Car Stain Removal: Your Ultimate Guide!
Stains Are The Worst!
I haven’t ever met anyone who enjoys having stains in their car. Whether that’s the upholstery or the carpets having stains is no fun and can really ruin the look of an otherwise really nice car. Lots of people struggle to know how to get rid of stains and what they are allowed to do inside their car so that things don’t get damaged but the stain still comes out. I am here to put all of your worries to rest! Here is a detailed step by step guide on car stain removal to attack those disgusting pop spills, coffee marks, or maybe your kid got a little car sick.
Step 1 – Vacuum
Before we do anything to the carpet or seats we have to make sure that the surface is relatively free of debris, so pull out those soccer shoes, the old fast food bags, and get vacuuming! It shouldn’t be all that difficult, just a relatively thorough once over to get the bulk of the crumbs and dirt that have been collecting.
Step 2 – Brush
It might seem kind of silly if you haven’t ever tried it, but one of the most effective ways to get stubborn debris up and out of the carpet or seat fibers is to brush it! We use a drill and a brush attachment to speed this part up, if you don’t have one that is ok! Any normal nylon brush will work wonders! You might find one lying around your kitchen sink or your laundry closet. I like to brush in a cross section pattern to be thorough in lifting up all the stuff out of the carpet. You can also use a toothbrush (probably not the one on the bathroom counter) to get into the cracks and crevices that are harder to reach with a bigger brush.
Step 3 – Vacuum again!
This won’t be the last time, but turn the vac on again and collect the new dirt you have expertly brought to the surfaces from your years of brushing your teeth twice a day. Your carpet should be looking rather clean right now besides that obvious stains that you’re here to get rid of.
Step 4 – Spray!
The next step for effective car stain removal is to use an appropriate chemical for the stain. There are 3 main types of cleaners that we see used most in car stains; An enzyme spray (breaks down organic material and food), a degreaser (breaks down.. well.. grease), and a dedicated shampoo (collects dirt and smells nice). If you know what your stain is made of then that is fantastic! You will be able to attack it head on with exactly what it needs to be loosened up and taken out. If you aren’t sure what your stain is then this might take some more trial and error. We suggest starting with the shampoo as a benchmark. Lightly spray the entire section of fabric that the stain sits in and more heavily saturate the effected spot directly. Be sure to read the directions and ensure that your bottle isn’t meant to be diluted prior to use.
Step 5 – Brush! Again!
We call this phase agitating the stain. Its been bugging you so now it’s your turn to bug the stain back. Break out your handy dandy brush and work the product into the fabric. I like to use the cross section method from earlier to get all of the fibers, focus more on the spots you know have the worst staining though.
Step 6 – Wipe!
After scrubbing until your arm is weirdly tired for the amount of work you are doing it is time to wipe up residue from the carpet. Using a clean microfiber cloth wipe the carpet thoroughly. You may notice a big difference! This probably means that you chose correctly with your chemical. If you don’t see much of a difference switch up your strategy and go back to step 4. You may have lost the battle but you will win the war.
Step 7 – Stain Still There?
So you tried switching chemicals and brushing and wiping and then doing it all again but it isn’t budging? That sucks, but there is hope! Heat is a magical thing. It causes chemicals who are already working hard to work even harder! We have a steamer for this, but if you have an iron with a steaming function that can work too! Be very careful not to burn yourself. Steam is powerful and can help with even the toughest of stains. I like to wrap a cloth around my steamer as I work through the stain in the car, this helps to soak up the stain as you break it down. Feel free to Repeat steps 4-7 and you will be surprised at power of your steam! Another option that is less available to people is to use a dedicated carpet extractor. Something like the Bissel little Green Machine or another type of machine similar can do a great job at helping to lift a stain up and out of your car’s fabric.
Step 8 – The Finale
You have made it! At this point your stain should be gone! Car stain removal isn’t as hard as you thought! Give the area one more vacuum and wipe then your carpets should be almost good as new! Feel free to do this process through the rest of your car and it will smell and look amazing! This has been your ultimate guide to removing those loving mistakes from the carpets in your car.
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