How to Clean Car Fabric

Cleaning your car's interior fabric at home is simple and affordable.

You might not even realize how much dirt can accumulate in your car’s fabric. From ordinary daily use to muddy shoes, food and dust, your car’s fabrics might have dulled considerably from their original luster. Getting your car professionally detailed is one option, but a carpet cleaning might be out of your budget. Fortunately, it is easy to clean your car’s fabric at home without any expensive or commercial-grade materials.

Things You'll Need

• Vacuum with hose attachment
• Hairspray
• Paper towels
• Oil-based lubricant
• Car upholstery cleaner
• Washcloths
• Spray bottle
• Laundry detergent

Instructions

1. Empty your car of any trash or other items. Take your floor mats and any seat covers out of the car and beat them to release any loose dirt. You can wash seat covers in a machine washer and dryer. Vacuum the floor mats and set them aside.

2. Vacuum your car fabric with a hose attachment. Do not rely on simply dusting off stray dirt. A good vacuum will remove dirt, hair, food and dirt from corners, in between the folds of your seats, and everywhere else trash can hide in your car.

3. Remove any visible stains from the car fabric with a spot cleaner. Different remedies work for different stains. For example, you can remove ink stains by spraying hairspray onto the material and wiping with a paper towel. Remove crayon stains by scraping away the remaining crayon pieces, then sprinkling on an oil-based lubricant like WD-40. Wipe away with a cloth.

4. Spray car upholstery cleaner directly on the interior fabrics. Let it sit for several minutes before wiping it away with a warm, damp rag. You may also use a soft brush for a more abrasive and penetrating scrub to the material. Many car upholstery cleaners come with a brush attachment by the nozzle.

5. Use ordinary laundry detergent for the flooring and headliner of your car. Laundry detergent is effective for all the fabric in your vehicle and is less expensive than upholstery cleaner, but it is not as convenient or reliable. Fill a spray bottle with one part detergent to three parts water and shake well before using. Wipe away with a cloth or brush as with upholstery cleaner.

Tips & Warnings

• Allow your fabric to dry by airing it out in the sun or drying it with a hairdryer.

References

• Samarins: How to Clean Car Interior
• Auto Media: Interior Fabric Cleaning
• Car Seat Covers: Removing Stains From Cloth Upholstery