How long does it take to clean and proof a hood?
Quick answer: Professionally, a clean and weatherproof is usually done within a day. We shampoo, scrub and rinse repeatedly until the water runs clear, then the hood must be bone dry before coating. Drying varies with weather--about 30 minutes in summer with fans and air lines, a few hours in winter. Allow the coating to dry before using the car. DIY can take several days.
The job has two stages: cleaning until the rinse water is clear, and applying a weatherproof coating to a bone-dry soft-top. With our kit we turn that around in a day. DIY is a multi-day project.
How long the cleaning stage takes
It depends on how dirty the roof is and how thorough you are. When we clean a roof, we keep going until the suds stay bright white and the rinse water runs crystal clear. On a very dirty roof that can mean shampooing, scrubbing and rinsing six times over. We are also using machines that speed the process up considerably.
A well-maintained roof that is cleaned regularly may only need two passes. Two is the minimum we recommend.
Why the hood must be bone dry before coating
The next stage is applying a waterproof coating. Water and weatherproofing don't mix. Any moisture trapped in the fabric will stop the coating adhering, so the fabric roof has to be bone dry first.
How long drying takes
Drying time depends on temperature and humidity. In summer we can dry a soft top in half an hour, using air lines to blow the excess water out and parking the hood under a fan. In winter, with high humidity, the same job can take a few hours even for us.
Letting the coating cure
Once the weatherproof coating is applied, give it time to dry before using the car. See our notes on cure time for what to avoid during that window.
Professional day versus DIY project
Our system and equipment lets us clean and weatherproof a hood inside a day. DIY takes far longer, and we recommend treating it as a project you run over several days rather than a single-afternoon chore. Better to take your time and do it properly. Running the car through an automated car wash first is not a useful shortcut -- car washes are not set up for fabric hoods and can strip weatherproofing without cleaning the weave.