One of the best things about coffee is that you can drink it everywhere, even in your car. The cup holders were meant to cradle your favorite caffeinated beverage, but sometimes drinking can lead to spillage and this means that your morning cup of joe can end up on your precious seats. Knowing how to get stains out of car seats can come to the rescue during coffee related incidents. The following tips will provide you with this knowledge so you can remove those stubborn stains in no time.
Fresh Coffee Stains
- There is nothing like a fresh cup of coffee on the go, especially if you are late to work. Taking a sip of freshly brewed caffeine while you are in the car can result in accidental spillage and coffee stains on your precious upholstery. The faster you clean those stains, the better, which is why you need to grab the nearest tissue box and use those tissue papers to blot the area in order to soak up the coffee from the fabric. Avoid using a rubbing motion since this can cause the stain to spread onto the rest of the seat. Instead, dab the area with the tissues and repeat this process until you get rid of the spilled liquid.
- Your coffee cup may contain solid residue in the shape of small coffee grounds and those can find their way into the nooks and crannies between your seats. Therefore, getting rid of them is a must. This can be done by simply sweeping the car seat with your hand and collecting those tiny granules inside a napkin.
- Once you are done dabbing the coffee, you can soak a clean tissue paper with some water and use it to blot the stained car seat. This will help remove more of that freshly spilled coffee. Afterwards, use a tissue to dry off the water soaked seat.
- If you happen to have a car upholstery cleaner in your car, then this would be the right time to use it. If not, then you can use everyday kitchen cleaning liquids such as dishwashing soap or baking soda to remove the coffee stain. All you need to do is apply a small amount of cold water to the stained fabric. Afterwards, use a gentle dabbing motion with your napkin to create a foamy texture with your dishwashing soap. Give your foamy soap around thirty minutes to work its cleaning magic on the stain.
- Soak a fresh napkin with water and then use it to wipe the car seat fabric until it becomes soap free. Remember to use gentle dabbing motions during this step.
How to Get Coffee Stains Out of Leather Car Seats
The best way to clean car seats is by using gentle ingredients, especially if those seats were made of leather or vinyl. Therefore, neutral pH cleaners are the detergents of choice when it comes to leather.
- If you do not have a leather cleaning product on-hand, then you can use a mixture of dishwashing liquid and cold water to remove coffee stains.
- Use a strong stirring motion to mix the water-soap combo until foam appears. Next, use the foamy mixture to remove the coffee stains using a dabbing motion to avoid ruining the leather and drenching it with too much liquid.
- Avoid using a brush to apply cleaners onto the sensitive leather fabric since this can damage the seats. Brushing can also lead to soap seeping into the seams and foam cushion.
- When it comes to coffee stained vinyl seats, you can use a mixture of water and baking soda to clean this type of fabric. All you need to do is use a toothbrush to gently apply this combo to the car seat and then blot this area dry using a clean towel or napkin. Oil and mineral base cleaners are best avoided due to the damaging effect they have on vinyl. The last thing you need is to successfully remove those stains only to end up with cracked and stiff seats in return.
- Preserving the quality of your seats can be easily achieved by applying a protective coating over your vinyl upholstery. This layer helps condition the fabric and also prevents it from drying and cracking in the future. Conditioning your car seats will also reduce the damaging impact of future stains. You can find the best car upholstery cleaners and fabric conditioners at the nearest auto supply store.
Related Post: How To Clean Leather Car Seats
How to Get Rid of Old Coffee Stains
Learning how to clean your car seats is a piece of cake, especially if you have a handy vacuum cleaner at your disposal.
- Start by vacuuming your stained seat in order to remove any coffee grounds and dirt. The extra attachments that come with your vacuum will help you clean the narrow cracks that are otherwise difficult to reach.
- Pay extra attention to the coffee stains and make sure you use gentle pressure on any worn out areas in the fabric. Weak areas need to be cleaned with caution to avoid damaging the fabric.
- Use the best car upholstery cleaner you can find to clean the stained fabric. Working in small sections is always ideal, especially if you have a large surface area to cover.
- Use a firm brush to work the cleaner into the fabric. Old and stubborn stains will need extra scrubbing in order for you to remove them.
- If the stubborn coffee stains are not fully gone by the time you finish cleaning, then a spot remover can do the trick. All you need to do is work this liquid into the fabric using a stiff brush.
Wipe away any remnants of the remover using a clean and dry towel.
- Make sure that you read the instructions written on the bottle. Some products do not need to be rinsed. If this is the case, then let the car seat dry off on its own. However, if the seat needs to be rinsed, then spray the fabric with small quantities of water in such a way as not to drench the car seat and its underlying cushion.
- Use a wet vacuum immediately afterwards to suck up this water.
- Give the car seat enough time to dry and keep the windows down to avoid mold and mildew from making a new home out of your car.
Following the above instructions will help you get rid of fresh and old coffee stains so you can drink your morning cup of joe without having to worry about permanently ruining your precious leather or vinyl seats.
Related Post: Best Convertible Car Seats
Sources:
- 3 Easy Ways to Remove Coffee Stains from a Car Seat – WikiHow
- How to Clean Liquid Spills on Car Upholstery – YourMechanic
