Every day we get calls from customers that have stains in their car seats.  Their main objective is to remove the stains.  Sometimes it’s possible, sometimes it’s not.  In this article, we are going to show you how we go about moving stains with a three-step process that includes shampooing, steam cleaning, and hot water extraction.  Some seats hide stains well, yet some seats will leave a stain behind simply from spilling water on the surface.  We see it time and time again, unfortunately.  But never fear, there is a solution, and we can help.  Follow along and see how we go about removing stains.

 

Look closely above and you’ll see white spots on the stained car seat.  That is the bubble effect of spraying our upholstery shampoo on the surface.  In this case, the shampoo is Detail King’s Extractor Soap diluted 50/50 with water.  Just a few sprays is all that’s necessary.  Once the shampoo sits on the surface for two or three minutes the next step is to steam and agitate the surface.

 

Look above and you’ll see a triangular brush that is attached to the vapor steamer that we use for steam cleaning a car upholstery seat.  320-degree vapor steam is being projected out of a small hole on the bottom of the brush, and the brush head is agitating and lifting the dirt to the surface at the same time.  This steaming process does not remove the dirt, grime, and stains.  What it’s doing is bringing it to the surface so we can remove it more effectively with the extraction process.

 

The hot water extractor that we use is a Mytee HP60 heated carpet extractor.  This is a must-have tool in the world of detailing.   There is no way that we could continue detailing an interior without this machine.  The hand tool that we use is not the stock upholstery tool that comes standard with the machine.  We use a three in a tool that is much better quality and adds more suction as well.  Using a three-inch tool over the standard tool not only adds more suction but allows us to reach tighter areas and do a better job.  The photo above shows the extractor in action.  The machine is injecting hot water at 210 degrees into the upholstery and then sucking it back into the holding tank.  Not only does it suck the water back up, but it also lifts the dirt and grime out of the car seat at the same time.  This process is performed immediately after the seats are steamed with the brush head, within two or three seconds.  The extractor vacuum is always running when we are steaming, that way no time is wasted turning the extractor on.  The extractor is within arms reach; it saves a lot of valuable time.

 

As one can see, the photo above shows the seat cleaned so well that it looks, literally, brand new.  In this case, all of the stains were removed, but sometimes, the stain doesn’t always come out.  The results always depend on the severity and age of the stain.  This particular stain removal process removed 99 percent of the dirt and stains.  Not only were we happy, but the customer was even more so, which is the most important thing!

 

I always show our customers the dirt and grime that we remove from an interior after it has been cleaned and detailed.  The photo you see above is the dirty water that is being dumped from the holding tank.  Literally, every vehicle is this way.  The picture above is the result of cleaning this car’s carpets and upholstery.  Even if a stain cannot be 100 percent removed, the customer is always happy at the amount of dirt and filth that is removed.  These results are from using a very strong shampoo, a vapor steamer, and a heated carpet and upholstery extractor.

Thank you for reading!

-Clint Allerton