If you want to keep your car looking new, it’s essential to care for the interior and exterior. However, you don’t necessarily have to head for a professional cleaning when you notice things start to get messy. Keep reading and we’ll go over how you can clean your cloth car seats with an extractor.
How Can You Clean Your Cloth Seats Without an Extractor?
If you’re trying to clean your car seats at home, you may not have access to an extractor. Luckily, there are a few different methods you can rely on to help get your fabric car seats clean. If you’re interested in learning all about it, keep reading and we’ll go over a few different options.
What You’ll Need to Clean Car Seats Without an Extractor:
- Wet/dry vacuum cleaner
- All-purpose cleaner
- Car cleaning products like an upholstery cleaner is another great option as an alternative
- Spray bottle
- A few microfiber towels
- How many you’ll need will depend on factors such as the size of your car and how deep of cleaning your cloth seats need
- Stiff-bristled brush
How to Clean Car Seats Without an Extractor
Step 1: Clean the Seats with a Vacuum Cleaner
To start, you’ll want to remove any loose dirt or debris from the seat. Using a vacuum cleaner is a great way to get this done quickly and efficiently. Scrubbing the dry seats with a brush can help loosen some extra debris before you vacuum.
Step 2: Use the All-Purpose Cleaner
Spray the all-purpose cleaner or upholstery cleaner onto your cloth car seats. Don’t be afraid to use your cleaner liberally here but you won’t want to soak your seats.
If you fully soak your car seats, you’ll get the cleaner in the foam of the car seat. This will cause more problems than it’s worth.
Step 3: Let It Sit
If you have a tough spot, you can use your soft bristled brush to break up any debris caked on the seat. Other than that, the next step is to let the cleaner sit in place for the next 10 to 15 minutes.
Once it’s been long enough, you can use the brush again if you think the mess calls for it.
Step 4: Wipe the Area with a Microfiber Towel
After the cleaner sets, you can use a microfiber towel to wipe as much of the cleaner up as you can. Don’t worry – you won’t have to get it all up with the microfiber towel.
Step 5: Use a Vacuum Cleaner
For the next step, you’ll want to grab your vacuum cleaner again. Go over the clean cloth car seats with the wet/dry vacuum to help remove all the dirt and debris and even some of the moisture.
Step 6: Let It Dry
Now, you need your cloth car seat to dry out the rest of the way. It’s best to leave your windows down for this process.
To speed this along, you can turn your car on and blast the heat on high. Doing so for about 45 minutes should dry out most of the moisture.
How to Clean Car Seats with a Steam Cleaner?
Step 1: Steam Cleaning the Seats
To start, use your steam cleaner directly on your cloth seats. You’ll want to pay extra attention to any stains. Again, though, avoid soaking the seats.
Some find that the steam cleaner directly on their car seat is too much. If you find it seems a little harsh for the material, try putting a microfiber towel over the steam cleaner.
Step 2: Dry It Out
The material will need to dry once you’ve steam-cleaned it. Start off by using microfiber towels to remove excess moisture. Then, let the car seats air dry as we discussed earlier.
How to Clean Leather Seats with Dish Soap?
Step 1: Vacuum the Car Seats
Before anything else, use a vacuum on your leather seats. This will remove any or loose debris before you get started.
Step 2: Create and Use Your Cleaning Solution
Leather is a material you have to be careful with. To create a gentle cleaning solution, mix one part liquid soap with five parts water.
Don’t spray this directly on the car seat. Instead, dampen a microfiber towel and use the damp cloth to wipe down the seats. Mobile Auto Detailing Service in Launceston uses the right cleaning solution for every part of the car.
Don’t let the water solution pool anywhere. Excess moisture is incredibly bad for leather.
How to Sanitize Car Seats with Laundry Detergent?
Step 1: Vacuum Your Car Seats
Like every other tutorial we’ve looked at here, you’ll want to start by getting any loose debris with a vacuum cleaner.
Step 2: Create and Use Your Solution
This time, your cleaning solution should be to mix a few drops of gentle detergent in warm water. The result is a soapy solution you’ll want to soak a microfiber cloth in the solution.
Then, wring out the microfiber cloth and start scrubbing your cloth seats.
Step 3: Rinse and Dry
You can use a second, damp, clean microfiber cloth to wipe any remaining detergent from the car seat.
Finally, once again, you’ll want to let your car seats dry out thoroughly.
How Do You Get Water Stains Out of Cloth Car Seats?
Using an upholstery cleaner liberally can help you remove water stains in a pinch. Some also rely on a teaspoon of vinegar left to sit for a couple of minutes but this can cause discoloration on some car seats.
What Household Products Can You Use to Clean Cloth Car Seats?
As we’ve covered here, there are quite a few options when it comes to household cleaners that can really come in handy when you’re cleaning a cloth car seat. This includes gentle laundry detergent, liquid dish soap, or even multi-purpose cleaners.
Does a Fabric Protector Help Keep Cloth Seats in a Car Stay Cleaner Longer?
A fabric protector can come in really handy for keeping your car seats clean. After all, they offer a bit of a barrier between your cloth car seat and a mess. While they may not protect your seats from a coffee spill, for example, they can protect them from things like dropped food.
How Do You Clean Between Car Seats?
If you have a vacuum cleaner with a long attachment, this can really help improve your reach when you’re trying to clean out the nooks and crannies in your car.
If you don’t, you can wrap a microfiber towel around a dowel, toothbrush, or screwdriver and it will help you swipe debris out of tight spaces.
Did you like our guide? Cleaning all the seats in your car can really help your car look like new! If you liked these tips, let us know in the comments, and share this with a friend!