Products to Clean Stains in Your Car
Cars take a beating in helping us carry out our daily lives. When learning how to deal with stubborn stains in the carpet or upholstery to lingering, unpleasant odors, a vehicle owner can benefit greatly from reading on for the following D.Y.I interior cleaning tips. These tips for lifting unsightly stains and banishing interior odors will come in handy for any vehicle owner, and the best part is, most of the cleaning products mentioned here are common household items.
First, a few interior detail tips.
Pick a sunny day and try to assign a couple of hours to the task of returning your vehicle’s interior to almost-like-new status. To better get a handle on the areas that need extra attention, empty out your vehicle of all personal items that you can. Bring out the vacuum for those larger but still annoyingly small things like pieces of candy or small plastic or paper particles.
The day before your set to clean, do these simple steps to reclaim a neutral smell in your vehicle like when you first got it. Set out two bowls of white vinegar, one on the dash and the other on the back seat. After setting out the bowls, seal all the windows and let the magic happen overnight as the white vinegar should absorb all of the odors inside your vehicle. In the morning, empty the bowls and open all the windows and doors to let the vinegary smell properly dissipate. You should be left with fresh, neutral air.
The last general tip can work wonders for your future cleaning efforts when a liquid like soda or coffee gets spilled. A great rule of thumb with these types of spills is to pour a little cool water on the spot immediately and blot it out with a towel or cloth. This will make later stain lifting efforts much easier.
Four Common Products to Clean Your Vehicle’s Interior
Glass cleaner
This product is a great stain lifter for upholstery or carpet that also doesn’t leave a soapy residue behind. Simply soak the troublesome spot with some regular glass cleaner, let it sit for about five minutes, and use a clean cloth or paper towel to absorb the cleaner along with the stain.
Baking soda
Whether it’s a pet or a sick passenger, vomit stains can be particularly tricky as they are acidic. For this reason, it is important to be prepared by simply repurposing or picking up a box of baking soda to keep in your car at all times in case someone or an animal gets car sick. Dilute the baking soda with water, apply to the messy spot, rinse with cool water and blot dry with a cloth or towel.
Hairspray
Hairspray, believe it or not, is very effective at lifting ink stains. Soak the pen ink stain moderately with hairspray, let sit until the stain fades, and rinse with water.
Ammonia
Ammonia can work wonders on vehicles that have carpets that are a bit faded. To be safe with this technique, after combining your half-cup of clear ammonia with around a pint of water mixture, test your solution on the carpet in your vehicle’s trunk first to be positive it won’t leave the carpet any worse for the wear. After this bit of due diligence, however, your ammonia plus water solution can wonderfully restore your vehicle’s carpets to a virtually factory-fresh condition.
Too busy? Get professional detailing help.
For those without the needed time to devote to these tasks, the helpful staff at the Car Wash Zone are always available should you need professional help with your interior, as well as exterior, detailing needs. We offer full-service washes as well!
