Cleaning fabric seats?

[MaximumMD]

I'm about to clean some fabric seats that are pretty dirty. I clean then by using APC and a brush then use my little green machine on them. I'm not a big fan of how wet the seats get since it's ALWAYS hard to try and dry the seats out before I'm all done. Do you guys clean seats differently or any advice on how to clean them without getting the seats so wet?

[Mike Phillips]

Be sure to vacuum really well first as this will lift dirt out and lift fibers up a little. Spraying any kind of liquid onto fabric acts to draw any dirt deeper into the fabric, so remove what you can with a vacuum first.

Blot out excess water using a clean, dry towel or even something like a synthetic chamois, something that absorbs water well.

To dry faster, place an electric fan in the car so that it blows onto the sets, just having an air-current inside the car will speed up evaporation.


I'm sure others will chime in with their tips and techniques...

[SeaJay's]

You can also run the heat in the car on high for a little while. Only issue with this is that it burns fuel and if your working in a garage the exhaust.

[AeroCleanse]

I use steam, which leaves the seats dry in like 5min. For deeper cleaning, the Tornador works great, if you have an air compressor.

[Cruiser57]

I use a Porter Cable polisher with the brush attachment and Resolve spray cleaner. This keeps the seats from getting to wet and Resolve does a good job on stains and leaves a fresh clean scent. Always vacuum first and you can use an extractor afterwards if you like. Just be careful of applying to much water as it can take along time to get moisture out of car seats. Nothing worse than a call 2 days later saying my pants are wet after sitting in my car for a few minutes.

[Perfections]

Vacuum, use carpet brush, vacuum again, then I start with folex spraying it on and wiping with a clean mf, if the stains bad I hit it with spot shot, then wipe dry with a clean mf, if the whole seats dirty and your customers in a rush I would still stick with top techniques, if they aren't an extractor is a great option

[Flash Gordon]

PUll the seats, spray with APC, let dwell, rinse with hose, scrub like a mad man, then rinse each seat throughly. Point them towards the Sun and let dry

Tada, Mama Mia

[MaximumMD]

PUll the seats, spray with APC, let dwell, rinse with hose, scrub like a mad man, then rinse each seat throughly. Point them towards the Sun and let dry

Tada, Mama Mia

Well I'm in Oregon and if you don't know to much about Oregon... we don't get to much sun this time of the year

[Rsurfer]

Saturating a seat and using an extractor can still cause mold if not dried out throughly. Steaming is the best way to clean and sanitize fabric seats.

[David Fermani]

Regardless of the method used to clean the fabric, it's important to lift the dirt out of the seat. I like to use cotton towels as they do a great job of pulling the soiling out. I then avoid using hot air because it tends to harden/brown/wick any remaining soiling. Once it's dry, I'll go over it again with either a foam cleaner (glass or upolstery) and another cotton towel.