once it is back on the street.