If you’re like the majority of car owners, you probably make an effort to clean the outside of your car rather than the inside, allowing all sorts of dirt and dust to pile up. It’s necessary to keep a car upholstery cleaner so your car can look just as good from the inside like it does from the outside.
The upholstery in your car goes through a lot, especially if you spend the majority of your time on the road. If you have children or pets, your car upholstery can quickly become filthy. Your car’s upholstery is almost certainly soiled from various spills, stains, and filth, so it’s time to gather the necessary items, and let’s get scrubbing.
With these helpful car upholstery cleaner recipes and tips, you’ll be able to clean the inside of your car successfully. Cleaning the inside of your car shouldn’t be too much of an effort. It will, however, take up most of a day, depending on how much filthy it is.
Why DIY Cleaner is Better than Commercial Upholstery Cleaner
Commercial upholstery cleaners are not only pricey, but they also include harmful ingredients that can be unsafe and damaging to the environment.
How to Clean Car Upholstery
Before you start to clean the stains on your seats and the inside of your car, you’ll need to empty the car of all trash and personal things and vacuum all of the surfaces. Vacuuming the inside will help you to pick up the loose dirt and debris that has piled up.
Vacuum underneath your seats and in between wrinkles with a wet/dry vacuum, such as a Shop-Vac. To make sure you get everything, push the seats forward and recline them. If you have a car seat in the rear, make sure to take it out so you can collect all the food crumbs and grime it may have hidden.
If your automobile is very dirty, a steam cleaner can be rented to deep clean the upholstery and carpet. Using hot water and suction, steam cleaning the carpet and upholstery will help to extract stubborn filth that has been embedded.
Recipe to Clean Car Upholstery: Homemade Upholstery Cleaner
- 8 cups of hot water
- 8 cups of distilled white vinegar
Add the steam cleaner to a mixture of hot water and distilled white vinegar. Follow the manufacturer’s recommendations to clean your car upholstery.
How to Clean Upholstery Fabric
If spills and stains are left in your car for too long, they get merged within the fabric of your upholstery. When you make a mess in your car, it’s vital to treat it right away to avoid stains and bad smells from taking over the inside.
To clean your automobile upholstery, start by spraying it with the homemade all-purpose cleaner mentioned below, working on one area at a time.
Scrub the upholstery gently but forcefully with a nylon brush to ensure that all filth and stains are removed. After that, gently wipe off the upholstery with a microfiber towel bathed in warm water to remove any dirt.
Rinse the cloth as you gather dirt to prevent it from spreading. Once the area is clean, dry the upholstery with a different new rag.
If your seats are constructed of microfiber cloth, cleaning them can be a bit more difficult because you don’t want to get the surface too soaked. Cleaning a microfiber vehicle seat is just as simple as cleaning other varieties of upholstery; the only difference is that you must be careful with the quantity of moisture you apply to the seats.
Clean the area with an old toothbrush to remove gunk from the joints of your upholstery. Finally, put a fabric protector on the upholstery to help prevent future stains and wetness.
Recipe for Cleaning Upholstery Fabric: All-purpose Car Upholstery
- Three tablespoons of dish soap
- One tablespoon of borax
- One cup of boiled water
Combine the dish soap and borax in a small bowl, then pour the boiling water over it. To evenly distribute the borax, thoroughly stir it in. Allow the cleaner to reach room temperature before using.
Fill a spray bottle halfway with the solution. To guarantee that the cleaner will not stain the fabric, test it in an unnoticeable area.
Cleaning Spots on Upholstery
It is not necessary to use an expensive cleaner to clean the interior of your car. With a few common household items, you can create an excellent upholstery cleaning solution.
Recipe for Removing Spots on Upholstery
- White vinegar
- Water
- Baking soda
- Hydrogen peroxide
Mix the baking soda and white vinegar to make a paste. Work the paste into the stained area with an old toothbrush. Allow the paste to dry completely before vacuuming up any leftovers. If the stain isn’t entirely removed, repeat the procedure until it completely goes away.
If, for some reason, there’s blood on the upholstery and you need to get it out, replace white vinegar with hydrogen peroxide and follow the same procedure. The hydrogen peroxide will bleach the bloodstain without causing the carpet colors to break down.
How to Clean Leather Upholstery
As mentioned previously, before cleaning your car’s leather upholstery, vacuum carefully to eliminate any dust or dirt that has accumulated. Metal vacuum attachments should not be used to avoid scratching the leather.
If your leather upholstery has stubborn stains, apply a leather conditioner first, then rub the stain using a leather stain remover. Wipe away the stain remover after 30 seconds and continue cleaning.
Use the below-mentioned homemade leather cleaner to a tiny part of your upholstery. Rub the cleanser into the leather with a microfiber cloth. To eliminate the dirt and cleaner, rinse the cloth with water and run it over the leather. When cleaning leather, make sure to let it dry afterward. Repeat the procedure and follow the next section.
After the leather has dried, use a microfiber cloth to apply a leather conditioner to the upholstery. The leather conditioner’s job is to replenish the leather’s natural oils, making it smooth and soft. Wipe away any excess conditioner and let your car sit for at least 20 minutes before driving.
Recipes for Leather Upholstery Cleaners
Recipe 1: Leather Upholstery Cleaner
- ¼ cup of vinegar
- ¼ of olive oil
- Ten drops of lemon essential oil
Combine the vinegar and olive oil in a small container. Stir in the essential oil to blend. The olive oil splits up stains and filth while nourishing the upholstery, while the vinegar softly cleans the leather.
Test the cleaner on a paper towel in an unnoticeable location. Allow to dry before inspecting the leather for discoloration. Apply the cleaner in tiny sections at a time, using gentle circular strokes. Wipe clean the leather with a dry paper towel to remove any leftover oil.
Recipe 2: Leather Upholstery Conditioner
- One-quarter of warm water
- One tablespoon of moderate baby soap
- A couple of drops of vinegar
In a small mixing dish, blend the ingredients. Dip a cloth into the liquid and dry it out thoroughly until it is only wet. Wipe down the leather upholstery’s whole surface. Remove any excess conditioner with a damp cloth and let air dry.
Recipe 3: Leather Upholstery Stain Remover
- One tablespoon cream of tartar
- One tablespoon of lemon juice
Mix the cream of tartar and lemon juice to make a thick mushy paste. To verify colorfastness, test the stain remover on an insignificant area. Allow at least 10 minutes for the mixture to soak into the stain.
Carefully wipe away the extra with a wet towel. Resume this process until the stain is gone. To remove any residue, wipe the area with a moist cloth and let it air dry.
Recipe 4: Upholstery Cleaner for Water Stains
- 1 cup of liquid dish detergent
- 1 cup of white distilled vinegar
- 1 cup of club soda
- Baking soda
Mix the items in a spray bottle and shake thoroughly. If the stain is recent, absorb as much water as possible using a paper towel. Cover the stain with a thick layer of baking soda. Allow for 20 minutes of sitting time.
Baking soda is a natural absorbent that will aid in the removal of moisture from the upholstery. Proceed to vacuum the baking soda up.
Allow 10 minutes for the stain remover to rest on the stained area. Scrub the stain in a circular motion with a clean towel or scrub brush. Resume the procedure till the stain is gone. Wipe the area with a moist towel to erase any residue.
Extra Tips for Cleaning Car Upholstery
- If you often clean your car seats or they have heavy, set-in stains, you would want to buy a handheld carpet cleaner to make the work quicker.
- In the car, keep a pack of wet wipes for in-between cleanings. They’re easy to use, perform effectively, and are soft enough for many sorts of upholstery.
- Another alternative is to use removable and washable car seat coverings.
Conclusion
Cleaning the inside of your car is just as necessary as the outside of your car. We hope the tips and recipes in this article will help your car to be squeaky clean both inside and outside.
