How To Clean Car Seats: 5 Essential Tips

by John Griffith
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We spend a lot of time in our cars. Not only do we use them to drive to our destinations, but they are often like a second home to us. We apply our make-up, take calls, haul the kids, drive the pets, shop for groceries, have carpool karaoke, and even eat some meals in the car. As you rush from place to place, your car starts to suffer the consequences. That’s why it’s no surprise why the interior quickly starts to look beat up after a while, especially the seats. The seats take on the heaviest of beatings. It seems they are always filled with stains, dirt, grime, crumbs, and trash. On the bright side, this is easily fixable. With some love, care and a good cleaning, your car can once again return to its former glory. Today we will show you how to clean car seats like a pro.

The seats take on the heaviest of beatings

how to clean car seats black car seat

How To Clean Car Seats

We rarely pay attention to the interior of the car. We are usually more occupied worrying about oil changes, getting gas, and other mechanical maintenance tasks. However, keeping your interior, especially the seats, in tip-top shape is just as important. While it may seem like an annoying task, cleaning your seats at home is more affordable and convenient than taking it to a detailer. Trust us, you can do a great job and bring back the life to your old car seats. Plus, it’s not as hard as you may think.

Keeping your interior in tip-top shape is very important

inside of car

#Get rid of trash

The first thing you need to tackle when cleaning your car seats is getting rid of all the loose trash. This way no wrappers, tissues, straws will get in the way of your cleaning. Be thorough and make sure you get rid of all the trash in the car. This includes litter that is under the seats, in the cupholders, and so on. You can leave smaller pieces, but anything that is too big for the vacuum has to go.

Be thorough and make sure you get rid of all the trash in the car

car seat with grocery bag

#Vacuum

The next step to clean car seats is vacuuming. It’s important to thoroughly vacuum your car seats, in order to make the rest of the job easier. Vacuuming will help remove all the dust that has accumulated in the seats, as well as loose debris, pet hair, and smaller pieces of trash. This will ensure you won’t be pushing all this gunk in deeper into the padding once you start to clean. It’s best to use a vacuum with a soft brush, as it will be easier to get inside the creases. Use your vacuums attachments to your advantage to get into all the nooks and crannies.

Vacuuming will help remove all the dust that has accumulated in the seats

how to clean car seats vacuuming car

#Clean according to the material

Now it’s time for the real work to begin. Don’t worry, this is still pretty simple. The most important thing to remember is to always clean according to the material. So, when buying cleaning products and stain treatments, choose ones that are for the material of your seats. The three most common types of seats are leather, cloth, and vinyl. Once you have the right products, you need to spot treat. Work a leather or upholstery cleaner into the stain with a microfiber cloth. Let it sit for around fifteen minutes before you start the overall cleaning. Then depending on your cleaner you may need to mix the solution with some water. Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Always use a spray bottle to apply the solution. This allows you to control how much gets on the seats. Then with a scrub brush work in the solution everywhere. Oh, just make sure you don’t soak the seats.

The three most common types of seats are leather, cloth, and vinyl

spraying car seat

 

#From top to bottom

When cleaning and scrubbing away with the brush and cleaner, it’s always important to go top to bottom. Start from the top point of the seats, so even if dirt drips down, it won’t be getting on seats that are already cleaned. When your brush gets dirty, make sure to rinse it in some clean water and always shake off any excess moisture. As we already mentioned, we do not want to soak the seats. You can repeat the cleaning process as many times as you need.

Start from the top point of the seats and work your way down

person cleaning car seat

#Dry thoroughly

After you are done scrubbing off all the grime and you are satisfied with the results, it’s time to let things dry. It’s very important you leave the seats to dry thoroughly before using or closing the car, as we don’t want mold. You can use an absorbent microfiber cloth to soak up any excess moisture to speed up the process, but you still need to let air circulate, so everything can dry in depth.

It’s very important you leave the seats to dry thoroughly

car interior

These are all the essential tips and tricks you need when it comes to cleaning your car’s interior. We hope you found this article useful. Now you know how to clean car seats like a pro and you can make the inside of your vehicle shine like new.

Now you know how to clean car seats like a pro

red car seat

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John Griffith

John Griffith is a young, passionate journalist. Writing has been John’s hobby ever since he was a boy. He has worked in some of the UK’s most successful news portals over the course of his professional career but found his forever home at Archzine.