The car interior should always be kept clean as people spend most of their time in it. Whether it is getting rid of stains, dirt, or food leftovers inside the car, cleaning it regularly will ensure that you have a nice smelling and comfortable car to drive. There are many posts about how a person should clean their car. Thus, it’s crucial to follow a method that seems okay and simple for you as some appear more complex and tiring. Just like cleaning the outside of your car, cleaning car upholstery shouldn’t be a big deal. Below are some tips that will help you to keep your car interior clean and free from dirt and stains.
What to know before cleaning car upholstery
Before you begin cleaning your vehicle upholstery, you should know that not all upholstery is the same. This difference can be noted in their weave. The weave refers to the style in which the fabric fibers have been entwined together.
Car upholstery with medium or traditional weaves has a good number of raised fibers above the surface of the fabric. This makes it easy for one to sift through fibers and remove dirt from them. Nonetheless, upholstery that has tight weaves doesn’t have raised fibers. This implies that dirt is implanted into the fabric. Such fabric should not be left untidy if dirt comes into contact as it might be very difficult to clean.
Also, there are some types of equipment and tools that a person ought to have when cleaning car upholstery. This include: an all purpose cleaner, brush, microfiber cloth, fabric protector for fabric and leather conditioner for leather seats.
Vacuum your car
Prior to cleaning vehicle upholstery, you should vacuum the entire car and remove all the debris and dirt hiding below the seats or in crevices inside the car. First of all, remove all the mats and child car seat if you have one. Then vacuum the car.
How to clean different types of upholstery
After vacuuming your car, you can go ahead and spray the appropriate cleaner for the type of your car seat. Depending on whether your vehicle upholstery is leather, fabric or vinyl, you can apply it or as well use an all purpose cleaner.
The next step is to brush the upholstery firmly using the brush if it’s fabric or vinyl. For leather, clean it using a microfiber cloth to get rid of the grime and dirt on the car seats.
You can go ahead and wet your cloth in warm water and then apply it on the upholstery especially where there is stubborn dirt or spots. Ensure to rinse the towel as you collect dirt. Do this repeatedly until you are certain it is clean. When it is clean, dry it off using a dry microfiber towel.
Get rid of the dirt between the seams of your upholstery with a detailing brush as dirt and grime usually get stuck there. You can as well use a microfiber cloth to clean the seams. After this, clean the floor mats and rinse them in warm water
Finally, you can spray your carpets and upholstery with either fabric protector, leather conditioner or vinyl protector depending on the type of upholstery that you have to protect them from stains and water.
How to get rid of stains from your upholstery
Sometimes, you can perfectly clean your upholstery but stains might refuse to disappear. Different stains can be removed with different substances. These are as follows: oil and grease stains can be removed by use of a combination of paint thinner and water, ink stains are eliminated by use of a mixture of water and hairspray, vomiting is removed by applying cold water and then warm water, alcohol stain is eliminated with cold water, a coffee stain can be cleared with cold water and glass cleaner and finally, blood stain is removed by use of soaking a microfiber cloth in cold water and blotting the stain.