Best substance to use to clean speaker grill cloth.

jlindsey86

Well-Known Member
My L-36's have brown clothed grills. When I first got them I vacumed the grills and went over them lightly with a damp cloth. Cleaned up nice but didnt do anything to the stains. Is there a good product to use that might take out a 30 year old stain and not damaged the brown cloth?
 
Try automotive upholstry cleaner. The stuff that sprays on as a foam and you brush it in. When it dries vacuum. I've used this lots of times with great results.
 
A lot depends on how much cleaning they need. You are a chain smoker or have cats treating the grilles as love objects, you can use something like Simple Green or Oxyclean. You are a pristine housekeeper in a climate- controlled space, some mild soap and water will do it. Just put them in the bathtub, plug the drain, and use the shower head. I've found with virtually every form of upholstery cleaning, the RINSING is as important as the cleaning. Many soaps act as dust magnets, and the cloth gets dirty much faster if it's not removed. Most of my grille frames are the fiberglass or plastic composite that would stand up to a lot of detergent. There are some great threads on here in which people talk about their choice solutions, and I bet you can find a technique that matches your grunge level (RIP, Kurt Cobain).
 
I asked about Advents and was told to be careful not to get the Masonite wet, as it will them warp.

Dynacos bleed an ugly black dye if you get them wet. Trust me, I know.
 
here's what I used with my KLH's, which also have the masonite "frame". See the link in my sig.

cleangrill.jpg
 
There was a thread a few weeks ago asking the same thing. You might look at all the answers there.

I will repeat my suggestion here. It's cloth, soap water, rinse! Maybe use a shop vac to remove the moisture.

You wash your clothes, don't you?

:banana::thmbsp: :banana::thmbsp: :banana: :thmbsp: :banana: :thmbsp:
 
If you can source an older can of "Energine" dry cleaning fluid, I'd highly recommend it. Unfortunately EPA pollution regs in the last few years basically banned the primary chemical ingredient. It used to be widely available in the cleaning solution section of most drug stores in a bronze colored can. If you do track some down be sure to use it in an extremely well ventilated area, and maybe consider aiming a fan at your work area so your inhalation is kept to a bare minimum.
PS - Amway used to sell a foaming carpet cleaner in a spray can which was quite good as well, without having the toxicity issues of the dry cleaning fluid. Also, Amway L.O.C. (made from coconut oil) is a sufuctant that helps soaps penetrate fabrics better and could be used in concert with any good soap for washing out the cloth.
 
I tried oxyclean powder dissolved in water (cool, not warm, to prevent shrinkage) on my AR grill cloth and it was slow going ... two cleanings yielded very little results although a good deal of crap seamed to be coming off onto the paper towel. I think I'll try the foam cleaners mentioned here - something stronger w/out too much moisture.
 
Lst summer I picked up a pair of KLH 23s(?) & a pair of Ohms from a thrift.The grills were NASTY dirty & they smelled bad.I filled my utility room washtub with a borderline hot,dish soap(apple scent,makes the music fruity!) mix & submerged.A bit of swishing & some lite brushing removed a TON of icky stuff.The water was...blech!

I was especially concerned that the cube grills on the Ohms would lose their shape & sag from the water but,with a vigorous amount of shaking-post rinse again w/lukewarm water-followed by a couple of hours in front of a fan,they turned out perfect.Tight & clean.

YMMV
 
Hey. I was looking for a link in your signature but couldn't find anything. I'm a newbie, so I'm prolly missing something. Anyway, I've got some stained Large Advents; your advice makes sense to be. Would you be kind enough to provide a link? Regards--Grifter
 
The original JBL L36 owner's manual recommended by name Texize K2R Spot Remover, for cleaning the L36 grill cloth. I used it on mine with good results.
 
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Watching thread as grill cloths on my Large Advents also have rust stains. It appears that they are from water dripping down or something.
Cleaning with soap water removed dirt but not those stains. :(

Edit: Not trying to threadcrap but want to share the same issue of stained grill cloth...
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Older thread, but I have Klipsch speakers with dark fabric and used Woolite carpet foam. Worked like a champ.
 
Tried carpet cleaner twice, vanish gel and simple washing powder. None of em cleaned my very stained cloths. Im buying new ones. Now picking out a replacement close to the original.
 
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