Cleaning Car Seats:
Easier than you ever thought

Cleaning car seats is far easier than most people realize. Forget about bulky and troublesome carpet extractors and special equipment.

With the products, tools, and techniques I am going to help you get fantastic results with very little effort. Your car seats are the first things you tend to see as you get into your car. Having dirty car seats gets annoying very quickly for most people.

We are going to put an end to that!

Cleaning Car Seats the Easy Way

I have found that most people are not looking for perfection when it comes to their cars. Not that we can't reach pretty close to perfection, but what we are after here is simple ways to achieve acceptable results.

And regardless if you have leather car seats, cloth car seats, or velour cloth seats, the products, the tools, and the techniques are all the same.

Cleaning your car seats along with the rest of your car upholstery really is far easier than most people have been lead to believe.

Car Seat Upholstery Cleaners:
Ready-to-Use (RTU)

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If you are looking just to find a great car upholstery cleaner for cleaning car seats and want super simple, then the ready to use upholstery cleaners are the way to go.

Adam's Car Upholstery Cleaner (RTU) on Amazon

• One of my favorite ready-to-use car upholstery cleaners
• Whether you are cleaning car seats or shampooing your floor mats; this cleaner will perform
• Professional results in a ready to use formulation
• Can also be used to clean your car leather

Chemical Guys Fabric Clean (RTU) on Amazon

• Chemical Guys is a top rated car upholstery cleaner for car enthusiasts and hobbyists
• I have used and tested this myself and it performs beautifully
• Professional grade performance in a ready to use formulation
• Perfect for any car owner with limited need for cleaning car seats or car upholstery
• Can also be used on car leather
  

Darren's Tips: Either one of the above ready-to-use car upholstery shampoos will be ideal for cleaning car seats. These products are as simple as simple can get as they come in an effective formulation in their own dedicated sprayer bottle.

Match either one up to my recommended scrub brushes below and you are ready to go!

Cleaning Car Seats:
Simple Steps to Success

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Pre-Vacuum

Don’t underestimate how important this step really is!
Whether you’re cleaning car seats, breaking up embedded dirt, or preparing to shampoo your floor mats, remember this: it’s always easier to vacuum dry debris before introducing any upholstery cleaner. Once moisture hits the surface, dirt becomes heavier, stickier, and messier.

Use your chosen upholstery scrub brush to loosen the dirt first.

Give the area a quick, firm scrub to break the bond between the fabric and the grime, then vacuum up everything you’ve released during that initial pass.

For even better results, try scrubbing and vacuuming at the same time during this pre-vacuum stage. Most people are shocked by how much dirt comes out using this simple method — before a single drop of shampoo ever touches the fabric.

Shampoo Application

Once you’ve finished pre-vacuuming, it’s time to apply your upholstery cleaner. Lightly mist the area with your chosen upholstery shampoo — about 3 to 5 full sprays per section is usually ideal.

To make the job easier (and less overwhelming), break your car’s interior into smaller sections before you start. This helps you stay focused and ensures every surface gets the attention it deserves. Even with individual seats, divide them into smaller zones — work on one area at a time, then move on to the next.

One of the most common mistakes I see is people over-saturating their upholstery, thinking more product means a deeper clean. It doesn’t.

Lighter, repeat applications are always better than flooding the fabric with cleaner. This approach gives you more control, prevents over-wetting, and delivers a cleaner, more professional finish.

Scrub Area

Now you’re ready to move in and start scrubbing — assuming you’ve already done your pre-vacuuming and initial agitation. With your upholstery cleaner applied, use your chosen scrub brush to break loose the remaining dirt and grime.

Select your brush based on the material you’re cleaning and the level of soil you’re tackling. Car interiors are made up of many different materials — cloth, vinyl, leather, carpet — and each area collects dirt differently. The driver’s seat and floor mats, for example, will always demand more attention than rear seats or door panels.

No matter which brush you use, remember you’re in control. If you’re unsure, start with a light touch, check your progress, and adjust your pressure or brush type as needed. Car seat upholstery varies widely in texture and durability, so it’s always smart to test a small, hidden area first. This helps ensure you’re cleaning effectively without fraying or damaging the fabric.

The key is balance — firm enough to lift the dirt, gentle enough to protect the material.

Mop-up Dirt

Now that you’ve vacuumed, sprayed, and scrubbed your car seats, it’s time to remove the loosened dirt and leftover upholstery shampoo. For this step, I highly recommend microfiber cloths (see link below) — they’re hands-down the best choice for virtually any detailing task.

No other material offers the same winning combination of qualities:

• Softness: Gentle on all fabrics, safe for even the most delicate materials.
• Absorbency: Soaks up moisture and cleaner more efficiently than cotton or terry.
• Lint-Free Finish: None of the lint you will get with other types of cloths or rags.

If you’ve only ever used old towels or generic rags, you’ll notice microfiber behaves differently at first — it “grabs” the surface instead of gliding smoothly. That’s a good thing. It’s the unique fiber structure doing its job by lifting dirt instead of just smearing it around.

Don’t get discouraged if it feels awkward initially. Once you experience the superior results microfiber delivers, you’ll never go back. I can say from experience — it took me a short adjustment period as a professional detailer, but now I can’t imagine using anything else.

Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.

As I mentioned earlier, light, repeat applications are the key to cleaning car seats — and really any fabric inside your vehicle.

Using more upholstery cleaner doesn’t mean the dirt will magically lift faster or easier.

In most cases, especially with heavily soiled interiors, multiple light applications are simply part of the process. It’s far better to work in layers than to oversaturate the material, which only adds unnecessary drying time and risk.

As a professional detailer, I’ve cleaned cars so dirty that I’ve had to go over the same seats ten times or more to get them truly clean. There’s no fixed number — your results will depend on the material, how dirty it is, and what level of perfection you’re after.

Just remember: patience and repetition always outperform flooding the surface with product.

Darren's Note: Many people approach car seat cleaning with unrealistic expectations — usually because they don’t realize how long dirt has been building up. If your seats have years of accumulated grime, it’s possible you won’t be able to remove every bit of discoloration. Over time, even “normal” dirt can permanently tint light-colored fabrics if it’s allowed to sit for too long.

That’s why it’s always better to clean regularly — even casually or quickly — rather than “kicking the can down the road.” Waiting months or years only lets dirt work deeper into the fibers, turning what was once removable grime into permanent staining.

Here’s a good way to frame it: imagine your car upholstery was in your living room. If your couch or carpet looked like your car seats do before cleaning, would you think a quick wipe-down would fix it — or would you admit it was probably time for replacement?

This isn’t meant to discourage you — it’s to help you set realistic expectations. Cars are different from household furniture, and results will vary, but in nearly every case I’ve seen professionally, following the exact method I’ve outlined produces dramatic, satisfying results that will absolutely put a smile on your face.

Cleaning Car Seats:
Question and Answers

If you have made it this far into this page you are an anomaly! Most people simply want short-cut answers which only deliver short-cut results.

This is a one way ticket to disappointment and frustration!

I will take a break from my further recommendations when cleaning car seats to answer many of the questions that are popular on this subject, but only deliver bad results from websites that clearly do not speak from any actual real world experience.

What Is The Easiest Way To Clean Cloth Seats

The easiest way to clean any cloth or leather seat is as outlined so far on this page.

• Pre-vacuum to remove loose dirt (dry dirt is far easier to remove than dirt that is now wet with upholstery shampoo)
• Spray are to be shampooed
• Scrub with chosen scrub brush
• Mop up with micro-fiber cloth
• Repeat until desired results are achieved or until you have determined that the car seat is as clean as it will get

Can You Use Laundry Detergent To Clean Car Seats

Yes, but I wouldn't recommend it. And since you ask, you could literally use any all purpose cleaner for cleaning car seats. But dedicated car upholstery shampoos and all-purpose cleaners are designed to be used by hand, by both non-professionals and professionals.

Laundry detergents are designed to be used in washing machines where lots of water will also be used to clean and rinse your clothes.

How To Remove Water Stains From Car Seats

Water stains and other liquid spills represent unique challenges when cleaning car seats that are made of cloth. Cloth seats are porous and gravity also works to draw liquid spills down, and into every fiber of your cloth car seats.

This is called "wicking" in the industry. For any liquid spill or water stains in particular, I recommend the following:

• Scrub area first with a dry, stiff nylon upholstery brush to break up and loosen any dried dirt
• Vacuum very thoroughly
• Use a dedicated car upholstery shampoo and spritz the spot that needs cleaning, then scrub, mop up and repeat as many times as necessary to clean the specific spot.
• Once you have cleaned the actual spot, you now want to "blend"  this freshly cleaned spot into the surrounding areas. You do this by applying your cleaner to all surrounding areas and cleaning the larger or entire section just like you did the spot. This will help ensure that when the area is dry, you will be left with a uniformed and clean section. 
• Allow to dry and check results
• If the stain or water spot remains, you will need to repeat your cleaning of the entire area again— some water spots are stubborn and you may need to do this a few times in order to achieve desired results.

Can Every Stain Be Cleaned Form Cloth Seats

No, no, and no!

Just like your house or your clothes, there are certain stains and certain materials that simply will not come completely clean.

This is where realistic expectations are needed. Of course if you have no experience you will be unsure as to what realistic expectations mean.

Often people forget that if the carpeting upholstery in their house was as dirty as their car seats, they would accept they would need to replace that carpeting or upholstery.

Often people think that cleaning car seats is somehow different and therefore develop unrealistic expectations for cleaning the upholstery in their car.

What Is The Best Upholstery Shampoo To Clean Car Seats

Not only is this one of the most common questions for anyone looking to clean car seats, but it is often part of the cleaning process that many people over-think.

If we are cleaning car seats, everyone of us would naturally want to find the best car upholstery shampoo, but the reality is that most upholstery shampoos deliver the same results.

There are far more critical factors that will determine your end results than the actual upholstery shampoo.

• What type of material are you cleaning?
• How long has the car seat remained dirty(months, years)?
• How much dirt has accumulated?
• Has the car upholstery been treated with a fabric protector?
• Are there liquid spills you are trying to clean and what type of liquid is it?

The point being is that the material itself and the exact type of dirt or stain on your car seats will be a much bigger determining factor than trying to spend days searching for the best car upholstery shampoo.

What Do Professionals Use To Clean Car Seats

Similar to the question above, the actual car upholstery is less of a determinant than the method a professional uses when cleaning car seats. From commercial pre-spotters, to carpet extractor machines, to steam cleaners, car detailing professional like myself have access to equipment that allow every car upholstery shampoo to produce better results.

But most of these methods would prove completely unrealistic for most car owners looking to clean car seats at home.

Can You Use car Seat Shampoo To Detail Interior Of Car

Yes! Any car upholstery or all purpose cleaner that works in cleaning car seats can also be used to clean the other, water safe materials in your cars interior.

below is a picture from the convertible boot cover of a BMW I used to clean using the same shampoo I used to clean the car seats; which in this case was actually car leather seats.

Cleaning Car Seats:
Tools of Engagement

While a top rated car upholstery shampoo is critical, you should not over-look finding the right tool for the job

Car Upholstery Scrub Brush Set

Upholstery Cleaning Brush Set on Amazon

• A perfect combination brush cleaning set to handle the majority of car interiors and materials
• One brush made of gentle horse hair perfect for cleaning for sensitive materials and areas: leather, velour, headliner, etc.
• One brush with synthetic, stiffer bristles for heavier duty cleaning: floor mats, carpeting, cloth seats, etc.
• Labeled as boat scrub brushes, but ideal for any car upholstery cleaning
  

OXO Detail Upholstery Scrub Brush Set

OXO Detailing Scrub Brushes on Amazon

• Perfect balance of size and bristle stiffness for all those detailed areas of your cars interior
• Not too stiff, not too soft
• Unique set that includes a rubber detail scraper
• Can be used on endless surfaces when detailing car interior

Detail Dusting Brushes

Maxshine Detail Vent Brush Set on Amazon

• Excellent detail brushes for the "details" of car interior cleaning.
• since you will already be cleaning your car seats, most likely your efforts will then transition into the more intricate areas of your cars interior.
• I like this set as I can reserve one for using wet with my choice in a car upholstery shampoo, and one to remain dry for dry dusting the dash vents, cubby holes, gauges, etc.
• Ultra soft bristles.

Micro-Fiber Detailing Cloths

Kirkland Microfiber Cloths on Amazon

• The micro-fiber cloths are perfect for cleaning car seats of any other car upholstery cleaning
• What I consider disposable micro-fiber cloths (this doesn't mean they are poor quality and you can certainly spend a small fortune on premium micro-fiber cloths, but when it comes to cleaning car seats or any other basic detailing task, these represent an economical means of getting good value for your money)
  
• Perfect size that are more suited than many of the cheaper and smaller sized micro-fiber cleaning cloths

Cleaning Car Seats Summary

In review I will leave you with the following checklist for cleaning and shampooing your car seats:

• Not all car upholstery shampoos are created equal and my two recommendations will provide you with excellent results.
  
• Always start by reading manufactures labeling (It's amazing what you can learn by reading first)
• Remember to remain realistic as not every stain will come out of your cars upholstery. This is not to discourage you as I promise you will be amazed, but I also don't want you being disappointed due to unrealistic expectations.
  
• If your car has been neglected long enough, basic dirt will eventually discolor lighter materials. For this reason regular clearings are the best way to prevent permanent damage and staining.
  
• As a rule most people are very happy with the results they are able to achieve with a quality upholstery cleaner and the right scrub brushes.

I hope I have now given you the motivation to take matters into your own hands. You will truly be amazed out how much good damage you can do once you are armed with the right products, tools, and knowledge.

In a matter of a short time and some effort, you can transform your car into a level of clean you didn't think was possible!

Sincerely,

Darren Priest

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