How To Safely Clean a Cloth Car Seat Cushion
Keeping your car’s seats clean is essential to keeping your car looking its best. Regular vacuuming is the best way to keep dirt and debris from building up in the fabric of the seats, and it should be done at least once a week. A detailed cleaning should be done once every few months or less, depending on the interior of your vehicle.
A thorough car seat cleaning requires attention to detail, as well as knowledge of the best practices and techniques. The steps we will list below will help restore your car seats and make them look new again!
Vacuum the Seats
Before cleaning cloth car seats, it is important to vacuum the fabric in order to remove dust, debris, and pet hair that may have accumulated. A portable hand-held vacuum is ideal for this task as it can be charged with a lightning cord and features a crevice tool for reaching between the back and seat, as well as an upholstery brush for lifting the fibers of the fabric.
This will ensure that any build-up of dirt or grime is effectively removed and prevented from sinking further into the seat padding.
Pre-Treat Stains and Add a Cleaner
Upholstery cleaning can be tricky, especially if there are stains present. To get the best results, pre-treating specific stains before doing an overall cleaning is recommended.
For food and drink, grease, and mud stains, use a bit of upholstery cleaner and scrub into the fabric with a brush; let it sit for at least 15 minutes before doing an overall clean.
For dye-based stains that bled or transferred color onto the seat, mix a paste of dry oxygen-based bleach and a few drops of water; spread over the stained area and let work for at least one hour; vacuum away powder afterward.
Repeating this process may be necessary depending on how severe the stain is. A perfect stain remover for this job would be Tru Earth’s pre-measured laundry detergent strips. These strips are an innovative and eco-friendly way to clean cloth car seats without the use of single-use plastics or harsh chemicals.
These ultra-concentrated strips of liquidless laundry detergent are hypoallergenic, meaning they are gentle on sensitive skin while still powerful enough to get rid of dirt and stains from fabric surfaces.
Additionally, these strips contain no parabens, phosphates, added dyes, or chlorine bleach. Certified by independent laboratory tests to be free of 1,4-dioxane, these detergent strips are also readily biodegradable in accordance with OECD 310D standards, making them safe for both people and the planet.
Mix our cleaning solution with warm water and add this new solution into a spray bottle, to distribute it across the fabric evenly. Start at the top of the seat and lightly spray until the entire surface is covered, being mindful not to over-saturate it.
Scrub Away the Dirt
Once the new mixture has been sprayed onto your car’s seats, take a scrub brush, and vigorously scrub the seat in an up-and-down motion to ensure that the solution is worked into every inch of the surface.
As the brush becomes clogged with dirt and debris, it is important to rinse the brush in a bucket of clear water and give it a shake to dry out any excess moisture before continuing.
Wipe Away Excess Moisture
When dealing with excess moisture or matted fibers, an absorbent microfiber cloth is a perfect tool. This type of cloth has incredibly small fibers that are designed to quickly absorb liquid and remove any debris they come in contact with.
The tiny fibers also have a slight abrasive quality that helps scrape away small bits of dirt and grime, which can help remove stubborn matted fibers. Using this type of cloth is a simple and effective way to get rid of excess moisture, and lift any matted fibers that may be present.
Allow the Seats To Dry
It is best to give the car seats time to dry completely before using them again, as it usually takes two to three hours. If there is a need for quicker drying, attempting to aim a large fan toward the seats or parking the car in a sunny location could speed up the process.
An additional solution could be utilizing a container of moisture-absorbing crystals (a drying agent) which can trap the moisture.
Want To Clean Your Car’s Interior As Well?
Tru Earth's disinfecting multi-purpose cleaner is an ideal solution for cleaning your car interior. Not only does it kill 99% of bacteria, fungi and mold, but it also comes in an eco-friendly, biodegradable cardboard sleeve instead of a plastic bottle.
To use, one simply needs to take one strip from the cardboard sleeve and add it to 250ml of hot water in a spray bottle. Shake until dissolved and you have yourself an easy-to-use multipurpose cleaner that can help tackle all kinds of germs and dirt around the house or inside your car.
With this cleaner, you don’t have to worry about wasteful single-use bottles either; making it more environmentally friendly than many other common cleaners.