How to Clean Fabric Car Seats (5 Best Homemade Solutions)

Do your fabric car seats get dirty often? And you maybe need to take your car for deep cleaning car seats to the nearby workshop. That is expensive!

However, you can clean fabric car seats with a simple household product. If you agree then the next question popping up in your mind is-  how to clean fabric car seats with household products?

It is true that your fabric car seats can be acute collectors of junk, dirt, and dust. So, let us move to the topic of how to clean fabric car seats:

Remember! If you have small car seats stain to remove, clean the seat entirely. Before introducing household fabric cleaner, Let’s know the popular method of cloth car seat cleaning. Here are the step-by-step instructions:

1. Vacuum the seats. If You have not a vacuum cleaner, clean them with a dry brush (Our pick: Adam’s Cockpit Brush).
2. Spray the fabric cleaner over the entire surface.
3. Rub with the brush and leave it for few minutes.
4. Rub again with the brush and periodically wetting it with water.
5. Take a clean towel (Our Pick: AmazonBasics Cotton Washcloths) and soak it in water and Wipe the seats, don’t forgetting to rinse the rag in the water – it will pick up all the dirty foam.
6. Take another dry towel and wipe the seats until wet.
7. Leave them to dry for an hour and a half

Our Recommended best fabric car seats cleaner for you-

1. CarGuys Super Cleaner (Best Overall)
2. Tuff Stuff 350 Multi-Purpose Foam Cleaner (Runner Up)

5 Household Products for Cleaning Fabric Car Seats

1. Cleaning with Ammonia:

Ammonia

What you need:

1. Ammonia
2.  Water
3. Washcloths

Process:

Soak a barely diluted ammonia cloth or if it is in a spray bottle then spray it over your dirty car seats. Rub with cloth in all directions of seats, emphasizing the stains. Rinse the diluted ammonia with a damp cloth.

Next is the need to dry the car seats. You can dry by rubbing the seat of the car in all directions using a dry washcloth. You need to renew the washcloth as soon as it becomes dirty.

Complete the drying of the seat with the warm air of the hair dryer or a vacuum. And the results are in front of you!!!

Our recommended best ready-made ammonia cleaner – Austin’s 00051 Clear Ammonia Multipurpose Cleaner

2. Cleaning Car Seats with Soda Crystal:

 Soda Crystals

What you need:

1. Soda crystal (Our Pick: Arm & Hammer Baking Soda)
2. Sponge (Our Pick: Scotch-Brite Non-Scratch Scrub Sponge)
3. Washcloth (Our Pick: AmazonBasics Cotton Washcloths)
4. Hair dryer (Our Pick: CONAIR Professional Hair Dryer)
5. Hot water

Process

Cleaning car seats with baking soda crystal’s are very easy. its main work to clean, disinfect of any surface, such as PVC, upholstery, faience, or fabrics.

It is a little bit irritating for the skin. That’s why soda crystals should be used with gloves. Clean the seats with a sponge soaked in the solution of hot water and soda crystals (1-liter water for one cup of soda crystals). Insist on the spots. Then rinse with a damp cloth.

Dry all directions with a proper washcloth, then use a towel and the warm air dryer to dry your car seats.

3. Cleaning with white vinegar:

White Vinegar

What you need:

1. White vinegar (Our pick: Heinz Cleaning Vinegar)
2. Two tablespoons of dish detergent (Our pick: Cascade Dishwasher Detergent)
3. Sponge (Our Pick: Scotch-Brite Non-Scratch Scrub Sponge)
4.  Washcloth (Our Pick: AmazonBasics Cotton Washcloths)
5. Lukewarm water

Process:

White vinegar is an organic household product that can be used for many purposes. Generally, it is odorless and it can quickly disinfect all surfaces. Usually, It can also be used for cleaning the inside of your car.

surprised!!!

Well, This technique is tested. In a bowl, prepare 500 ml white vinegar, 200 ml lukewarm water, and two tablespoons of dish detergent.

Impregnate a sponge with this solution, wring out the sponge, and clean the fabric bench by 20 cm square, emphasizing the stains. Rinse with a damp cloth. After then pass a washcloth in all directions to dry.

You can also use gel vinegar successfully.

4. Clean with cleansing milk:

Cleansing Milk

What you need:

• Cleansing milk (Our Pick: Sothys Cleansing Milk)
• A microfiber cloth
• A sponge
• Little water

Process:

You can use cleansing milk to clean your car seat. To do this:

Take a microfiber cloth and soak it with cleansing milk. Rub with the microfiber on the car seats. Rinse the cleansing milk with a water-soaked sponge.

5. Steam cleaning:

Steam Cleaner

For deep cleaning, you can also use a steam cleaner. The steam cleaner is very effective on fabrics. Moreover, you can also use it to clean your sofas, windows, tiling. Here is the best steam cleaner for fabric car seat-

• McCulloch MC1275 Heavy-Duty Cleaner with 18 Accessories

How to clean fabric car seats with a steam cleaner?

Remove Stains on the Fabric Car Seat

 Ammonia, soda crystals, and white vinegar are cleaning proven effectiveness. However, some spots require specific treatment. Such as;

‣ Cleaning Up Vomit On a Car Seat

Clean up the vomit by thoroughly wetting it with cold water.

Apply regular dish soap or detergent

If that is not enough, then clean the seat of your car entirely with diluted ammonia or Sprinkle baking soda to absorb the smell.

‣ Oil Or Gasoline Spilled On a Car Seat

Wet your car seat with water containing a little detergent immediately then use a vacuum with a water aspirator.

Repeat until the stain disappears, which is not evident because the oil or gasoline that may return by capillary action if it has penetrated very deeply.

So, what should be done for that?

Sprinkle baking soda on the stains by covering it thoroughly.

Let the baking soda sit for 10-15 minutes and then vacuum it.

‣ Alcohol or Grease(also for Oil and Gasoline) stains

to remove or grease stains from your car seats take a sponge and soak it in a mixture of 500 ml white vinegar, 200 ml warm water, and two tablespoons dishwashing liquid.

Rub energetically where surfaces are stained.

Rinse with a damp cloth.

Let’s dry.

Repeat if it is necessary.

‣ Household Product Spilled on the Car Seat

Wet the seat of your car with white vinegar then add it to water in equal parts and then vacuum immediately with a water aspirator.

Repeat until all marks of the product disappear.

‣ Blood Stain

If the blood is still wet, mix a little cold water with corn flour or flour and put the sponge on the seat. Let dry and dust off the seat. Remember does not use hot water because of its set the stain.

If blood is dry, it will be necessary to use ammonia diluted in water. Dab the stains with a cloth soaked in slightly diluted ammonia. Rinse the free area with a cloth moistened with clear water.

Note: Then ammonia can be replaced by hydrogen peroxide.

‣ Coffee

Dilute with cold water and let sit for 5-10 minutes.

Spray with glass cleaner and blot with paper towels.

Then Wash again it with clean water.

‣ Mud Stain

Let the muddy track dry on the car seat. Then, with soapy water (or white vinegar), rub energetically so that the stain comes off.

‣ Urine

Soak up with paper towels and newspaper.

Rinse out with fresh water and remove the excess water by blotting or with a wet vacuum.

Use a pet odor neutralizer once the area is clean.

‣ Ink Stain

Blend water and alcohol in equal parts, so polish the seat with the mixture until the ink stain entirely disappears.

Once the stain is gone, clean the spot again with water.

‣ Lipstick

Use regular white toothpaste. Do not use gel paste.

Rub the toothpaste properly into the lipstick stain.

Then wipe away the stain with a damp towel.

Remove Other Stains From Your Fabric Seats

‣ Bad Smell

If an unpleasant odor persists, sprinkle with baking soda on the car seat and allow the product to penetrate with your hand.

Leave it overnight and vacuum the next morning. 

How to Maintain a Fabric Car Seat?

Maintaining is more important than cleaning. What happens if your clean fabric doesn’t remain clean? So you have to maintain your fabric car seat. Here is a list of few fabric car seats maintaining tips-

1. Vacuum your car seat every one or two weeks to remove the loose debris that can keep your seat clean.
2. If spills occur or get food, mud, makeup, and lipstick stain on the car seat, use car fabric cleaner(our pick: CarGuys Super Cleaner) as soon as possible. Don’t wait to get the stain permanent.
3. Always be careful that spills don’t occur.

Conclusion

Lastly, I want to tell you never to use any harsh soap or cleaner to clean your fabric car seat. The harsh cleaner can destroy your car seats. So, you should more careful about it. Also, pay more attention to the buckles and straps while cleaning.