People nowadays are always in a hurry. We buy food and drinks through the drive-throughs and eat inside the car to save more time. Because of that, food and beverages sometimes spill on our car seats and other parts of the car’s interior.
Sodas are often spilled inside the car especially when people drink inside when the car is moving. Either to treat new or old marks, read on to know the easiest way on how to get soda stains out of car seats.
Step-by-Step Guide
1. For leather car seats
What to prepare:
- Leather cleaner or a mixture of baking soda, water, and vinegar
- Detailing brush or soft-bristled brush
- Leather conditioner
- Microfiber cloth
- Vacuum cleaner (optional)
- Clean bowl
Step 1: Pre-clean the car seats.
Before you start applying any solutions to your car seat, remove the debris and removable substances on your leather car seat. If you have a vacuum, thoroughly clean all around the seat.
If you don’t have a vacuum cleaner, you can use a dry microfiber cloth to clean the spilled drink or any removable substance or debris. Ensure all nooks and crannies are cleaned before proceeding to the next step.
Step 2: Make your cleaning solution.
If you already have a leather cleaner, you can use that to clean soda out of your car seat. However, if you do not have that, you can mix baking soda and vinegar.
You can make a soda stain removal solution by mixing baking soda, water, and vinegar in a clean bowl. Mix water, baking soda, and vinegar to clean your cleaner, if the mixture is too watery, add baking soda until you reach a foamy texture.
Step 3: Appy the cleaner or mixture on the car seats.
Before you apply the leather cleaner or the cleaning mixture on your car seat to clean spilled soda, do a safety test on your car seat by applying the solution on a small part to see if it will have a bad reaction like discoloration or cracking. If there is no harmful reaction, proceed with this step.
- If you are using the leather cleaner, directly spray the cleaner on the car seat and use a detailing brush or soft-bristled brush to remove soda stains from car seats. Wipe away the dirt using a clean cloth on the car seats.
- If you are using the baking soda, water, and vinegar mixture, apply a generous amount of foamy mixture on the car seats and let it set for 3-5 minutes. This will let the mixture absorb the dirt to clean your car upholstery. Wipe away the residue of the solution using a damp microfiber cloth.
Repeat this step as needed.
Step 4: Apply leather conditioner.
After cleaning the baking soda solution off of your car seats, apply the leather conditioner to maintain the condition of your leather and for extra protection from cracks.
Pour the leather conditioner of a clean dry microfiber cloth and wipe it all around your leather car seat. This will make your car seat look brand new and shiny.
2. For fabric car seats
What to prepare:
- Microfiber cloth
- A mixture of baking soda, water, and vinegar
- Clean bowl
- Cleaning brush
- Vacuum
Step 1: Pre-clean the car seats.
Use a vacuum cleaner, preferably Shap-Vac, to remove debris and other substances on your car seat. If you don’t have a Shop-Vac, any vacuum cleaners will do.
Vacuum all corners of your car seat to make sure that there is no dirt left, especially on your car seat fabric, as there are stitches that may store dirt.
Step 2: Make your cleaning solution.
To get stains out of car seats, you can make a stain removal solution by mixing baking soda, water, and vinegar in a clean bowl. Mix a 1:1/2:1/4 ratio of water, baking soda, and vinegar, if the mixture is too watery, add baking soda until you reach a foamy texture.
Step 3: Apply cleaning solution on the car seat.
Before you apply the cleaning mixture to remove tough stains, do a safety test on your car seat by applying the solution on a small part to see if it will have a bad reaction like discoloration or cracking. If there is no harmful reaction, proceed with this step.
Once you have a foamy mixture, apply a generous amount of mixture to the fabric. Leave the mixture on the car seat for 5-10 minutes. Use a cleaning brush to scrub the solution on the fabric in a circular motion to work the stain out.
However, to get old soda stains out of car seats, leave the baking soda on car seats for 20-30 minutes to let the solution work its effect on the stains before you scrub it using a cleaning brush. Scrub in a circular motion to get the stain out.
Lastly, use a damp microfiber cloth to clean car upholstery from the residue of the cleaning mixture. Repeat this step as needed.
Step 4: Vacuum the remaining solution.
You might notice some white residue on the car seats from the baking soda solution. Use Shap-Vac to thoroughly remove the remaining residues. You can use any vacuum cleaner if Shop-Vac is not available.
FAQs
Why are baking soda and vinegar recommended to remove car seat stains?
It is recommended to use these products to remove stains on your car seats as they make a chemical reaction that absorbs stains and dirt. Vinegar also helps in removing unpleasant odors and molds in your car seat.
How to remove stains on car door fabric?
Use a mixture of dish soap and water to clean the car door fabric. Use a cleaning brush to scrub the stains. Then remove residue using a clean dry cloth. Vacuum the remaining solution out to avoid molds that create a bad odor. You can also do this on your car roof if those have the same fabric.
Conclusion
Car seat stains are unpleasant to look at and may affect the wellness of your car. As an owner we always want our cars to be presentable, especially if people want to have a ride with us.
The steps above on how to get soda stains out of car seats are the easiest and most convenient way I can find. The tools and materials are all found in our house, in case we need to clean a new soda stain immediately.
I hope that this helps you make cleaning soda stains the easiest. Feel free to share this guide with your friends and family too to help them!
