Enjoydriving How to Clean Black Cloth Car Seats
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How to Clean Black Cloth Car Seats

Many car owners are attracted to black cars and interiors most especially black cloth car seats. Black cloth car seats are elegant, sophisticated and sleek. The problem with black cloth car seats is dirt and stains are easily visible. That is why you will need to know how to clean black cloth car seats.

Black cloth car seats automatically attract debris and dust thus they easily get dirty. Strands of hair, as well as water and coffee spills, are easily visible on black cloth car seats. Keeping a black cloth car seat clean is more difficult than other car seats.

No matter how careful you are, something will always get into your black car seats. Cloth absorbs almost everything so they can easily get dirty and stained.

Cleaning black cloth car seats are no different from other cloth car seats. You will just need to give them more special attention because dust, dirt, debris, and stains are more visible.

Cleaning Black Cloth Car Seats

Unlike leather or vinyl, cloth seats require a different cleaning process.

Method 1: General Cleaning

What You Will Need:

  • High-power vacuum with the large nozzle or hand-held vacuum
  • Auto upholstery cleaner for cloth or mixture of one part dishwashing liquid and one part water
  • Soft bristled-brush
  • Clean towels

Procedure:

  1. Remove all things on the car seats.
  2. Vacuum the car. This is an important step because you need to get rid of all dirt and dust inside the car. Dirt and dust inside the car may circulate in the car and get on the wet car seats.
  3. Apply auto upholstery cleaner for cloth on the car seats. Hold the spray cleaner far enough from the cloth car seat to ensure a light mist.  Do not spray too much of the cleaner as it will be difficult to rinse. Spraying too much will cause the car seats to dry with some sticky residue where dirt can adhere to. Spray the cleaner on a one-foot area of the car seat at a time for easy rinsing.
  4. Allow the cleaner to sit for about 5 minutes.
  5. Get hold of a clean damp towel. Rub over the area with cleaner until all dirt is removed. Give extra focus on the areas with stain. For stains that do not get off, scrub the fabric with a soft bristled brush. Be gentle when scrubbing so you do not wear off the fabric.
  6. Remove cleaner residue with a clean and moist towel.
  7. Wipe off the seats with a dry towel.
  8. Repeat numbers 3 to 7 with the other areas of the black cloth car seat.

If your black cloth car seats have other issues other than dust and dirt there are some simple remedies to keep them clean.

Oil and Grease

  1. Mix an equal amount of paint thinner and water. Test the mixture on a small and hidden portion of the car seat. Make sure there is no reaction between the mixture and the cloth car seat.
  2. Rub the mixture over the stain with a cotton ball.
  3. Sprinkle some salt.
  4. Let sit overnight.
  5. Vacuum the car seat.

Coffee Stains

As soon as coffee is spilled, pour a small amount of cold water on the affected area and blot with paper towel. If you are not able to do this immediately you will have to deal with the stain because it will not go away.

  1. Scrub the stained area with dishwashing liquid.
  2. Rinse the stained area with warm water.
  3. Blot with the paper towel.
  4. Use a hair dryer to dry the area. Make sure not to position the hair dryer too close to the cloth car seat as the fabric may get burned.

Ink Stains

  1. Spray a small amount of hairspray on the ink stain.
  2. Blot with a damp cloth until you no longer see the ink stain.
  3. Make sure to be careful when working on the ink stain as you may spread instead of getting rid of the stain.

Knowing how to clean black cloth car seats yourself will save you the extra expense of taking your car to an auto detailing shop.

If you want to keep your black cloth car seat clean for a longer time, spray some fabric protective spray on your car seats. The protective spray will seal the fibers of the fabric and will help keep away dirt.