Cleaning Car Seats: How to Make Your Car Upholstery Look New Again

To keep the interior of your car looking clean, you should regularly clean the car seats. Here’s what you need to know about cleaning upholstery.

As part of thorough vehicle maintenance, you should clean the car seats—ideally twice a year! A clean and well-maintained interior not only increases the resale value of the car but also makes a better impression. Additionally, stains can lead to unpleasant odors in the car and affect the comfort level. With these tips, you can clean the car seats and properly care for the upholstery.

Simply using water is usually not enough to clean car seats effectively. For thorough upholstery care, it’s best to use established household remedies or cleaners available at specialty stores. Before using these, you should thoroughly vacuum the car seats and the rest of the interior to remove crumbs and other surface dirt that cleaners wouldn’t be able to handle.

In this article, we have compiled all the helpful tips and tricks for cleaning leather seats as well as fabric upholstery!

Cleaning Leather Car Seats

Leather seats are not as susceptible to dirt as fabric seats. However, they require more effort to clean and maintain properly. But with the right care products and our tips, you can also clean leather seats successfully!

STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE

1. First, thoroughly vacuum the upholstery and remove the largest particles from the leather seats. Be careful not to scratch the upholstery.
2. To clean the entire surface, you need a special leather cleaner or saddle soap. Often, you’ll need a bucket of lukewarm water and a simple cleaning cloth for your cleaning agent. Most leather cleaners are rubbed onto the leather with a cloth and warm water until foam forms, and light stains can be removed. It’s especially important to wipe off any cleaner residue with a damp cloth to prevent dark spots from forming due to excess leather cleaner on the car seats.
3. For deep cleaning, which is for stubborn stains, use special cleaners that are slightly stronger. It’s important to apply the cleaner only to specific spots and work carefully. Strong cleaners can damage the leather if used incorrectly. Follow the application instructions carefully.
4. Leather care after a successful cleaning is a must to keep the leather supple. Leather care once or twice a year is sufficient. Apply the leather care product with a dry cloth in circular motions and follow the manufacturer’s recommendations. Let the leather care product sit in a shaded area for about an hour, and then remove the residue with a clean, dry cloth.
5. To give the car seats a shine, you can polish them with a microfiber cloth or a silk stocking after cleaning and care.

Properly Cleaning Fabric Seats

Fabric car seats require different cleaning and care than leather seats. Here are some tips for you.

Foam Sprays: If your seats have individual stains, foam sprays are ideal because they can be applied precisely. It’s important that the foam doesn’t fully absorb into the upholstery but instead brings the dirt to the surface so you can remove the stains with a cloth. If you have sensitive skin, you might want to wear gloves to protect your hands from the foam sprays. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for each use.

Shaving Foam: The all-rounder! A very old and inexpensive household remedy is shaving foam. Shaving foam is suitable for many types of stains: grease stains, water stains, and many more. If you want to save money and rely on home remedies, buy unscented shaving foam and use it in the same way as foam sprays.

Vinegar: Vinegar is indispensable in households. For a vinegar mixture, add 2-3 tablespoons of vinegar to about 1 liter of lukewarm water and gently dab it onto the stained areas of the upholstery with a sponge. Let the vinegar mixture sit for a few minutes and wipe the area with a damp cloth. Vinegar can also help against odors!

Salt: Salt can absorb all kinds of liquids. Slightly dampen the stains on your fabric upholstery with water and sprinkle plenty of salt on them. Let it sit for about 2 hours and then remove the excess salt. Most of the stain should be gone. You can repeat the process if necessary.

Tips and Tricks

• Test Cleaners First: Before using a product, always test it on an inconspicuous area to see if it discolors the fabric of your car seats.
• Remove Stains Immediately: Carefully dab the dirt with a cloth and never rub, as this will push the dirt deeper into the seat.
• Vacuum: Vacuum the interior of your car before using upholstery cleaner!
• Avoid Strong Cleaners: It’s best to use pH-neutral products.
• Use Little Water: Damp interior windows and a musty smell indicate that you’ve used too much water.
• Clean Regularly: At least twice a year.