Upholstery cleaner?

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Spook50

Spook50

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What do you guys recommend as the best upholstery cleaner to use on our seats? I've got my back seat torn apart completely and figured while I've got it apart I'd give the fabric a good cleaning to get 22+ years' worth of stains from food and skin oils out.

If I had a front load washing machine I'd just pull the metal rods out and run it through there (did it before with other seat covers with awesome results), but no bueno on that one.
 
I dont expect anything would beat pulling the cover and running it through the washer. If you dont have a front load, why not take it to a laundromat. Most of them have front loaders.

For a less effective route, Ive rented steam cleaners that do a good job, and Ive also had good effects from the OxyClean carpet cleaner you can get at any parts store. It did a really good job of getting stains out for me.
 
I wash some stuff - i.e. rugs, sleeping bags, etc. - in a bathtub with cold water, woolite, and a diluted oxyclean. I imagine that you could do the same with the seat covers and probably get most of the crud off of it that way. I think that the seat covers might fray/tear if it got beat up in the washing machine, even a front load might pull threads out, etc., as it rotated the cover...

My $0.02
 
I would not put seat covers in the wash...too much potential for damage.

srogers is right about a good old fashoined handwashing in the tub...maybe pretreat with a little laundry stain remover like Shout.
 
kerosene or gasoline will remove all stains... just don't smoke around it until it evaporates
 
HIJACK: is there a way to remove odors that are penetrated deep in the foam? I left my windows open and I think a cat or some animal sprayed the front driver seat. It smelled so bad that I ended up pulling the seat off three weeks ago, put in the garage, checked last night and it still smells just as bad... using my old vinyl seat for now.

hijack over, sorry.

ML
 
I don't know about smells like that, where it might be embedded in the material, but I keep about two or three of the fridge/freezer packs of baking soda in my rigs - stashed under seats, etc. - and it helps keep the stink at bay.

What the Mrs. affectionately dubs as "man stink" - i.e. dirty waders, boots, cigars, etc. - the baking soda does a decent job of absorbing.

My 60 had a slight dog odor to it when I bought it, just put about a half dozen of those freezer baking soda boxes in there and kept the windows rolled up, did a pretty good job about a week or two.
 
I've had good luck with Folex. White bottle with purple writing. You can find it in the cleaning supplies at the Home Depot. Spray it on, work it with your fingers and blot with a towel. Cleaned by carpet in my Saab very well, you can also use it on your home carpets. No harsh chemicals, doesn't smell.

I think it was $6, worth a shot.
 
Simple green was very effective on the seats of my 60. Start w/20 % strength & evaluate as you go.

John
 
Careful with the simple green, ruined a family member's carpet in their domestic. I've steam cleaned the insides of all my cars, works very well. I sprayed all the fabrics with a mix of oxyclean(the clothes stuff) in a pump bottle. Scubbed stains with a brush. If you couldn't or didn't want to rent a machine, I suppose you could somehow spray hot water on the fabric and suck it up with a shop vac...When I did my "nice" cars the water would come out like coffee
 
Last edited:
Pre-treat the heavy stains with Goop ultimate stain lifter*. Then use the Seven in one carpet and upholstery cleaner they sell at Home Depot. I have a Hoover carpet cleaner with Upholstery attachments that I use on all the trucks. In the past I have used a spray bottle, fingernail brush and shop vac to clean car interiors.



*I spilled chili on the tail gate carpet of the 100 last weekend while we were killing Xmas trees, Goop totally removed the stains.
 
foamy Woolite fabric and Upholstery cleaner that comes in the blue can... and a good vacuum..... and a couple of beers!
 
srogers said:
I wash some stuff - i.e. rugs, sleeping bags, etc. - in a bathtub with cold water, woolite, and a diluted oxyclean. I imagine that you could do the same with the seat covers and probably get most of the crud off of it that way. I think that the seat covers might fray/tear if it got beat up in the washing machine, even a front load might pull threads out, etc., as it rotated the cover...

My $0.02
Click to expand...

Did that here. Pulled the metal rods out, used some normal laundry detergent and pretreated the nasty stains with stain stick, washed good by hand, rinsed twice, let dry, and the upholstery looks factory new.

Smells way the hell better too :D
 
meatloaf said:
HIJACK: is there a way to remove odors that are penetrated deep in the foam? I left my windows open and I think a cat or some animal sprayed the front driver seat. It smelled so bad that I ended up pulling the seat off three weeks ago, put in the garage, checked last night and it still smells just as bad... using my old vinyl seat for now.

hijack over, sorry.

ML
Click to expand...

anti-icky-poo

enzyme based...i've had cats for a long time...this worked for the occasional accident.
 
I pulled mine and removed all the metal bits. Pre-treated a couple of spots with Shout and threw some oxiclean in the front-load washer along with detergent and a few other pieces of clothing.

Came out looking almost new, and smells great as well.

I am looking for a method to clean stuff still in the truck though, not wanting to remove the back seat bottom just to wash it.
20190209_132703.webp
 
I've had good luck with turtle wax foaming upholstery cleaner. Spray it on till you have like foam on it really good. Let it soak for a few minutes. Then with a soft (not the one on the can) brush gently swirl it around. Then use a shop vac to draw it off.
It cleans seats and door panels etc really well. It smells okay too. Amazon product ASIN B003K1ES2C
 
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