'99 Accord Sticky Center Console

I'm hoping you all can help me out here. I own a 1999 Honda Accord LX that was previously owned by my uncle and grandfather. They took very good care of it, but there was one problem when I received it and I haven't been able to find any credible information on how to fix it. The center console is very sticky, which I assume is from the heat. It has captured crumbs, dust, and other particles and it looks disgusting. If I scrape my finger at it, I can take off a layer of pasty, black, melted material.

I have looked online and quite a few other 6th gen. Accord owners have had this problem, but I would rather get a second opinion you you all before purchasing the products and using the techniques that they recommended. Some people said to use solvents and a toothbrush, some said to scrape it off, and other people said to avoid both of those things. I would like to clean the center console, but I don't want to risk ruining it.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

No worries. I'm not entirely sure what it is, but it appears to be a type of plastic faux-leather. All of the food, dust, dirt, and other stuff that's stuck to it can't be rubbed off. It just smears it into the sticky material, trapping it even more. Here's an album: http://imgur.com/a/wVHGV

 

It isn't peeling anywhere, but I would assume that the plastic under it would either be the same plastic that the cup holder is made out of or the same plastic that is around the shifter.. I've considered removing it, but that would be a last resort after trying other methods. If you look at the same picture with the cup holder, picture 3, you'll notice a long line towards the bottom of the picture. That's where I drug my nail along it and the pasty material came off.

Someone on another forum claimed to have solved the problem by using a tooth brush and a stain remover called Sol-U-Mel, so I might try that on a tiny patch of it. If that doesn't work, it looks like I'll have to replace it. I appreciate the help.

 

I would really suggest you use a product called Goof Off. This stuff is a miracle when it comes to situations like yours. The SUV I am driving now was filthy when I bought it. The previous owner had no kind of rules or standards when it came to the car. I had gum stuck in the leather seats, on the door, in the cup holders, old build up cigarette ashes in the ash tray, crayon and marker markings on the seat, red, dirty stains on the headliner and so much more. I did not drive the car until it was clean like it left the car lot. Goof Off help get rid of every nasty, sticky thing in the car, as well as stains off the carpet and headliner. I will admit it does take off the paint on the console but in may case I was happy about that cause I wanted the nasty layer of paint off anyway. It just took off the shinny glitter part of the paint and that was it.
I promise you Goof Off will do the job, you can buy it basically anywhere, but I bought mines at Wal-Mart. It is a whole brand of this stuff that works for all types of stains, rust, or etc. I used the second bottle from the right, but they all work. Just find the one that works for whatever you are trying to remove.

Definitely try it!!!!!