Upholstered car seats are vulnerable to gunk and dirt buildup. Want to know how to clean car upholstery seats yourself? Here our version of the ultimate guide to giving your upholstery car seats a thorough and all-encompassing cleaning. The folds and seams of upholstery cars are always at risk of dirt buildup. It won’t be a surprise to discover food particles, stains, dust, and wrappers hidden under your car seat folds and seams. Getting your upholstery car seats cleanly regularly is the ultimate solution to keep your car’s interior smelling fresh and looking pretty. The upholstery car seat cleaning exercise shouldn’t be a headache. It’s neither too costly nor too time-intensive. You only need to have the right supplies and tools, and you are good to go.

Cleaning upholstery seats yourself doesn’t need to be complicated and demanding. You can easily get those tainted or untidy upholstery seats cleaned in a matter of minutes using readily available household products. But first, you must understand the different types of upholstery materials on car seats and how to go about cleaning them.

Cleaning Upholstery Car Seats

Cleaning Cloth and Vinyl Upholstery Car Seats

You don’t necessarily need to take your car to a professional cleaning service to have the cloth upholstery cleaned efficiently. Here are the core tips to efficiently clean cloth upholstery car seats yourself.

  1. Using Washing Soda and Dishwashing Liquid

Car upholstery made of textile and vinyl materials can be cleaned easily using washing soda and dishwashing detergent. Combining washing soda and dishwashing detergent in the right proportions guarantees efficient removal of stains.

To begin with, you have to mix equal proportions of water and dishwashing liquid. Dishwashing liquid is strongly recommended because it does deliver clean results without exposing your upholstery to harmful chemicals. As for the washing soda, it’s ideal for removing the tough and hard-to-clean stains. Make the cleaning solutions more effective by adding several tablespoons of washing soda.

You have to use a soft cloth or soft-bristled brush to do the cleaning. Instead of soaking the upholstery seats with water, you have to wipe them down to clear off the mess. Do it gently, ensuring you reach every part of the stained spots. After cleaning the stains, you should then vacuum clean it until you achieve optimal cleanliness.

  1. Using Baking Soda

You can also give your upholstery car seats a decent and thorough cleaning using baking soda. Baking soda does quite a great job when used in cleaning vinyl fabric on car upholstered seats. Vinyl fabric on car seats doesn’t require tiring cleaning procedures.

You can do a quick and gentle wipe down to get your vinyl seats clean and superbly attractive. Baking soda is super effective when it comes to wiping clean stains and giving vinyl seats fresh smell and look. Create a baking soda and water paste by mixing several tablespoons of water and half a cup of baking soda. Stir the mixture thoroughly to achieve a consistent paste.

Once you have created the mixture, you should then apply it on your vinyl couch. Wipe the paste away using a cloth soaked in dishwashing liquid and water. After you’ve cleaned and wiped the upholstery car seat, you then should vacuum clean it to clear most of the water.

  1. Clean Car Upholstery Seats Yourself Using Vinegar

Vinegar is an everyday household cleaning solution. It’s one of the most common solutions you will never miss in most homes. You can create your vinegar solution at home by mixing a cup of vinegar and one hot water gallon. Mix the solution with dish soap and then apply it to your upholstery fabric.

Allow the mixture to sit on the stain for some time, ensuring it soaks deep into the fabric. Afterward, you should then scrub it using a software brush to remove the stain efficiently. After you’ve treated the stain, you should then apply warm water to wipe out the soap before you clean it out using a dry cloth.

  1. Cleaning Using Laundry Detergent

The next great way to clean your car upholstery seats is by use of laundry detergent. Laundry detergent is a bit cheap and readily available. The process of creating laundry detergent is simply easy and fun.

To start with, you should dilute the detergent in warm water. Spray the solution to the stained upholstery fabric and allow it to soak thoroughly for several minutes. Ensure you don’t add more liquid than required. Once the solution has soaked into the fabric, scrub the stained area, and then remove the cleaner, ensuring your leave the material clean and dry.

Learn more: Cleaning Velvet Couch

How To Clean Car Upholstery Seats Yourself – Leather Seats

Leather car seats are, no doubt, costly and precious. Installing these types of seats can cost you a fortune. Leather is naturally a premium-quality material that requires an extra level of care and maintenance. These are the most effective ways to efficiently clean the stains and dirt off your car leather seats.

  • Using rubbing alcohol or nail polish—nail polish and rubbing alcohol are quite efficient and reliable cleaning solutions. They are superbly efficient when it comes to cleaning upholstery seats. Dip a cotton ball into the alcohol solution and then blot it gently into the car upholstery seat fabric. That will lift the stain, making it easier for you to clean the mess off with dish soap and warm water.

  • Using non-gel toothpaste—this is another amazing technique for cleaning leather seats. Apply a small amount of the toothpaste onto the stained area. Allow it some time to lift the stain before you clean it using a toothbrush. Scrubbing the spot gently is highly advisable as it will guarantee superb results.

  • Using tartar paste and lemon juice—our next most recommended technique for cleaning stains and dirt off car upholstery leather seats is by use of lemon juice and tartar paste. Mix standard proportions of creamy tartar and lemon juice to create a paste. Apply the paste to the stained spot and allow it to sit for 30 minutes before you wipe it out using a damp sponge. The resulting paste can have serious bleaching effects and so only use it on light-coloured seats.

Tips On How to Clean Car Upholstery Seats Yourself—Everything You Should Know

There are tips and strategies to be followed when cleaning car upholstery seats. As per experts, car upholstery seats should be vacuumed at least once a week. That ensures all fresh and deep-rooted strains are removed. You can do a thorough and deep cleaning seasonally, which can be in the schedule of at least once a month.

  1. Vacuum Your Upholstery Car Seats

The process of cleaning upholstery car seats starts with a thorough vacuuming. Before everything, thoroughly vacuum your car upholstered seats to clear out all the pet hair, dust, and debris. Vacuuming machines with the crevice tool make it easier for you to reach the areas right under and at the back of the upholstery seats.

  1. Pre treat the Seat Strains

Pre treating stains before you clean them comes with the assurance of quality and timely results. Use an upholstery cleaner to pretreat mud, food, grease, and drink stains before scrubbing them out using a soft brush.  

Let the cleaner rest for about 15 minutes, after which you should wipe the stains clean.

If dealing with dye-based stains, you must first dampen the stained spot using dry oxygen-based bleach and water.  Apply the paste onto the stained seat spot and let it work its magic for about an hour before you vacuum out the residues.

  1. Apply and Scrub The Cleaner

Now that you have vacuumed excess dirt and pret reated your car upholstery seats, you then need to apply the recommended upholstery cleaner. You are assured of premium results if you mix your chosen cleaner with warm water as per the given directions. 

Use a spray bottle to apply the solution you can achieve even and optimal concentration on all stained areas.

Once you are done spraying the cleaner, scrub away the dirt. You can use a scrub brush to wipe clean the accumulated dirt residues. Rinse the brush once it gets soiled to maximize the quality of the cleaning results.

  1. Clean The Excess Moisture

The remaining step is to wipe out the excess moisture on your upholstered car seats. An absorbent microfiber cloth is highly recommended for such jobs. That’s because it does remove the excess moisture and lift matted fibers without affecting the quality of your upholstery material. You can repeat all these steps as many times as you want until you achieve the much-desired cleanliness.

  1. Let the Seats Dry before Adding a Protective Layer

The seats should be allowed to dry before you do anything else. Spraying your upholstered car seats with seat fabric protector aids keep it looking fresh and clean for extended periods. It aids delay the accumulation of stains and debris, keeping your seats looking and feeling fresh. But before you spray the fabric protector, you must allow your seats to dry after you have wiped out all the moisture.

These are the trips and strategies to cleaning your upholstered car seats. Master the art of keeping your car seats clean to minimize your visits to professional car cleaning service providers and keep your cleaning costs low. On another note, our professional carpet cleaning Wandsworth team is always there to help you with your home cleaning requirements.