From crayons to french fry grease, here's how to get rid of stains
Remember when your car was brand new? It’s tough to beat that new car feeling, especially in a vehicle’s interior. The upholstery is spotless. The carpet looks pristine. It smells nice. And there’s little evidence of the myriad daily abuses your vehicle takes hauling kids to sports practice, handling school drop off and commuting in North Texas traffic.
Daily use and abuse leaves its mark on your car’s interior. If you have young children, you’re no stranger to snacks, liquids, crayons, clutter and bodily fluids that can leave your previously spotless interior marred with stains. Who doesn’t love the discovery of a melted crayon or wayward fruit snack permanently adhered to an interior surface?
Here’s how to tackle those tough stains when you find them weeks later and seemingly too late!
Immediately upon discovering the offending stain, you need to remove as much as you can from the upholstery. A quick response as soon as the spill happens can make it easier to restore fabrics to their previous glory. Scape or scoop up as much as you can and apply a damp washcloth to dilute spills. Then soak up as much as possible with a dry cloth.
Use a small amount of mild laundry detergent diluted in water to clean oily or fatty stains like French fry grease, chocolate or milk. Thoroughly rinse with a damp wash cloth to remove soap. Then dry with a dry washcloth. Use cloths that have been frequently washed so you don’t transfer color from the cloth onto your upholstery. Repeat until the stain has faded. You may have to do this several times for tough stains.
What about tougher stains? If your kid threw up on your summer road trip and you’re still dealing with the nightmare, there is hope. We recommend a combination of detergent to remove the stain followed by a neutralizing odor eliminator spray to get rid of the smell. Tackle the stain with the above method using laundry detergent diluted in water. Then follow up with Nok-Out spray cleaner to remove the smell from upholstery. Thoroughly soak the stained area with Nok-Out. Allow the solution to sit for a few minutes. Then blot away any excess fluid.
Need a deep clean to recharge for the school year? Drop by Snap Clean to cap off your cleaning session with a spin through our tunnel. Take advantage of our vacuums and spray cleaner for interior cleaning to reset for a new year.
