How Frequently Should I Clean Car Seats?

August 19th, 2019

Most people tend to think about making sure that their car is clean on the exterior. However, the interior of cars is often neglected, most especially car seats. You may not notice it, but your car seats are great when it comes to accumulating dust, gunk, spills and other food debris. It is important to make sure that your car seats remain clean in order to ensure that they are free from stains, and that there are well maintained.

Benefits of Regular Cleaning

Regular cleaning of your car seats will also help extend its lifespan, saving you from possible expensive upholsteries in the future. Stains that are left untreated can lead to severe damages that can only be repaired with replacement.

Also, regular car sear maintenance will also make sure that your vehicle remains in good condition, and it also maintains its overall value as well. Your car will have a higher resale value when you keep it clean and maintained.

How Often Should Car Seats Be Cleaned

Car seats will inevitably accumulate stains, dirt, and other debris. Ideally, you should be cleaning your car seat regularly, preferably once a week, or once every one and a half weeks. Food, stains, dust and other elements can get stuck in between cracks, so it is only important to make sure that they are cleaned properly. If the covers of your seats are removable, make sure to wash them once in two weeks, or as needed. Also make sure that you disinfect your car seats regularly as well.

Cleaning Your Car Seats

Most car seats are made from leather, cloth or vinyl. Cleaning each type requires various methods to make sure that it is done correctly, without damaging the material. Before proceeding with cleaning, make sure that you vacuum the surrounding areas and the seats in order to remove as much dirt as you can from the seats. Below are some tips you can follow depending on the material of your car seat:

  • For Leather Seats – Cleaning and maintaining leather can be quite tricky, because the color of leather can change and become lighter over time. You can invest in high-quality leather maintenance or cleaning product to make sure that the color remains the same or is kept well. There are a lot of spray-on cleaning products that are available in the market. Others can be wiped with a towel as well. Make sure to dry your leather seats with microfiber cloth, and make sure that it is dried thoroughly.
  • For Cloth Seats – Cloth car seats can be prone to stain, it can also be susceptible to bad odor as well. You can use a all-around upholstery cleaner on your cloth seats. If there are stains, you may wash them or you can use a stain remover. You can also buy some spray on disinfectants that can get rid of bad smell or odor as well.

For Vinyl Seats – Vinyl car seats are easier to take care of compared to leather material. You simply have to pick a cleaner that is compatible with vinyl material. You can simply spray them on the car seat and wipe it off with a rag or cloth. Then use another cloth to dry the seat.