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How to correctly clean your car seats

10th June 2024

Maintaining a clean car interior while juggling the demands of work and family life can be tricky. Food crumbs, drink spillages and mud from dirty boots can build up over time, causing your car’s interior to look dirty. Discover how to clean your car seats in Merityre’s informative guide. 

What you’ll need to clean your car seats 

Before cleaning your car seats, you will need the following equipment and items: 

  • Vacuum cleaner with hose attachment 
  • Sponges 
  • Water 
  • Specialist fabric protector 
  • Towel or drying cloth 
  • Upholstery cleaner 
  • Scrub brush 
  • Spray bottle 
  • Upholstery brush 
  • Fabric cleaner 

Step 1: Remove all items 

The first step in cleaning your car’s seating is to remove all items. Dust and dirt can build up on your vehicle’s seats over time, thus creating an untidy environment. It is essential to remove items which could block your vacuum cleaner. Hair grips, coins, and bits of broken biscuits around your seats should be brushed away. Doing this gives you a clean slate to work from. 

Step 2: Vacuum all dirt, dust and debris 

Once you’ve removed all visible items from your car seats, use the hand attachment on your vacuum cleaner to clear out the dust, dirt and debris. Ensure you remove the crumbs, dust particles or strands of hair lying in the crevices on the car seats, including the seatbacks and bottoms. 

Step 3: Pre-treat car seat stains 

There will be stains on your car seats requiring additional spot cleaning. These include muddy footprints, drinks, or yoghurt. Spray a small amount of fabric cleaner on areas of the seats that are hard to remove. Leave the fabric cleaner to set for 15 minutes before brushing and wiping down the seating. 

Step 4: Brush and wipe down your seats 

After spot-treating, use a scrub brush to remove dirty particles from your seats. Ensure you start from the top and work to the bottom of each seat. This ensures the dirt particles fall down the seats and come off. We recommend using a few microfibre cloths to reduce the likelihood of dirt sticking to the fabric. 

Step 5: Scrub and spray your seats repeatedly 

If your car seats have not been cleaned for weeks or months, it may take a few attempts for the stains to be fully removed. Continue using the fabric cleaner, scrub brush and microfibre cloths to remove the remaining stubborn stains lingering on your car seats. 

Step 6: Vacuum your seats again 

Use your vacuum cleaner once more to remove the remaining bits of dirt and dust on the seats. Ensure you give it a few hours for your seats to dry before taking your car out for a drive. 

Having freshly cleaned car seats ensures no unwanted smells are lingering inside your vehicle. Are your tyres requiring some TLC? Our step-by-step guide covers how to clean your tyres. Book your next service or MOT at your local Merityre branch across South East England today.