How to Clean Your Car Seats

Cleaning your car seats can revitalize your car’s interior. It will make it look and smell better than simply vacuuming up crumbs. Take the right steps to clean your seats right, so that you get to maximize your efforts, and minimize the potential to damage your interior.


Cleaning your car’s seats can be a daunting task. Different materials require different chemicals and solutions to clean them. You must know what cleaning solutions to use, what tools to use, and how to use them to get the best clean. The experts at your local Ford dealership are here to walk you through the interior seat cleaning processes that you can use to clean the various types of materials found inside your vehicles.


Cleaning Car Seats

Take the Proper Steps

Never start cleaning your seats until you vacuum all off the loose crumbs, dust, and dirt out of the seats. Then you can use your car seat cleaners in the way that they are designed to be used. Always read the label on any chemical cleaning solution, so you know what materials are safe to be used on. This is also the point in which you will want to treat any stains, which may involve letting the cleaner sit on the stain for a period of time. Again, follow your cleaner manufacture instructions.

Blot and scrub the surface off the seat gently. Keep using clean towels and rags, as dirty cloths will only spread the grime. Then you need to let the seats completely dry before you sit on them or re-cover them with a seat cover once seat is completely dry. Remember to always pay attention to the type of seats you are cleaning, so you can take the proper steps to clean them without causing any damage.

How to Clean Cloth Seats

Cloth seats are the most common type of seats to be found in modern vehicles. They are less expensive to begin with, which makes the popular in most trim options across the board. This also makes them easier to clean, particularly because they are made from synthetic materials. Cleaning fabric car seats is easiest out of all types of car seats. You can use a wide variety of carpet cleaners, car upholstery cleaners, and other car seat cleaners on cloth seats. Always test these cleaners on a small and discrete section of the seat to make sure that no discoloration occurs. Generally speaking, you can blot and scrub cloth seats gently to remove a large amount of grime and stains. While other materials require a little more attention to detail.

How to Clean Leather Seats

Leather seats need to be treated with care. They are prone to punctures and deformation with abrasive or harsh tools and chemicals. When it comes to leather, you want to use specific leather cleaner and conditioner. You can purchase products that are a 2-in-1 cleaner and conditioner, or you can buy two separate products. Again, test these products on a small and discrete area so that you know the cleaner you chose won’t damage your seats.

When it comes to the tools you use to clean leather seats, you will want to use soft clothes and sponges. You will want to motion these tools in small circular patters for the most grime removal with the least amount of physical contact. Always let your leather seats dry completely to absorb the conditioner completely. It is also best to clean and treat leather in a cool and shady location.

No matter what kind of seats you have, keeping them clean means that your space is fresh smelling. Vinyl seats and other types of soft plastic seats are also common in some models. You can clean these types of seats with mild non-abrasive cleaners, like those you would use on leather and cloth.

If you want to skip these details, contact your local interior experts for seats that look brand new.