If you use your car every day, eventually the upholstery will start to look a little less than perfect. Once you know how to clean car upholstery quickly and effectively, though, you can easily keep your car’s interior looking new.
Cleaning vinyl or cloth upholstery is fairly simple. Methods differ for cleaning genuine leather, though, so these tips aren’t recommended for leather seats.
General tips
Car upholstery may look strong, but it can be damaged by overly enthusiastic cleaning. To clean car upholstery, stick with upholtery or all-purpose cleaners. Harsher chemicals could discolor or even eat a hole in your upholstery. Even gentler cleaners can discolor some types of upholstery, though, so before you clean the seats, spot test your cleaner of choice on a small, inconspicuous part of the upholstery, such as under a seat. Let it cleaner sit for at least 30 minutes to make sure it won’t do any damage.
If you expect stains (that is, if you travel with kids or pets), invest in an upholstery brush. Tougher stains usually can’t be just blotted up; it takes some scrubbing to get them out. An old toothbrush will also work. Whatever type of brush you use to clean car upholstery, though, make sure it’s soft. Never use abrasive scouring pads or metal-bristle brushes, which will scratch the seats and grind in stains.
If you’re planning to clean car upholstery in the whole car, keep in mind that the seats could take the better part of a day to dry completely. For thorough cleanings, try to pick a sunny day when you won’t need to drive.
Overall cleaning
For regular cleanings when you’re going to be cleaning the car both inside and out, start on the inside. Dust and dirt from the inside of the car will most likely escape to the outside and get the car’s exterior dirty.
To clean car upholstery, the first step is to use an ordinary vacuum with an upholstery attachment (the attachment with the brush at the end) to pick up any serious dirt from your car seats and floors. Then, to get the seats really clean, you’ll want to use a steam cleaner. If you don’t own one, you can rent one from a carpet cleaning supply company like Rug Doctor and even some Wal-Mart and U-haul branches. If you have an upholstered ceiling, start your steam cleaning there. Then move on to cleaning the seats and finally the floors.
Mystery stains
Is it grape soda? Lipstick? Something the dog stepped in? Even if you’re not sure how that stain on your car upholstery got there, you have several options for getting it out again. One of these cleaners will usually do the job:
- Any upholstery cleaner from an auto supply store
- Armor All
- Oxi-Clean by Orange Glo
- Blue Magic Cleaner by ArroChem
- Ordinary shaving cream
To use any of these products to clean car upholstery, spray or use a sponge to dab just a small amount of the cleaner onto the stain and let it sit long enough to soak in. If the stain is small or relatively fresh, it’s enough to wait five minutes. For stains that have had more than a few days to set, give the cleaner half an hour to work. Next, use an upholstery brush or other soft scrub brush to work the stain loose. Finally, use a cloth to blot up the stain. For stubborn stains, you may have to repeat this process a few times. There’s less risk of damaging the upholstery if you make several gentler attempts to remove the stain than if you douse the area with cleaner or scrub too hard.
Mold, must and mildew
With all the time cars spend out in the rain and damp, mold and musty smells are a common problem. Fortunately, there are ways to eliminate the ugly green stuff.
To get rid of mild mildew problems or small moldy spots, quality upholstery cleaner or a citrus-based cleaner like Citra Solv will probably be enough. Also look for products that contain peroxide, which is effective at killing mold. If you’re cleaning off small moldy spots, apply the cleaner directly to the spots and let it penetrate the stain for about 5 minutes. Then blot up the stain with a cloth.
If you need to clean car upholstery with a serious mold problem, a homemade cleaning solution made with 3% hydrogen peroxide may be most effective (and cheapest) way. The only problem with peroxide is that it can discolor the seats. On the other hand, if you don’t kill the mold, it will spread and ruin the seats anyway, so it may be worth the risk. The strength of the solution you need depends on how established the mold is. For moderate mold blooms, try a solution of 1 part peroxide to 8 parts water (for example, 1/2 cup peroxide in a quart of water). If the mold is fairly deep, you may need as much as 1 part peroxide and 1 part water (2 cups peroxide in a quart of water).
Before you start cleaning, keep in mind that it may be easier to take the seats out of the car first. Whether or not you remove the seats, heavily spray the entire stained area with cleaning solution. Let it sit for half an hour. Once the cleaner has had time to work, for vinyl seats covers, wipe the vinyl down with a solution of 1 part vinegar to 1 part water. For cloth upholstery, a steam cleaner will be more effective. If you’ve removed the seats, leave them out in bright sunlight to dry in order to kill any remaining mold.
When you learn how to clean car upholstery you can keep your car’s interior looking newer longer. If you ever plan on selling your car, the time spent on maintenance is well worth it. By learning how to clean car upholstery yourself, you can save money on professional cleaning, too.
