How to wash car covers without removing them

The websites of organizations offering dry cleaning and car washing contain a large number of “before and after” photographs. The effect is amazing: dirty, unkempt seats end up looking almost new.

But not every car enthusiast is ready to resort to the services of professionals: some are stopped by the high cost of work, others are deterred by the desire to do everything themselves.

The main task for those who decide to clean their car seats with their own hands is to choose the best product. It must be effective, safe and affordable.

Many car enthusiasts make their choice in favor of Vanish, but what is behind this - correct advertising or the actual effectiveness of the product? In this article we present step-by-step instructions for cleaning car seats with Vanish.

What types of contaminants in a car interior can be removed?

The more often you use your car, the higher the risk of getting something dirty on the seats. This is especially true for families with children: kids constantly spill, rub and smear things.

Reviews from car enthusiasts indicate that using Vanish you can remove a variety of types of stains:

from drinks (tea, juice, coffee, etc.);
from foods (chocolate, fat);
shoe marks, dirt stains.

The logic behind choosing Vanish is simple - if it's suitable for carpets or furniture, then why not use it to clean textile car seats?

Vanish is used not only for home cleaning, but also in cleaning services that provide professional cleaning of furniture, carpets and other textiles.

This popularity of the product is explained by the fact that it:

suitable for processing pile of any length;
prevents bright colors from fading;
Cleans gently without damaging the fibers.

Cleaning the car interior at home

If for one reason or another it is not possible to purchase a special product for home dry cleaning, you can try using improvised products available in almost every home:

A vinegar solution (1 teaspoon per glass of water) is ideal for removing alcohol stains or biological stains.
90% alcohol can help remove stubborn ink or cosmetic stains.
Pharmaceutical ammonia will easily remove coffee stains.

Which Vanish should I choose for my car?

The Vanish name includes products for cleaning stains from clothing, carpets, furniture upholstery and other textile products.

The release form is different:

spray;
moistened powder;
shampoo.

The spray is completely ready for use, just press the dispenser. The shampoo must first be diluted with water in certain proportions and beaten with a sponge or brush until foam appears.

The powder, like the spray, is ready for immediate use. Each of these means has its own advantages and disadvantages.

Shampoo or spray?

The most popular among car enthusiasts are two types of Vanish products:

Shampoo for manual cleaning of carpets . It is a medium-thick liquid that is whipped in water until rich foam. The resulting foam is distributed over the contaminated surface, wait until it dries completely and vacuum thoroughly. Judging by the reviews, the product is used sparingly, and its cost is completely justified - 300-370 rubles. for 600 ml.
Foam for cleaning furniture upholstery . The product comes in the form of a spray and produces foam immediately after spraying, which should simplify the cleaning process. However, car enthusiasts leaving reviews on online forums note that the spray is not entirely convenient to use. The foam is absorbed into the upholstery instantly, so it is difficult to treat the entire surface evenly and efficiently. The spray is consumed quickly, and its cost is slightly higher than that of shampoo: 350-410 rubles. for 600 ml.

Powder: effective, but inconvenient

Vanish in powder form can also be used to clean seats, but several significant disadvantages do not allow us to make a final choice in its favor:

The powder cleans worse than its analogues in the form of shampoo or spray. It is suitable for getting rid of fresh, superficial stains.
When cleaning with powder, no water is required; just sprinkle the product over the surface.
On the one hand, this is an advantage, but on the other hand, it is a disadvantage. The powder cannot be distributed evenly on a vertical surface, so the seat backs will have to be removed or another product must be used to clean them.
The powder is difficult to remove completely.
Its microscopic particles fall between the fibers of the fabric and become inaccessible to the vacuum cleaner. On such a seat, at the slightest contact with moisture, streaks will begin to appear (for example, if you sit on the seat after running several meters in the rain). Under no circumstances should such upholstery be washed, as the manufacturer himself notes in the instructions; you can only vacuum it after it has completely dried. If repeated vacuuming does not help, you will have to contact cleaning specialists for help.

Shampoo for washing vacuum cleaners: a firm no

It is worth noting such a product as shampoo for washing vacuum cleaners . Theoretically, it can be used to clean car seats, but in practice this is impossible. Even the smallest attachment will be too bulky for the seats.

The idea of using detergent for vacuum cleaners during manual cleaning is also not a good one. Products intended for special equipment always have a higher concentration of active substances.

This means that you will have to be in contact with a fairly aggressive substance for a long time, which can affect your overall well-being. And it is unknown how safe such an active product is for seat upholstery.

Tidying up the floor

After the ceiling, panel and chairs are finished, you can proceed to the floor. First you need to clean it with a vacuum cleaner with a large nozzle. If you have smooth autolin on the floor of your car, you can wash it with any universal detergent. The most common household chemicals (those used for washing dishes or cleaning home carpets) will do. The applied product must be rubbed with a stiff brush and then rinsed thoroughly with water.

Fleecy carpet flooring is cleaned with universal auto chemicals (for example, Texon, Pingo, Hi-Gear Pro Line, etc.). Instead, you can use any carpet cleaner (Vanish Oxi Action, Selena Carpet, Flash, Mitex, Amway) or traditional methods:

Stubborn dirt, traces of spilled coffee, and blood can be removed with ammonia (2/3 tablespoon with 0.5 liters of water). Spray the solution over the surface of the carpet using a spray bottle and scrub with a damp brush. Let the rug dry and then vacuum it.
Bad-smelling marks (such as animal marks) can be removed with a baking soda solution. Sprinkle it over the stain, leave for 10 minutes (no more, otherwise the substance will begin to corrode the carpet paint), then rinse thoroughly with warm water.
Stains from soot and fuel oil come off well with lemon juice. You need to pour the dirty area of the rug and leave for 15 minutes. The main thing is to thoroughly rinse the surface with warm water so that no sticky residue remains.

Checklist of necessary items for manual cleaning

To effectively clean car seats, in addition to the cleaning agent itself, you will need:

Soft large sponge . The smaller it is, the longer it will take to apply the foam, so it is better to choose a larger size.
Delicate brush . The soft bristles allow you to apply the cleaning foam intensively without the risk of damaging the upholstery.
Gloves. Vanish is considered a gentle product, but even the most gentle cleansers have a negative effect on the skin of your hands.
Bucket or basin with water . We will dilute shampoo in it.
Vacuum cleaner. Necessary for preparing seats for wet cleaning.
A pair of soft microfiber cloths . You will need them to complete the cleaning.

How to clean the car interior?

Everything is not so complicated here, because there are only two types of tools for such work: professional “chemistry” and improvised means. If you've noticed in auto stores before, the shelves are literally overflowing with interior cleaning products: from plastic polish to deep-cleaning solutions for seats.

Read here: Unidentified network without Internet access - causes, solution to the problem

The list of the best and most popular high-quality dry cleaning products includes the following: LIQUI MOLY, High Gear, SONAX and others.

How to clean it yourself: detailed instructions

To properly clean the seats yourself, it will take about 4-5 hours, taking into account the time required for them to dry completely. First of all, let's look at the process of cleaning textile upholstery.

The work can be divided into several stages:

Preparing the seats for processing. We pre-clean them with a vacuum cleaner. If you don't have a vacuum cleaner, you can tidy up the seats using a damp brush. In the latter case, it is important not to rub dust and dirt on the upholstery, but to make short movements from the center of the seat to the edges, as if you were sweeping with a brush.
We dilute Vanish shampoo in a suitable container. The instructions recommend a ratio of 1:9, but for cleaning seats the concentration can be increased to 1:5 (1 part Vanish x 5 parts water). Using a sponge, beat the water until a thick foam appears.
We prepare the means at hand: a basin or bucket of water and rags.
Read also: Cabin filter Skoda Octavia A5: where is it located, replacement
Distribute the foam over the seat and rub it using a brush or sponge.
You need to apply the foam evenly, directing your movements in one direction, for example, from the back edge of the seat to the front. We carefully process every centimeter of upholstery so as not to leave dirty areas. It is important to apply the foam and not squeeze the wet sponge onto the seat. Excess moisture will make subsequent cleaning and drying of the upholstery difficult.
Leave the product on the seat upholstery until completely dry, on average this takes 1.5-2 hours. The same period of time is indicated on the label. During this time, the active substances will penetrate into the fibers of the fabric and “push out” the dirt, which is why the drying foam will turn gray.
Removing shampoo residue:
using a microfiber cloth: wet it in water, squeeze it out and remove the foam from the upholstery, then, after rinsing and squeezing again, vigorously wipe the surface of the seats in a circular motion; If foam appears again, carefully remove it and rinse the cloth in clean water, repeat until the remaining product stops foaming.
We finish cleaning. When there is no foam left on the seat, wipe the dampened upholstery with a dry cloth under pressure to dry it as much as possible.
Leave the seats to dry completely for at least 1.5-2 hours. If possible, it is better to leave the car with the windows slightly open all night: the seats will completely dry, and there will be no foreign odors left in the cabin.

How to clean the interior with auto chemicals and folk remedies

Cleaning the interior of the car must be carried out in a strict order - starting from the top and moving gradually to the lowest areas of the cabin. Recommended order:

Ceiling covering.
Inner side of doors.
Dashboard.
Seat upholstery.
Flooring.

Before you start dry cleaning, you need to remove large and small debris from the interior, and then thoroughly sweep, or even better, vacuum - only after that you can begin the main wet cleaning

Ceiling cleaning

Liqui Moly, Sonax, TM Turtle Wax, Gunk, Autosol, Kangaroo aerosols are suitable as a cleaning agent for ceiling coverings made of Alcantara, flock, and carpet. If the upholstery is made of leather or leatherette, it can be cleaned using Universal-cleaner, Leather Cleaner, ProFoam 2000, Koch Chemie Leather Star, Lavr solvent. The operating principle of all means:

Mentally divide the entire surface of the ceiling into 4 zones (along the rear seats, between the front and rear seats, above the front seats and at the windshield).
Apply the product to the first zone and wait 1-2 minutes.
Remove the foam in one motion with a soft brush, rag or sponge (you can use a vacuum cleaner) - you only need to move in one direction so that there are no streaks.
Proceed to clean the next area.

You need to remove foam from the ceiling with a rag or napkin strictly in one direction - from one window to another (in one movement, without interruption, otherwise streaks may remain)

The next stage is tidying up the doors and dashboard. We start with fabric, leatherette or leather upholstery (if there is one) - it is washed in the same way as the ceiling. It is better to clean plastic and chrome parts with wet wipes (PLASTIC CLEANING WIPES, SAPFIRE NAPKINS DAMP, LIQUI MOLY, TOPGEAR, etc.).

We invite you to read How to properly wash windows: 5 tips from professionals

If you need to not only remove dust, but also remove stubborn dirt marks, then you should use liquid stain removers (for example, Sonax, Astrohim). It is enough to spray a small amount of liquid, treat with a sponge, and then wipe dry with a soft microfiber cloth. To give plastic parts a shine, they should be treated with a polish - for example, Turtle Wax, HI-GEAR Dashboard Cleaner Professional Line, DoctorWax, Turtle Wax DRY TOUCH, Plak Mat Atas.

Recesses and crevices on the panel should be treated with a brush with stiff bristles.

Glass can be cleaned with any window cleaning solution. Do not spray chemicals directly onto glass. It’s better to wet a microfiber cloth with the product and wipe the surfaces with it. If there is tinting, then choose solutions without ammonia, since it causes the tinting film to crack and come off.

The chairs are the most quickly dirty and difficult to clean place in the entire cabin, so they receive the most attention during cleaning. The choice of product depends on the material from which the seats in the car are made.

Professional dry cleaning: how much and when?

One of the reasons for cleaning car seats yourself is the high prices for this type of service. In the regions the cost is 3,000 rubles. and higher; in Moscow – from 5000 rubles.

It is difficult to determine the upper price limit; it depends on related services, location of the salon, type of upholstery, type of car body and many other factors.

In some cases, it is still worth turning to professionals, despite the high prices . These include:

Old, difficult to remove stains. There is a risk of wasting your time and nerves without any tangible results.
Traces of glue, plasticine, chewing gum. Vanish is not intended to remove this type of contamination, so the smart solution would be to contact a specialist.
The need to clean not only the seats, but also the entire interior.
Practice shows that it is possible to deal with the seats yourself, but cleaning the ceiling causes great difficulties. You have to constantly hold your hands up, rubbing the cleansing shampoo with force. As a result, your hands quickly get tired, it’s impossible to apply foam evenly, and as a result, stains from the cleaning agent are added to the dirt on the ceiling.
Lack of time. Preparing the seats for cleaning will take about 30-40 minutes. Add to this the time for applying the foam, waiting, subsequent removal of the foam and final drying.
As a result, the entire cleaning will take at least 5-6 hours. At the same time, in order to save time, you should not neglect any stage.
During the same time, specialists will clean not only the seats, but the entire interior. In addition, professionals use special equipment to dry the car, which reduces cleaning time without compromising quality.

Popular manufacturers of auto cleaning chemicals

Cleaning the ceiling or car seats should not be accompanied by doubts about the results and safety of the product. And this is only possible in one case - when purchasing products from trusted manufacturers.

The most popular brands are listed below:

Soft99 Corporation . The famous Japanese company was created in the middle of the last century. It quickly became a leader thanks to the high quality of its products and its unprecedented safety.
Grass . A relatively new brand that emerged about 17 years ago. Despite such a “young age”, it produces a wide range of products, which includes car cosmetics and various detergents.
Poly Car Care . All auto chemicals of this brand are of the highest quality. The manufacturer provides a guarantee for each item, so customers will not have to worry about the safety of their interior.
A.C.G. German production technologies allow us to create innovative products in the widest range.
Turtle Wax . The American company, founded in the 40s of the last century, is well known in the Russian and European markets. Among the products of this brand, polishes and cleaning products are in great demand.
" Autopro ". The company became known to Russian buyers about 14 years ago. It has won over its consumers with unique developments that take into account the climate and car brands. Thanks to this approach, any product is effective and safe.
Auto Doctor . A widespread Chinese brand offers cheap and high-quality products from the categories “autochemicals” and “autocosmetics”. They are economical and consistently give good results, which is why they are preferred by up to 40% of buyers.

TOP 3 alternative remedies

Any upholstery is subject to wear and contamination, but modern car enthusiasts are lucky: there is a wide choice of products designed to solve this problem.

The following tips will help you choose the right products:

the use of the drug allows you to remove dirt without causing damage to the fibers and maintaining the brightness of the fabric;
the cleaning product contains no hard particles that could cause damage to the product;
The product is manufactured by a well-known brand with a good reputation.

In accordance with the listed criteria and customer reviews, we can highlight a rating of three textile cleaning products that are a worthy replacement for Vanish:

LOC from AMWAY, USA .
Amway offers a concentrated multifunctional cleaning product. It removes not only fresh stains, but also old dirt. Simultaneously with cleaning, the product disinfects the surface and leaves an unobtrusive aroma.
The advantage of the product is its economical consumption, but the disadvantages include the cost - 550-600 rubles. per bottle.
Unicum Spray for cleaning carpets and upholstered furniture, Russia. It copes with both new and old traces of dirt, maintains the brightness of the color, and leaves a protective layer on the treated surface that prevents rapid re-contamination. Unicum is sold at an affordable price - 170-220 rubles.
Kärcher, Germany .
This product is one of the best in its category. The main advantage is the combination of a high degree of efficiency with an environmentally friendly composition. It not only cleans effectively, but also creates a protective layer on the treated surface, prolonging freshness and cleanliness. The product is completely environmentally friendly and safe, including for people suffering from allergies. The consumption is quite economical, which justifies the high cost - 590-650 rubles.

Preventing floor contamination

If you follow the rules for car interior care, you will have to clean the floor covering less often, and this procedure will take less time. To do this you need:

vacuum the car interior at least once a week;
remove dirt in a timely manner;
shake out rubber mats regularly and wash them if necessary;
do not throw things around the cabin;
if food was eaten in the car, do not leave leftover food;
If you spill any drink, immediately remove the stains without allowing them to dry;
do not allow the carpet under the rubber mats to be wet;
Treat the floor with a cleaning agent every 1-2 weeks.

Frequent wet cleaning can damage the floor covering. This is especially true for long-pile carpet. This damages the bottom impregnation, fades the colors and removes the protective antibacterial film. Therefore, you need to wash the carpet no more than once a month.

Thanks to preventive cleaning, you can extend the life of the flooring in your car.

Reviews from car enthusiasts

A simple search query is enough to find many reviews on the Internet about cleaning seats using Vanish with real photos and videos.

Here are just a few of them:

https://forums.drom.ru/70/t1150972704.html
https://www.drive2.com/l/7114276/

The authors of some publications get rid of stains by applying undiluted product directly to the stain.

This method may be effective in some cases, but it creates the risk of streaks on the seat upholstery. Use it or not - decide for yourself.