Suede car seats add a touch of luxury to car interiors with their posh look and feel. Another advantage to them is that they reduce slipping on a seat during high-speed turns. That’s why they’re much sought after by car enthusiasts and are often used in sports cars.
But users have the responsibility of maintaining them with much caution. So in this article, how to clean suede car seats will be discussed.
When it comes to spills, you need to immediately remove the substance first then treat the stains. Maintaining suede car seats requires spraying, brushing, and wiping.
Table of Contents
What You Need
- Suede brush – This will be used to bring out the dirt on the car seats’ surface.
- Microfiber cloth – It is needed to pick up the brushed-out dirt and wiping soiled surfaces.
- Suede cleaner for car seats – Designed for suede car seats, it can clean the surface of suede seats effectively and safely. It is the ideal cleaner for the job.
- Soft-bristled brushes – This type of brush is perfect for cleaning suede car seats due to its softness and gentleness on surfaces.
- Vacuum cleaner with crevice tool – It would be needed for sucking out the remaining moisture from the seats.
- Paper towels or cloths or sponge – Any of these can be used to remove and treat staining substances.
- Plastic spoon, plastic scraper, or credit card – Each of these can be used for scooping up thick substances like ketchup, yogurt, ice cream, etc.
- Lemon – It has citric acid that makes it effective but gentle enough for cleaning. Its acidity allows it to clean various stains.
- Water – Depending on what stain you will be treating, you would either use lukewarm or cold water. Lukewarm water would work well on some stains, as it can better cut grease and is a better solvent. But for some stains like blood, you should use cold water.
- Rubbing alcohol – alcohol is a degreasing agent that can effectively remove stains.
- Spray bottle – You need this for spraying an alcohol solution if you have hardened stains.
Step by Step Instructions
Suede is a delicate material, so you need to be gentle and careful when you clean suede in car. Know the proper way of cleaning suede seats below:
Step 1: Brush Out Surface Dirt With a Suede Brush
If you noticed that your suede car seats have started to look dirty and want to do some maintenance, then the first step would be to brush them with a suede brush. But if you spilled something that can stain, then you would need to clean it immediately, so jump to step number three.
When brushing with a suede brush, do it thoroughly, brushing from the top going to the bottom and then from the right going to the left. Then pick up the dirt you have brushed out with a microfiber cloth.
Step 2: Clean the Dirty Surfaces
When cleaning dirty surfaces on suede car seats, you would work on a small area one at a time. First, spray the cleaner on the soft-bristled brush and then a light mist of the cleaner on the small area you will be working on. Try not to over-soak the suede because this material takes longer to dry compared to normal cloth.
Next, gently brush the area you sprayed the suede seat cleaner on until you see a uniform lather on the surface. After brushing, you must move quickly, and immediately wipe the surface before it dries. Also, don’t be too rough when wiping because the suede’s feel and finish would be destroyed.
Finally, use a vacuum cleaner with a crevice tool attached to pull out the remaining moisture. With a clean soft-bristle brush, pull the suede’s fibers upwards to give it a fresh, clean look.
Step 3: Clean the Stains
Whenever you get stains on your suede car seats, you must treat them immediately. Stains will be harder to remove when left on the suede seats’ surface for longer.
There are different approaches to different stains. But the first step is the same for cleaning all kinds of stains, which is to remove the staining substances. Blot the stains with soft cloth or paper towel.
You should be working in small areas and moving from the outside of the substances towards the center to prevent the stain from spreading. Also, do it gently to prevent damaging the suede and pushing the stain further into the seats.
Step 4: Treating the Stains
After getting rid of the substance on the surface, proceed to treat the stain. Just find the steps for whatever stain you have in your car seats below.
- Ground-in Dirt, Non-Permanent Ink, and Pencil
Using a towel or sponge, treat the stains with lukewarm water. You would rinse out the affected areas by dabbing a damp towel or sponge on them. In the process, you should wring the towel or sponge often.
- Black Coffee, Tea, Coke, Beer, Wine, and Other Alcoholic Beverages
Treat the stains with lukewarm water with the use of a towel or sponge. If a color mark remains, use the towel or sponge to treat the affected area with lemon juice. Then, thoroughly rinse the area.
- Coffee With Cream and Sugar, Ice Cream, Hair Gel
Apply lemon juice on the stains and then wipe the affected areas using a towel damp with lukewarm water. Rinse the affected areas with a damp towel. Don’t forget to wring the towel or sponge as much as possible.
- Ketchup, Mayo, Syrup, Jelly, Fruit Juice
Make use of lukewarm water. Rinse the affected areas with lukewarm water and a towel or sponge. Remember to wring the towel or sponge as often as possible.
- Blood, Urine, Excrement, or Protein-Based Stains
Treat the stains with cold water—not warm water, as it makes such substances coagulate. Rinse them off by dabbing a towel or sponge damp with cold water on them. Wring the towel or sponge as much as you can.
- Dried, Hardened Stains
Create a mixture of equal parts alcohol with distilled water and spray it on a microfiber cloth. Gently blot the hardened stain with the cloth, then wipe it with another towel damp with water. Lastly, wipe off the moisture and residue with a dry towel.
Repeating the process may be necessary if there is still a stain remaining or an improvement in appearance is still possible. Finally, let the area air dry. Leaving the doors or windows open would help.
Conclusion
Don’t neglect your suede car seats or you’ll end up regretting it. Hopefully, you enjoyed reading this tutorial on how to clean suede car seats and have comfy and clean suede seats after following the steps provided.
Comment on this article if you liked it. Also, why not share this to help others with their suede interior?
