How to Get Sweat Stains Out of Car Seats
We all know what it’s like to have the air conditioning go out in our car. Of course, this only happens in the summertime when it’s the furthest from convenient. This often leads to sweat, which can result in sweat stains. It may sound pretty gross, but all hope is not lost!
Lucky for you, there are plenty of ways to get sweat stains out of car seats. Let’s explore some of your options!
Preventing Stains on your Car’s Seat
Though it may be impossible in some situations, prevention is key. To avoid some spills and stains, you can do things like asking your friends and family not to eat or drink in your car. Sweat stains are a harder problem to prevent though.
Here are a few examples of ways to decrease the number of sweat stains on your seats:
- Shower and/or change your clothes after working out at the gym.
- Sit on a bath towel while driving home from the gym (or anywhere else that you might sweat).
- Keep an extra tee shirt in your car so that you can change anytime you do end up getting sweaty.
- Keep baby wipes or a washcloth on hand. You can use these things to wipe yourself down before driving.
- Consider investing in a car fan like the one linked here. You won’t need to wait for your car to cool down before the air conditioning turns on. Plus, a fan like this will work even if the air conditioning in your vehicle goes out.
Unfortunately, some stains are inevitable. They happen, and you will want to get them out as soon as possible. You may opt for seat covers at this point. There are a wide variety of colors, sizes, prices, and other criteria online. You can also get a custom seat cover from a company like CalTrend, who makes custom seat covers in Santa Ana, California, which lets you order one right on their website.
Choosing a Product to Get the Stains Out
As you work to start treating your stains, you will become overwhelmed with information after just a few searches. Not to mention, there are a ton of products for the specific purpose of stain removal.
According to WikiHow, you should test any stain removers in a less visible place before using them on the seats. For example, try using the stain remover on the side of a seat that nobody sees. This is helpful because not all products work how they are intended to.
It’s also important to make sure that you have purchased a product for leather seats or cloth seats, depending on what you have. Do your research to make sure that a product is trustworthy and effective!
Stain Removers to Make at Home
While there are plenty of products on the market, there are also a bunch of recipes for stain removing formulas you can make in your own home. By doing this, you can cut back on the costs and the presence of the chemicals that other products may have. There’s no right or wrong answer though!
How to Actually Remove the Stains
On the bright side, most sweat stains will only inhibit small sections of your car seats. This means that you won’t have to throw your seat covers away. You will likely have to target little areas, which is called spot-cleaning.
You should start by vacuuming up any crumbs in the same area as the stain. Then you can begin treating the stains. You can use a variety of tools. Some of them are included in this step-by-step guide for getting rid of stains in cars…
- Make a mixture of a vinegar and dish soap into a bucket of warm water.
- Use a brush with hard bristles to scrub the solution into the stains.
- You can also use a washcloth to get the mixture further into the stains.
- Rinse the mixture out of the seats by using a washcloth.
If the vinegar and dish soap solution does not work, you may choose to use dishwasher detergent or laundry stain remover. Angie’s List recommends using glass cleaner for stains that are tricky to remove. WikiHow suggests using watered-down paint thinner to remove stains.
Letting the Professionals Handle it
At some point, it may be wise to take your car to be cleaned professionally. There is only so much that you can do on your own. The professionals have a background in cleaning cars and removing stains. This means that they are often better equipped for this type of task, especially when it gets too challenging for us.
While sweating while driving can’t always be avoided, there are some ways to prevent the stains from looking too terrible. There are also lots of remedies for completely getting rid of the stains.
We wish you the best of luck in keeping your car seats looking brand new!
