IamA Certified La-Z-Boy/Ashley furniture technician and professional auto detailer/paint restoration tech AMA about furniture or taking care of your car's paint and interior!

We bought a “high end” LaZBoy recliner with the electrical remote control about 6 years ago - spent about $1,500 for the recliner! The sales person told us the recliner had a lifetime warranty and the remote had a 5 year warranty.

Two times in the last year, the foot rest bracing “broke”. First time we had LaZBoy send someone to repair it and I believe my husband was told the mechanical parts were not under warranty. We paid a pretty price to get it fixed. Since this last time the foot rest bracing has broken, we just haven’t been able to justify spending the cost to have it fixed again.

Are there any YouTube videos you could recommend so that we might be able to fix the bracing ourselves. Also, do you have a recommendation on where we might be able to purchase the parts?

Never buying from LaZBoy again!!

Thanks for any suggestions!

Mechanics, frame, and electronics are covered for lifetime but after a certain time they charge you for labor. When you say the footrest bracing, are you talking about the wooden board inside that you actually rest your feet on, or a mechanical piece?

Parts are often available online, the tricky part is knowing exactly what you're searching for, they have weird names for stuff. If you can send me a picture of the part I can either tell you off hand or look it up in a schematic. Videos might be available depending how common the issue is, but I might be able to help you there, too.

Definitely wouldn't recommend purchasing from them, or Ashley for that matter. They definitely don't make them like they used to. Macy's and JCPenny are decent as far as service goes. If they don't have the part they'll exchange the whole damn piece.

I have a lazboy recliner from the early 80s. The leg rest has all its padding worn down, so my ankle basically rests on the edge of a wooden board. I usually just put a pillow on it. Any advice for how I could fix?

There are 4 bolts holding the legrest board on, they are T25 (torx) (If you have the extendable legrest, take the springs off so you can move the board back and forth and you'll see them). Take those bolts out and the whole board will come off the legrest arms. The upholstery is held on with staples around all the edges, pull those and the fabric will come off revealing the foam underneath. Supplement the foam with something from Jo-Ann fabrics or somewhere similar. You can afford to go a little crazy here because you won't need very much. Either add fill on top of the old foam or just replace the whole thing. Pick up a small bag of fiber filling (the stuff inside pillows) while you're there and use small amounts to fine-tune the amount of padding you need where the foam will not reach. Staple it back together and put the bolts back in. You can use a regular hand-held stapler as long as it's a decent one (the metal ones are best, but I've used a plastic Arrow stapler before in a pinch).

Which paint color do you hate?

My husband paints cars and we talk about the ones that are a pain in the ass to match.

Black: Hardest to clean, shows literally all imperfections, heats up like crazy and must be cleaned and waxed miles away from the sun, looks the best when done right but gets dirty if you blink too hard near it.

White: Shows tons of dirt and no matter how hard you polish it it almost never gets shiny outside of rare colors that are extremely glossy.

My husband paints cars and we talk about the ones that are a pain in the ass to match.

Every painter I've talked to says white. There's 38429342 different shades and for whatever reason white pops like crazy when it's "wrong".

Any recommendations for a colour that's good?

Silver. Metallic silver. It hides flaws, it takes forever to look really dirty, it's easy to polish, and it can still be reflective and shiny when it's polished.

And impossible for other drivers to see in fog or other low lighr conditions.

It's a little better than white

Thank you for your earlier hot tip on upholstery. This is my other question. Windshield: Interior and exterior. I notice that my co workers car (we carpool) which is a few years newer has better visibility than mine. I have a 14 year old sedan, and no matter how much I clean it interior or exterior I feel my windshield is a tad bit muggy, easily fogs and such. And when it fogs and I wipe, its almost greasy.

My co workers windshiled does not have the same issue and I dont know if its the age of my windshield or a newer type of glass making other more clearer than mine.

Any products or tips to recommend? Im due soon for some light detailing and I also suffer from yellowing/whitening of headlights. Its pretty bad at this point I need to add this to my mechanic list of to do's

Windshields are the devil and are probably the hardest thing to clean perfectly in a car. First off I recommend using a nice ethanol-based cleaner as it will cut through grease well. Most of the aerosol foaming stuff you get in a can is ethanol based but look at the label to be sure, they usually specify. Don't use Windex or anything with ammonia.

Use terry towels or newspaper (yes this actually works) or anything except microfibers, they smear.

Give the outside a good go over with some 00 steel wool and lots of glass cleaner. This will pull off any residues, bugs, tar, or other coatings.

But if the car is old and is driven a lot the glass may simply be oxidizing. Wind and rocks and road grit take a toll after a while and there's only so much you can do.

I also suffer from yellowing/whitening of headlights.

Be careful with this. Make sure to ask them what their process is. If they don't specify that they add a UV coating after they are done, walk away. Your headlight will be yellow again in a month. You have to properly seal and protect the lenses after you sand the oxidation off or the problem will return. Don't ask them if they seal, because they'll just say yes. Ask for a rundown on their process.

So how many times have you gone out to a customers house and fixed an Ashley sofa that has a busted wooden frame?

Plenty. It's always the rail in the back at the bottom of the back cushions. Relatively easy fix, just flip the couch over, pull the staples in the corner of the dust cover, find the broken board, and glue and brace it back together with a new board. Staple it up and move on.

La-Z-Boys do the same thing. The frames are held together with nothing but 2" long staples, there is no actual joinery in these couches. If you "plop" down or move the couch wrong or twist it you'll snap the boards in half or pull the staples out.

What surprises you the most about your job?

Tell me more about the scam artistry, can I get some examples?

What surprises you the most about your job?

Furniture: How much furniture is marked up, how all manufacturers build in pretty much the same way, just how shitty things are built even if you spend thousands of dollars, how entitled human beings can be, how many cats is "too many cats" ( I did in-home service).

Cars: How shitty factory paint jobs have become even on high end brands, how much a person can neglect something they spend so much time in, how disgusting children can be, how entitled humans are, just how much punishment some cars can take and still come out looking new, how many kids is "too many kids".

As for the scams, it's mostly just markup. You can spend $9000 on a power sofa set from La-Z-Boy and it still uses the same bullshit OSB frame that the $400 recliners use. Detailing can be a scam because people will assure you you need this $2000 ceramic coating on your Honda Civic or they simply have ridiculous labor prices. I've seen people charging upwards of $400+ for a detail on a sedan. That's criminal unless they're pulling off engine bolts and polishing them.

Re your cars response:

I'm glad I'm not crazy in noticing this. I first noticed how terribly orange peeled brand new Chevy's and Dodges were a few years ago. Now even Cadillac's have some of the worst 'new' paint i've ever seen.

I've seen $100,000 AMG Mercedes roll right off the truck and onto the lot with orange peel that looks like it came out of Maaco.

I have a sofa that doesn't have removable cushions. They're stitched into the back and only have the leather covering on the top and front. They do flip up, but I can't seem to find any sort of a zipper on them.

The problem is that the foam seems to be wearing out and sagging. Is there any way to replace the foam in these cushions that would make sense financially over just buying a new sofa?

For most sofas with sewed-in cushions the only way to access the foam is to open the bottom of the dust cover. Sometimes there is an opening inside the sofa you can get to to access the foam, but sometimes it's sewn shut. Either way it won't be easy to get to and trying to replace the foam is going to be a task.

Might be time for a new couch.

Do you put pineapple on your pizza?

I do not but I respect your right to. I just don't like pineapple at all.

I have a sand colored leather seats (BMW) in my car. They have gotten a greenish tint on the front part of the seat . I think this is from car pooling / driving my son’s friends after soccer games. (Read: sweat). I’ve cleaned it using leather cleaners/conditioners and have gotten most of it out, but can’t seem to get rid of all it. Any tips other than keeping them off the seats?

A gentle degreaser (mean green, etc.) diluted to 25% or less and a soft scrub pad will most likely take it off. Worst case, gently going over it with a wet magic eraser should take care of it. Condition regularly (once a month at least) and the seats will be easier to clean.

Do you have certain brands of cars that you look forward to detailing? If so which ones/why? Also which ones do you hate detailing and why?

I like expensive cars. They use better materials and are almost always easier to clean even when neglected. One of my favorite cars to clean is probably BMW. The carpets are nice (velcro floormats are still stupid), the plastic doesn't wear over time, the paint is a nice middle ground between hard and soft so it doesn't scratch like crazy and is easy to correct, and aside from their reliability issues they generally feel good in the hands from a pure material standpoint. You really do get what you pay for in terms of materials when it comes to interiors most of the time. A Chevy will always have shittier carpet than a BMW, and shitty carpet is always harder to clean.

That said, Maserati is dog-shit especially now that they're owned by Fiat/Dodge and I wouldn't touch one with a ten foot pole. Buy a high end BMW/Mercedes/Audi with a nice warranty or a Tesla or something else. You don't want a $100,000 car that shares parts with a Dodge Dart and Caravan.

I hate detailing big cars. There's nothing more tedious than buffing a van because the huge flat panels will almost invariably show a flaw somewhere and you end up chasing your tail. I hate cleaning especially cheap cars (Chevy, Dodge) especially when they are old because the carpets and seats are made of terrible material and it doesn't clean easily or wear well.

I have a leather couch that has some scratches in it from my dog having decided suddenly to jump up and run away. It's not some super high-end couch, but I don't think it is bonded leather either. The scratches don't reveal anything underneath, but have affected the texture, as in they are a series of nicks in each scratch. What is your recommendation for how to repair these?

If you haven't actually split the material open and they are surface scratches you might get away with a nice conditioner. If there is actual damage past the surface you'll want to get a filler. There are tons of kits like this, they usually come with a filler and some basic pigments. Try to find one without the pigments as the fillers in this kit probably dry white and need to be dyed. You're just trying to seal the scratches. Depending what kind of filler it is you might need to heat it with a hair dryer. Then you just smooth the surface and try to get the coating as thin as possible so that it blends with the material around it. It should dry clear (try to find one that does, the ones you have to heat almost always do). If it dries a little too shiny you can carefully rough it up with a little steel wool to dull it.

Awesome. If you're OK with it, I can DM you pics of the scratches when I get home tonight and get your opinion on whether I need filler or not. Let me know.

Sure thing, just send them to this account and I'll take a look

We have a really nice vinyl and leather chair that was drawn over with a ballpen by a toddler. The chair color is light so the pen scribble stands out.

Tried good gone and goof off- no result. Alcohol barely faded it. Any product you can recommend?

Hm, that's a tough one if you've already tried alcohol. Which % did you use? You could try a higher concentration (90%+), but you run the risk of fading the leather pigment.

Mohawk makes an Ink Remover pen that I used to keep in my kit but it's mostly effective on fresh marks. If the mark has been there some time and you've already treated it you may not see success.

If you are careful, you may see some luck with a Magic Eraser. There's no actual chemicals in them, they're just very fine abrasive sponges. Get it nice and wet and lightly go over the marks and see if they fade. Keep in mind you are essentially sanding the leather here and if you are too aggressive or rub for too long you will rub the pigment completely off. That said, I use magic erasers on leather very often and it is usually quite effective.

But, stains get harder with age, so you may not see much success at all.

We use Mohawk as well and I think i know which ink remover pen that is. Sadly they were out of stock last I checked. Ill try it again. And yes, the ink is no longer fresh.

Used Magic eraser, scratched a bit of the vinyls in the process so lesson learned. Looks like we need to call a professional upholster to do a fix :(

Looks like we need to call a professional upholster to do a fix :(

Hot tip: Look around on your local facebook pages and find someone who does leather car seat repairs. There's usually mobile guys who do work for pretty damn cheap because it's not actually really hard to do if you have the right tools and basic color theory. You could probably get it re-dyed over the marks for less than $200 because I've seen them do two whole car seats for that much.

Should I pay extra for the Ashley fabric protection policy? I’m looking at a light color and have pets. How many times will they service the same piece on a contract?

Look at the terms. If it covers accidental damage it's worth the extra cost most of the time as the manufacturer warranty is usually 1 year for fabric. They will service as many times as you call but they have discretion.

How do you clean those stupid microfiber cloth sofas? They're a dirt magnet.

Folex spray (home Depot) for stains and lint brushes for lint. The red ones your grandma used to have.

I took home some burgers from a BBQ and the juice leaked all through the passenger seat to the floor of the car. I tried to get most of it out with a Rug Doctor. That was several months ago but I can still smell some of it on the seat and I'm willing to bet the foam is stained as well.

What would you recommend I do to get rid of the smell/stains?

Hot water extraction. Then a thorough drying. You've got rancid fats in your foam and you have to break them down and get them out. That smell will never go away.
Any decent detail shop should have a nice big hot water extractor. If they put enough water through the foam and dry it really well it should clear right up. If you want to do it yourself find a nice bioenzymatic cleaner at the store, it'll probably be marketed as something for pets. You want something with enzymes to break down the fat . Combine with liberal hot water, scrub it in, mop it out, put the floor heaters on and close up the car for an hour.

Who makes the best recliner armchair now? I want to buy one but apparently Lazyboy is shit. Willing to pay for quality, i want a nice comfortable one that will last 20+ years.

Find a local company that makes furniture. All mass market furniture is bad.

We just bought a La Z Boy rocker recliner to use as a nursery chair. In the store My 5 foot self was able to sit and rock with my feet touching the floor, at home the chair sits so reclined I can’t touch the floor at all. I can’t even use it and totally regret our purchase. Is there a way to adjust the angle of a rocker recliner when it’s in a stationary position?

The base can be moved back or forward to adjust the center of gravity which will change the resting angle. Call customer care, this is warranty.

The clear coat on my car is starting to come off on the A-pillar. What can I do to stop it from progressing further?

Polish and seal. You'll want to burn off the bad clear and then seal it. If the car is old and you don't care much just grab a can of automotive clear coat and give it a quick shot after you polish.

Do you live near the Lay-Z-Boy global headquarters?

I'm not entirely sure where it is. I believe the furniture is built out of Michigan.

Monroe, MI

Sales? Or just a fan of the brand?

who makes the best mass market furniture?

It's all generally the same. Buy a cheap la z boy and use it til it breaks outside the warranty and they want labor. Jcpenny and Macy's have good service but the materials are all generally similar.

I'm not sure what kind of chair it is but I have a corduroy pattern chair that the arms are leaning outward from my son sitting in it with his legs over the arms. Is there a simple fix for this or would it best to just get a new chair?

Edit: I just remembered there's also a low spot at the top of the legrest in the middle where the padding has worn down.

Depends who made it and how the arms are attached. If the arms are bolted on like a La-Z-Boy, you might be able to tighten them back down. If the arms are stapled on, you're SOL. You could try banging the joints back together or even re-stapling but it won't be easy and you'll likely end up un-upholstering your couch in the process.

Howdy, I hope I'm not too late, what is the best way to remove snow from a car without scratching the paint? Thanks in advance

Time.

Barring that possibility, a nice soft brush. Don't use a scraper. Buy a snow broom if you get snow a lot.

Not much you can do though at the end of the day you're rubbing ice against your paint. Just try to minimize scraping.

I'm thinking about getting a new bed. I've been looking at these Ashley memory foam mattresses. Are they good quality? Worth the price?

Ashley doesn't actually manufacture mattresses as far as I know. It's likely a Serta or a Sealy or a Sterns (which is owned by serta now anyway I believe). If they do manufacture it, walk away. The "popular" brands are all pretty safe, the Beautyrest series is garbage though.

Almost all mattresses come with a 10 year warranty. For most memory foams the manufacturer allows for a 0.75" contour before it is labeled defective so if you start noticing excessive contours after a few months or even a couple years you can call and have it inspected. I've replaced a lot of mattresses.

In regard to purchasing furniture, I have been told Ashley manufacturing makes almost all furniture just under different brands. We have had some great furniture from Ashley but are looking for the next step up. Not sure where to go that isn’t just a mark up due to brand. I.e. pottery barn, Ethan Allen, restoration hardware, etc. That is just my assumption on those brands.

So the question is, what furniture brand/manufacturer would you recommend as a step up from Ashley?

Ashley does let other companies label their stuff. If you truly want quality I honestly recommend seeing if there's any local makers anywhere close to you. People still build furniture and it can be priced comparably to Ashley's high end especially if they have prebuilt pieces.

If you have to go to a store places like Bloomingdale's or Macy's sell decent quality with good service.

I have scratches on my car but can't afford to repaint. Can you sand and spraypaint a car? Will it hold up for any period of time? What's the easiest way for a poor man to paint a silver car?

If the scratches aren't through the paint (can you see sheet metal?), a nice wet sand and then compound and buff will take care of most of it.

If you really want to you can definitely sand and shoot your own car. Try to do it indoors and try to do it when it's not too hot or too cold or too humid (now you know why we paint in booths!). Prep the surface really well and get some nice paint that's made for outdoor use (tractor paint is hard as shit and will be incredibly durable). Lay down some primer, lay down a couple base coats, put down some clear. You can probably do it yourself for a couple hundred bucks in materials. If you prep your surfaces well and seal it with a good clear it will last. Might not be pretty because you're going to have runs and orange peel, but a nice sand job after you paint will correct a lot of your mistakes.

Awesome. This would require a paint gun, yes? What's a good primer / clear and prepping = sanding? If you don't want to explain I can youtube it.

Paint gun is always the best choice but they do make aerosol paint you can use. You will just have more running and overspray. Prepping is sanding and primer and clear is going to depend on your budget. Couldn't recommend any brand specifically because the only automotive paint I deal with comes from professional companies like PPG.

I’ll make a post on the auto detailing Reddit in the future but wanted some help with my car paint.

Have a relatively new model 3 that I’ve been trying to take care of. I’ve been good about minimizing swirls. I do have rock chips and I’ve been filling them in with touch up paint and clear coat. Two particular chips on the hood were large and close to each other and I got a little crazy with the touch up paint and clear coat so there’s a little raised spot about the size of 2 quarters.

My plan was to wait until after the winter to correct everything without buying too much new equipment. I usually use turtle wax seal and shine and the ice spray wax on top.

Dawn dish soap wash Iron remover Another dawn wash IPA wipe down Would that get the wax and sealant off? It would be about 4 months after application of the seal and shine.

Then try to tackle the raised clear coat. Mask off the area and wet sand with 1000-5000 grit sandpaper with ipa wipe down in between. The haze scares me and don’t want to get a orbital polisher. I have this trinova swirl remover that seems to work well on small things. Do you think that would work to get the haze out?

Once everything is off, I was going to try a ceramic coat. Thinking about cquartz 3.0 and possibly gliss.

Dawn dish soap wash Iron remover Another dawn wash IPA wipe down Would that get the wax and sealant off? It would be about 4 months after application of the seal and shine.

IPA wash should strip the sealer off

Then try to tackle the raised clear coat. Mask off the area and wet sand with 1000-5000 grit sandpaper with ipa wipe down in between. The haze scares me and don’t want to get a orbital polisher. I have this trinova swirl remover that seems to work well on small things. Do you think that would work to get the haze out?

Do you have an orbital sander? They make buffer pads for them, cheaper than an orbital buffer if you don't polish much.

Worst case, get as nice handle to hold small buffer pads, they make tons of handheld buffers. It's just a velcro pad with a handle that holds pads. If you're REALLY averse to buying stuff you can buff with a microfiber, you'll just be tired by the end because you need to build up pretty decent friction to compound right. "Swirl removers" are usually just fine polish and sometimes some fillers, so it would probably do okay, but not good enough to take out sanding scratches. If you sand, pick up some actual compound and polish. I recommend Meguiars 105 and 205 or 3M Perfect-It.

Once everything is off, I was going to try a ceramic coat. Thinking about cquartz 3.0 and possibly gliss.

Not a bad idea. If you are going to apply yourself you have no choice but to buy an orbital. You must compound and polish THE WHOLE CAR before you apply ceramic as the surface must be as perfect as possible in order for it to bind correctly. If you go somewhere make sure you go somewhere that has a good reputation for coatings already as it's easy to fuck it up and it's not easy to correct and you don't want to take it back 3 times to get it spot buffed and re-coated.

So I’ll pick up some compound and polish since I’ll use it sooner or later but still try by hand for now.

Dawn wash Iron remover Clay bar with onr Compound Polish

When should I wet sand? Before everything? Just before compound and polish?

Thanks for the in depth response.

Sand before compound

I have a Jeep Wrangler and I have not cleaned up my dog's drool on the inside plastic door panel for some time. Any suggestion on how best to clean/polish the panel?

Dilute some Mean Green to 50% to clean it and then use the trim restorer of your choice. I like Mother's Back to Black.

How is the quality of furniture from crate and barrel vs lazboy or ashley? Do I enjoy my couch and other furniture more just because I paid more for it from stores like C&B?

Depends. C&b actually sells some Ashley stuff if I remember right.

I live small because I don't make alot, yet all the space saving, multifunctional furniture I find is super expensive. I am quite handy and a friend of mine is too as we did alot of renovating in his house together but the main thing I would need is some metal work which I can't do myself. Is that what makes the furniture so expensive?

No branding is what makes furniture so expensive. Being able to have a custom fabric couch in less than 2 weeks ship across the country is what makes it expensive.

It's fiberboard and pot metal. If you have the know-how you could easily build this furniture for a quarter of the cost. The upholstering is where you're going to hit a brick wall.

Yeah, I the couch and stuff I can just order. I am trying to find an affordable murphy bed and a coffee table that turns into a small dining table. I've found both, quite simple but the table is 1600 bucks and murphy beds seem to start at 2000 ish.

While a regular bedframe or table shouldn't set you back more than 300-500 a piece..

Yeah but anytime you start adding mechanics to things the price starts going up dramatically

Still 1500 bucks for a spring and a couple or axles

Yup. Because they've designed them to work exactly. Markup is a cold bastard.

Mazda rx8 owner here, passenger airbag lid cracked due to sunlight (common problem). I'm thinking of sandpapering it, putting some plastic paste and spray painting it with UV protection paint? Any better advice?

If the cover is plastic that should work just fine. Might not end up the prettiest solution depending on your skills but should be functional.

Ok, totally weird question, but: is there a way to get pig bristles out of carpet? We have a pet potbelly, and while I have resigned myself to just buying new area rugs annually, you may have more insight into this.

(We currently have a Shark Navigator Duoclean, but have also had a Dyson Animal. The best results come from tediously going over every inch with a rubber broom, but even this is only 75% effective at best.)

I have absolutely no advice for this lol. A Sticky Buddy maybe?

What timing! I'm in the market for a sofa, preferably leather. What should I be looking for and how much should I expect to pay?

Flip the couch. See what the frame is made of. If it look like plywood, walk away.

Stay away from Ashley the service is ass and the delivery sucks.

Macy's, jcpenny, Bloomingdale's is good.

Price varies widely. You'll pay anywhere from 400-4000.

Hello! I’m planning to repaint some bar stools that are, originally, white faux leather. The previous owner tried to correct some paint wear on the edges (sort of looks like a rolled seam) but the paint she used feels tacky months later and comes off on your clothes when you sit on them. I’ve bought some acetone to prep them and plan on using acrylic paint. Am I on the right track or were these ruined when I bought them? Thanks for the really interesting AMA!

Acetone should strip off the paint but it's also going to dry and damage the actual material which isn't too much of a concern if you're going to re-dye.
Acrylic paint will chip off. Find actual dye, they sell it at any fabric store like Jo-Anns. It's probably just vinyl or PVC on the stool, both of which can be dyed.

Thank you so much for your reply! If I may ask one more question, are there any brands that you would recommend? Thanks so much again!

Fiebings

How do you get the smell of cat pee out of a fake leather couch? The cushions are stitched together into the couch so I’m not able to wash them. Had a cat that was very jealous of my newborn and peed everywhere that had his scent. Couch was brand new...now I’m debating whether or not to get a new one or just try to clean this one. Nothing I’ve tried has worked so far with removing the smell.

Oof that's a thought one. If it was a spot I'd say hot water extract with an enzyme. If he's pissed all over it though it might be a lost cause. Cat piss is one of the hardest smells to remove.

I just bought a car that had peeling paint and rust on the hood. This was a dealership so they offered to have their "touch-up guy" fix it. Her swore that her removed and treated the rust, but it literally looked like he just put glorified white-out over the rust.

I don't know enough to call him out on it, so so you know if there's a way to tell if the rust was really treated without scratching the touch-up paint off?

TIA

If you can see rust around the edges of the touch up spots it wasn't treated but other than that you're not going to know until you scrape off the paint. If he didn't treat the rush that touch up paint is eventually going to flake off anyway so you're going to find out one way or another.

Hi! The wife and I bought some La-Z-Boys from a retail store a few years ago. We damaged the frame in a move and now one of two recliners won’t open right. Would you recommend I work with La-Z-Boy to get this couch fixed or find a 3rd party furniture repair shop? We bought them direct from La-Z-Boy. Thanks!

Call la z boy. Frame and mechanics is lifetime. Worst case you'll pay ~$200 in labor.

So two things; 1. I’m a home health aide and provide services to individuals with developmental disabilities. I spend my day taking them out into the community to socialize and interact with people. This requires me to use my vehicle, and occasionally my clients have accidents, so the upholstery has been soiled with urine. I drive a 2018 Chevy Cruze. What cleaning products do you recommend to properly disinfect the seat? I’ve used borax on it the first couple times and now there’s a spot on my seat that’s white. What could I use to treat stains on a car seat?

1. Got a roommate with a cat. Scratched back of leather couch, and on the arms of the couch. Scratch marks everywhere!!!! Same with arm chair, which is also leather. What can I do for that?

Car seat: if it's fabric, use Folex or a nice bio enzyme (pet spot cleaner)

Chair: leather filler of the material is split, conditioner if it's surface scratches

when we bought our la-z-boy recliner, it came with something like a "lifetime cleaning service" (I think?)

can I really just call now, 8 years later, and someone will come clean it?

Possible. They have so many different warranties it's hard to tell. Wouldn't hurt to call customer care, they can tell you for sure.

Is there any particular couch brand you would trust to purchase?

Big brands? Macy's. Service is great and the furniture itself is decent for mass market.

TBF though almost all furniture is a nightmare. It's all cheap, the delivery is always ass, and the prices are all too high. Look for a company that has good customer service, you'll be talking to them at some point.

What is the best way to remove a large spot from the fabric of a recliner headrest? It was most likely caused by repeated contact with hair product.

Folex. Home depot or Lowes. Spray it on, scrub it lightly, wipe it out.

I had to do a DIY fix on a scratch spot and a rust spot for my car.

I followed some videos online, but the new paint/coats are now very distinct and obvious. I would say it looks likr an extra thick piece of tape layered on the car.

Any advice on how to fix this? If I put less layers of paint, the colour isn't fully there.

If the color matches and you just have a raised spot, you can wet sand and compound it level. Touch up paint is very hard to get "right" though.

My 4 year old car’s paint is fading, looks like it has tons of tiny scratches all over the hood, trunk, and top of the car (side panels and doors are fine though) any idea why it’s doing this and how to fix it? I had it waxed and that did nothing to help. (I live in FL if that matters and it’s dark blue)

Sounds like automatic car washes. The car washes with bristles will scratch the hell out of your paint because they're full of other people's dirt. Find a "touchless" wash.

If that's not what's happening I'm not sure. Either way you can fix the damage with a nice rubbing compound and polish.

Is anything from Ashley's furniture worth buying or is it all Chinese-made mdf crap? What about La-Z-Boy, how reliable is their furniture?

I think it's built here, I know la z boy is. Still osb crap though. Ashley's service sucks, la z boy at least has decent warranties. They have severe design flaws though (plastic drive pieces attached to actuators, bad welds, failing foam). If you're looking for quality find a builder.

What is the best leather conditioner?

So many products have junk in them(Armor All, etc) that I know can damage upholstery instead of protect. I've been looking for something with UV protection for two cars with leather and vinyl interior bits.

Yeah definitely avoid armor all for anything.

Leather Honey is good, Chemical Guys makes a nice one too.

I missed the live AMA but I hope you can still answer! I have a cream colored Ashley couch, it was sprayed with whatever that stain protector spray is... but when stuff spills, I can't seem to get it clean. How does one wash upholstery when it's glued to the foam inside!?

Folex is what I use to clean all fabric. If it's deep in the foam you'll want to get it hot water extracted.

It's sadly just in the fabric but now there's a ring from where we tried to clean... it's just a mess.

I've used Folex for years in my house and car. Works great. Brush it out and massage the edges with dry rags and you shouldn't get rings.

I accidentally scratched my car door with a lamp post (didn't spot it while driving out of parking lot). The paint chipped off. What should I do to prevent rusting? And it is a bit dented, is it possible to fix it without driving to car service?

The paint chipped off. What should I do to prevent rusting?

Look up your paint code, it should be on the little plate on your door that tells you what year your car was made, every manufacturer is different as far as where the code is or what it looks like so you might need to google. Go to Autozone and see if they have the paint, if not your dealer will. A touch up pen will be about 20 bucks. It has the color and the clear coat. Sand and clean the scratch a bit, put some color down, let it dry, clear coat.

Or if you don't care about the scratch and just don't want it to rust, just clean it up and hit it with a little clear coat.

it is a bit dented, is it possible to fix it without driving to car service?

Maybe. They sell dent kits online. They come with suction cups of varying sizes. You pick the one closest to the size of the dent, glue it on, attach a handle to the back of the cup, and pull the dent out.

PDR on a single dent would probably cost you less than $100, see what local shops are around.

I'm kind of an idiot and I did this but it is raised? Is there anything I can do?

Heat it gently and try to massage it smooth. Raised spots are trickier than dents.

Can I buy the biggest cheapest lazy boy recliner and have it reupholstered in leather?

Physically, yes.

Financially ,you'll end up spending more than you would have to just get it in leather from the store. Almost any chair can be had in almost any fabric or leather. You might have to order and wait, but they do tons of custom stuff.

I asked about the leather option and I was told that it only came in fabric and handed me a big book of fabric squares that is why I asked about the leather upholstery

Ah, I see. Then yeah, you could have it reupholstered but it would cost you quite a bit, definitely more than just upgrading to a model that comes in leather.

It is a common thing where I live to not drive trough a car wash for the first four weeks of owning in order for the paint to harden? Is that actually true?

Paint does take about 90 days to harden but unless you custom order a new car it's already been sitting on the lot for more than 90 days. You're actually safe to hand wash after a few weeks you just can't wax for about 90 days because the wax stops the paint from off gassing.

Then my next question. What do you think of lotus effect spray mixes for your exterior?

I assume you're talking about a ceramic coating? Sometimes called a nanocoating?
If so they're great on the right car and when applied correctly. Best on a new car or newer paint. Can definitely protect better than wax and last longer and make dark colors pop. But nowhere near idiot proof.

I dont know the exact term, its just something you can book additionally at my car wash, that helps water run of your vehicle

Yeah it's most likely a "quick ceramic" that lasts a couple months. Basically fancy wax. Could be worth it depends on the cost.

My steering wheel gets this weird gunk on it, in what seems to be the less used areas of the wheel. If I wet a paper towel and rub it, the gunk comes off blue. Do you have any idea what this is and if so, should I leave it on or clean it off?

Hmm that's a new one. What color is the steering wheel?

It’s black ?leather” from a Prius. It seems to accumulate where my hands don’t touch, and the area left behind is smoother than the rest of the wheel.

Is this something that just happens with steering wheels over time?

Thanks for the interest and reply

That's very bizarre that it is accumulating grime where your hands are not. It sounds like the leather itself is breaking down or something I wouldn't really know too much without looking at it because the grime usually builds up where your hands are.

Got a 2011 Hyndai Sonata, on the Steering wheel there are some buttons and the paint around them (On the steering wheel not the buttons) is peeling away. How can I repair this?

You don't. Aside from getting you hands on some paint and trying to match there's not much you can do. Chevy's do the same thing with the button on top of the gear lever. The paint just chips away.

Do you know if you can adjust the recliner tension on ashley recliners? I bought one and it reclines too easily. Cant find any knobs or nuts or anything to tighten. Thanks in advance!

On most, no. La z boy has an adjustable spring but most Ashley recliners are non adjustable. You could pull off the main recliner spring and stretch it out because thats what puts all the tension on the mech to open it.

I have a la-z-boy from 1980s.it was my grandpa it always eats change was it designed for that?

Yes. That's the gremlin tax.

I’ve got an old school Mercedes Benz. Being over 30 years old (only ~100,000 miles, tho) I’m starting to see some rust spots develop on the paint. They’re still small, so I’d like to deal with them before they become a problem. What’s my best course of action here? DIY or take it to a professional?

Are they tiny little red dots? If so, that's iron deposits (usually from trains). They make specific products to remove iron, should be able to find it at AutoZone.

Otherwise, polish and wax. You could clean iron yourself, polishing might need a pro.

The color has faded (or warn off) on my dark brown leather recliners. I have tried lotion and conditioners. What do you suggest using to get the color back or stain it again?

If the dye is failing you must re dye. There are mohawk leather kits online or you can try to find a local guy who does leather repair. Might look at guys who do car seats cause they're cheaper. Leather is leather.

I backed into a dumpster with my new car and cracked the paint on the bumper. I don’t think the plastic is cracked under it, but the paint crack is about 10 inches long. What’s the process to fix something like that? Do I have to have the whole bumper repainted?

Depends how deep the crack is. If you've cracked the entire paint layer, the only thing that might fix it is wet sanding and buffing and even that will be a dice throw.

Your thoughts on NFM (Nebraska Furniture Mart) if you've had a chance to experience them or know someone who does?

We picked almost quite literally the last couch on their massive display floor for the requirements we were looking for (reclining, and a certain color palate). We're mostly still satisfied, but holy shit could things be better...

Don't get me started on the platform bed set I ordered then cancelled after it was backordered - three times, then when I asked "so when should it show up now?" after 4 months they didn't have an answer, so I cancelled.

No experience. I mostly dealt with la z boy, Macy's, Ashley, and jcpenny. Seems there's crap everywhere!