Most vehicles come with cloth upholstered seats, and because of this the wear and tear can be greater than if you had leather seats. In most cases, you will keep your vehicle for many years, and throughout this time the cloth seats can encounter many cases of abuse that will shorten the duration of its durability. There are several ways that you can extend the life of your upholstered car seats, all of which are extremely simple and will not cost you much money. There are several items you will need to have on hand before you begin to clean your cloth upholstered car seats.
1. Baking Soda
2. Warm Water
3. Scotchguard
4. Gentle brush (soft bristles)
5. Laundry Detergent
6. Lemon Zest
7. Gloves
8. Spray Bottle
9. Scissors
10. Garbage Bags
11. Vacuum Steamer
After you have gathered these items, you will then need to begin to start the cleaning process. The first step in cleaning your cloth upholstered seats is to mix the warm water with the baking soda. Ensure that all of the baking soda has been dissolved before you move onto the next step. Sometimes this will require you to shake the mixture instead of simply stirring it.
Next, you will need to add the lemon zest to the baking soda/warm water mix. After these ingredients have been properly mixed, with not lumps, you will then fill up the spray bottle. Make sure that the water is still warm when you begin to spray this liquid onto your car seats. Keep spraying until the seats are complete saturated by the mixture. You will know when the seats have been properly soaked by using your finger to press down on the cushion. If water accumulates over your finger than there is enough of the mixture within the upholstery.
Take the garbage bags and then use the scissors to cut the sides of bag free. After you have done this you will need fold the garbage bag and then place it on the seat. When the garbage bag in place, sit on top of it, which will cause the mixture to sink deeper into the seats, you will want to apply pressure to the entire seat for several minutes.
You will then want to take the vacuum steamer and begin to soak up all of the excess mixture. Do not put too much pressure onto the seats, but make sure that you when you are finished there is no excess amounts of water in the upholstery.
Mix the laundry detergent (1/3 of a cup) with a gallon of warm water and after it has been properly mixed you will then want to apply this mixture to your seats, and repeat the garbage bag step. You will want to ensure that the mixture has been properly soaked into the seats. Take your gloves and begin to work the mixture into the cloth by your hands, with the garbage bag removed. After you have done this for several minutes, take the vacuum and remove all of the moisture from the seats, this may take some time. Take the Scotchguard and spray it onto your seats after the moisture has been removed from the seats.
The drying process can take at least a day, so only perform this when you know you will not have to drive your car for at least 24 hours.
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