When cleaning our cars, we often think about the outside – the body, the windows, and the tires. But what about the inside? The seats can get just as dirty as the rest of the car, especially if you have kids or pets. In this blog post, we’ll teach you how to shampoo your car seats so they look brand new again!
Why not just clean your car seat with soap and water? This will never work! The fabric on these seats is highly absorbent, meaning any spill or accident seeps right in. Use FriendlyySmile’s recommended upholstery shampoo if you want the best chance at getting rid of stains like this one for good – don’t settle until it’s thoroughly cleaned out because there could always be more accidents waiting under all those layers.
Cleaning your car seats can be tedious, but it’s worth the effort. With these easy tips for how to clean car seats easily and quickly, you’ll have fresh-smelling leather or cloth in no time.
The average driver in the US spends 13,000 miles per year behind the wheel. And with all that time spent sitting down and not getting out much (especially for those who work from home), your car seat is bound to get dirty sometimes.
A quick wipe-down can help keep things looking spic & span, but if you want our professional opinion? We recommend vacuuming any extra debris before rolling back into traffic because, let’s face it – no one likes riding shotgun while their ride cleans itself off after an adventure outside.
To keep your car running smoothly, you must regularly clean out any dirt or debris from the interior. This will not only help improve its appearance but also increase its lifespan.
What are the tools required?
Vacuum
Vacuum your seats before you use any cleaner or shampoo to avoid staining them further. It’s essential that the vacuum aspirates loose dirt from cracks in carpets, but make sure it doesn’t pick up too many particles because this can break down surface finishes and cause permanent damage!
You might think a regular house vacuum is good enough for car detailing, but we recommend investing in one with the right tools. A standard upright sweeper will not work well because it’s not strong enough and can also damage materials when trying to extract moisture from seats or carpets containing this type of liquid cleaner – which means you’ll end up wasting money.
Gloves, Eye and Breathing Protection
To protect our skin and hair from all that dirt trapped in the fabric of your car seats, we’ll need to wear gloves. As you start shampooing or detailing, this process will bring up years’ worth of bacteria, making it vulnerable. Be sure to use protection while working on surfaces with solid potential for contamination, and keep yourself clean at any point during a job.
Cleaning Brush
To clean your car seats, you must take care of their surfaces. That’s why we recommend using a medium bristle upholstery scrub brush for carpets and seating, as it will get the dirt out with ease! For those hard-to-reach places on furniture, such as behind cushions or under fabric tenure, use an abrasive toothbrush instead, so there are no traces left behind when cleaning is complete.
Leather Cleaning Brush
If you want to keep your leather looking its best, we recommend getting a dedicated cleaning brush. The bristles on these tools are just stiff enough for deep-seated dirt but gentle enough not to scratch or damage any surface material that may be involved in the process.
Interior Detailing Brushes
When you’re ready to give your car’s upholstery a deep clean, we recommend grabbing one of our detailing stiff brushes. These specialized tools will help get into tight areas like stitching and seams that smaller cleaning rags can’t reach without getting tangled on fabrics between seats.
Microfiber Towels
The microfiber cloths will be used to absorb and lift any dirt from your seats as well as being helpful with stain remover. We usually like using super plush, clean towels while detailing areas like the paint. But because you can’t scratch a car seat and they’re going to get dirty quickly, we recommend using any black towel for this job-it doesn’t have to do much else than get spotless.
How To Shampoo Car Seats?
Step 1: Vacuuming
Make sure you vacuum your car before shampooing! The reason is that we want to remove any loose dirt. If there are still some stains on the seats or carpets after vacuuming, use an all-purpose cleaner for those areas as well; this will make cleaning more accessible and more effective because it won’t just get spots from around the edges as regular dusting does.
To avoid getting dirty hands while working inside a vehicle (especially those with delicate fabric), wear protective gloves when handling anything containing bleach/ cleaners, such as shampoos.
The best way to get the dirt out of fabric is with pressurized air! You can also brush your carpets after vacuuming for any leftover grime.
Step 2: Spray Enzyme Cleaner
You may think that car seat shampoo works only on dirty seats, but it also gets rid of stains caused by everyday items like coffee and milk. When you let this powerful cleaner sit for a minute or two with your favorite cloth in hand (or even better yet, an old t-shirt), enzymes will break down the bacteria layer inside these pesky messes, making them easier to clean up without any need for scrubbing.
The first thing you’ll want to do is spray enough of the enzyme cleaner/upholstery shampoo on your vehicle’s carpets and upholstery. If they’re leather seats, avoid getting this stuff near them because we don’t want any stains or residue from previous cleaners being transferred onto their surfaces. You should leave it sitting for 3-5 minutes while enzymes break down molecules that cause staining and kill odor-causing bacteria, so next time around will be easier.
Step 3: Shampoo and Scrub
Once the enzyme cleaner/upholstery shampoo has done its job, you want to spray your fabric or leather Shampoo one seat and carpet at a time. Make sure not to move on to another section of carpets until completed by evenly covering each square inch with just enough for lather. If too much is applied, it will become difficult to remove excess moisture and take a long time to dry out, so be careful! After using crosshatch motions (ideally), up, and high was needed alongside scrubbing tools such as brush designs designed specifically For different types Of material.
Now that you have scrubbed and cleaned your car seat, take another microfiber towel to wipe down any remaining dirt or stains gently. Pay attention only to cleaning each surface with its special cloth- this will help avoid cross-contamination! Rotation may be needed for stubborn areas of carpeting so they don’t stay dirty forever; remember, we’re talking about super neglected seats here (or gross ones), but after using enzymes on these tricky spots, some shampooing – voila! Clean carpets.
Bringing The Job to A Close: Restoring Fading Seats
Leather or plastic restore is a product we recommend for restoring the leather and vinyl seating in your car. It will bring back that like-new look, feel, and smell! To use this fantastic tool, all you need are some clean microfiber towels (or applicator pads) along with spot remover. These must be applied evenly onto each seat, reapplying as required before going on to the next section, buffing off any excess product at the end, and leaving behind an elegant matte finish.
My Private Note
Do you know how much time and money we waste on car seats? Well, here are a few pro tips for cleaning them that will help you maintain your vehicle’s safety. The next time it starts getting dirty, take the simple directions below!
If you’re looking for an eco-friendly solution that doesn’t cost too much, consider grabbing your trusty shop vacuum and giving those seats a good cleaning with its nozzle. You’ll notice as soon as it’s on full suction mode how deep the dirt gets scrubbed away without worrying about spending big money.
We know how important it is to clean and dry your car seats, but sometimes they take forever! We recommend putting the windows down with heat turned on so that shampoo can evaporate quicker. Ensure you’re in a well-ventilated area away from people running this process because otherwise, there could be some unpleasant smells (no one wants an odorful vehicle).
Leather can be withered and dry (or burnt) if it has not been cared for properly. We like to use a thick layer of leather restorer that will penetrate the pores, allowing it to soak in more easily over time as we let our car sit outside under sunlight! You’re welcome to repeat this process as needed. But sometimes, neglecting your old seats may require replacement before they become too far gone – so make sure you take proper precautions by applying generously + letting them rest briefly after application.
Cleaning your car is a great way to keep it looking newer and longer, but you should also take care of the leather seats. Leather doesn’t like being overexposed at times and will start looking glossy if there’s an accumulation over years of oils on top, making them appear dirty even though they may be fresh from factory cleaning! Please make sure all surfaces have a nice supple matte finish by giving them one good wipe down with cleaner or baking soda before storing them safely.
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