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Beast ways of washing interior and soiled seats.

10K views 18 replies 9 participants last post by  nutcrunch 
#1 ·
Hi guys this is 2 in 1 question:

> Please share you best ways of washing interior upholstery (salt, dirt, food :) )

> Also please share your best way of washing seats (cloth).
(I've tried many thins but my seats still look pretty bad :( )
 
#5 ·
First of all, the seats in the 05 Malibu are terrible for showing dirt. I know because I have an 06 with the same problem. I have a "shop vac" which can be converted to a wet vac, and what I do is scrub the seats with plenty of soapy water using a brush and immediatley vacuum the water out with the wet vac. I like to do this on a warm sunny day and leave the windows up half way to warm up the interior and let the sun evaporate the excess water. Sometimes I have to leave a towel on the drivers seat for a day or two while the interior dries out. The seats are known to show stains very easily and there is no cure other than constant washing. Good Luck !
 
#7 ·
since my wife has takin over my position at work they have this new plastic and leather cleaner at work and i have to say it works better then anything i have seen in years if its used as directed it will make leather seats look new its unbelievable how good it works.i will get the name of it and a pic of the container later today and post it for everyone maybe i can get her to do some before and after pics to show how well it works.
 
#9 · (Edited)
this time consuming but cheap method WORKS!! mix 50% water and liquid tide detergent use a spray bottle saturate upolstery, scrub both ways with a sponge, vacuum as dry as possible with a good wet-dry vac. start from roof down as it drips, leave car in sun windows down or fan dry with several fans. most seats are foam and take some time to dry, quite a few hrs to a day or two without fans. i cleaned my very light tan upolstery yearly like this and always come out spotless and smells good too. i seldom used my AC + rode all windows down all summer for 20,000 miles on average. this cheap labor intensive made my very light beige interior look new year after year!!! prolly lots of $$$$ machines work well using less effort, none can clean any better than perfect, my results
 
#11 ·
I've always had great success with auto cloth seats and Tuff Stuff. Works great and is cheaper than taking Oprah out to dinner... then again anything is cheaper than taking Oprah out to dinner.
Try it.
 
#13 ·
i too am interested in info on heated seats and high moisture cleaning. never wanted heated seats but always wanted upolstery which needs no heat unlike cold-hot vinyl or even high $$ leather thats pusher as a premium, not for me. real sheepskin is a fantastic solution never hot or cold, covers or even a pieces cheaply purchased, bottom is easy but the backs need something to hold it. owning old cars with cheap vinyl-leatherette whatever you call the sweat inducing in summer,goose bumps in winter i always got real sheepskin covers
 
#14 ·
I would hope not about the Heated Seats. Reason is, Winter time. And they're used mostly then. How many times have you gotten Snow on yourself while clearing the snow off? And have you ever noticed on Heavy Rain Days, The Seats tend to get wet.
 
#15 · (Edited)
http://hoover.com/products/details/f5912900/steamvac-spinscrub-turbopower-carpet-washer/

For many years I have had great success with the Hoover SteamVac with the hand held attachment.
My yearly routine involves: remove front seats, thorough vacuum, pre-treat nasty areas then let the SteamVac do it's trick. I make the water as hot as I can get it. I suction an area until no more moisture comes back. Just damp to the touch afterwards. The waste container is so filthy that I proudly display it to anyone willing to look. Once dry, I scotch guard all carpet and seats.

I see the Hoover is now a couple hundred bucks. It was about half when I bought one many years ago. Money well spent keeping the interior nice of many cars.
 
#16 ·
I was able to fix my Bissell. The Spray Pump shorted out. When I took the old one out, It was all rusty. Where it connects to the Pump. The O-Ring must have shrunken. At Least it was only a $21 and half hour of my time Fix. However, The Heater Element stays lit all the time. If I get another year. I am not too happy with it. I was considering getting a Rug Dr. It looks like a Commercial use machine.
 
#17 ·
i used to clean my light tan upholstery yearly as directed by a novice detailer, as i was a windows down in summer guy, usually 10,000 or so miles. mix 50% Tide liquid with water in spray bottle, spray on fabric + use a sponge wet from a bucket to scrub in both directions, vac as dry as possible. results were excellent but time consuming, as i started on the interior roof on down because it works so good any skipped spots will show. in the summer i parked car in sun doors open as a good day or two to fully dry, several fans can speed drying + thats what i used in cooler weather with car in the garage. cost is little but several hours are required for a good job + it smells great as well. my seats were not heated, an unnecessary item for upholstery IMO!
 
#19 · (Edited)
I have heard of a product named Folex which you can get at Lowes and probably other places. It is supposed to be very good stuff, just spray on, rub with your fingers and the stain is gone. We don't have any stains in the Malibu or my truck but I will buy some this weekend and use some on my truck's 13 year old seats and see if it brightens them up any. I will also have my daughter try some on her carpet that the kids have messed up and see how well it does.

http://www.lowes.com/pd_31704-11298-FSR32_0__?productId=1083045
 
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