How to Clean Fabric Car Seats

Nobody likes to get into a car with filthy seats. Your car seats generally take quite a bit of abuse over time and need to be cleaned regularly. Different types of car seats or car seat covers require different treatments and cleaning processes to suit the type of fabric or leather.

A car owner also needs to consult the vehicle manual to see if the manufacturer gives any cleaning or maintenance advice with regard to the car upholstery. If you use aftermarket seat covers, you should read the instructions on how to clean them and what cleaning products can be used.

Also, be sure to read the label on your cleaning product to check if it's suitable for use on your type of seat fabric or on leather.

Read More: Leather Car Seats - How to Maintain Them

Here, we give you a step-by-step guide on cleaning your fabric car seats:

1. Do a spot test
The first thing you need to do is test any cleaning product on a small, inconspicuous area of the car upholstery first - this way, you can make sure that no damage will be caused.

2. Vacuum the car seats
Use either your household vacuum cleaner with the brush attachment or a portable hand-held alternative to vacuum up any debris from the seats and the rest of the car's interior. This will prevent you from tracking any dirt onto the seats as you wash them.

3. Prepare the cleaning liquid
Fill one bucket with cold water, and one with hot water. To your hot water bucket, add a scoop of ordinary laundry detergent to make your car upholstery cleaner. Remember to read the label of your chosen product and follow any instructions for the best results. (In case you don't want to use ordinary detergent, you can also purchase special cleaning liquids for your particular type of car seat fabric and follow the instructions given along with the product.)

4. Let the scrubbing begin
Soak a sponge in the hot water bucket, and then thoroughly scrub each individual seat. But be careful, don't let your seat get too wet. Cleaning car seats is much like cleaning a sofa. It's unwise to soak the fabric too much, as drying the fabric is difficult. Therefore, swipe a damp - rather than dripping - sponge over the seat covers to clean them.

5. Clean the soap off
Once your seats look clean and are evenly moistened, dip a towel into your bucket of cold water, and use it to scrub excess dirt and detergent from the surface of the seat.

6. Do it again
Repeat this process once for best effect and say hello to your (almost) brand-new car seats.