How to Clean Under Car Seats?

Are you thinking about giving your car a good and proper clean? 

But wait. You seem to be having second thoughts because your mind is lingering over the most dreaded part of interior car cleaning.

The part is the areas that are the most difficult and time consuming to clean. These areas are between and under the car seats as well as the center console.

In this article, we discuss how to clean under car seats in a simple and easy to follow 7-step guide. If needed there is also a quick and brief note on removing the car seats.

The type of cleaning products and tools that you would need will depend on how you want to clean under your car seats. Decide if you will be vacuuming and washing or only vacuuming.

  • Garbage bags
  • A vacuum cleaner with attachments and an extension hose
  • Steam cleaner (depending on your choice)
  • Extension cord if you need one
  • Different  types of Brushes – Soft brushes and stiff brushes of different sizes or old toothbrushes will also work
  • Squeegee if you are a pet owner
  • A bucket of clean water that is warm
  • Drying cloths
  • Garden hose

Remove all the trash from your car

Start with the garbage bags, first remove all the trash that can be recycled like plastic bottles and papers and place it into one bag. 

Then put all other trash into another garbage bag for tossing into the trash bin later.

Remove Personal items

Once all the trash has been cleaned out from your car, it is time to remove all your personal items. Personal items such as gym bags, toys, books, and even items you thought you have lost like fallen coins.

Remove and clean the floor mats

Open all the doors of your car, remove the floor mats from your car, and shake the dust and dirt out as much as you can. The stubborn dirt that does not come loose from shaking it can be cleaned with a stiff brush or handheld vacuum cleaner.

Wash them if needed with gentle soap, a scrub brush, and the garden hose. Allow them to dry completely before returning them to the interior of your car.

Clean under the front seats

We now come to answering your question about how to clean under the car seats. The easy way is to start by moving the passenger front seat as far back as it will go on the seat tracks. Vacuum the area in front of the seat the best that you possibly can. Then move the seat all the way forward and do the same. You can then move onto the driver’s front seat and do the same.

To get into the corners by the doors and under the glove compartment, use the crevice tool to help pick up the loose sand and other debris. For the stubborn stains or spills, use some soapy warm water with a cleaning cloth or a steamer. But do be careful not to wet the carpet too much, or you will battle with mold and mildew in your car.

Cleaning the car seat tracks

It can be a difficult job to clean under the car seats, especially the tracks of the car seats, and the area between the seats and console. So many people tend to skip these areas which then just lands up becoming dirtier and even harder to clean.

But you will be amazed at just how dirty the car seat tracks actually gets. Cleaning the tracks will ensure that you will be able to move your seats more easily as the seats will not become affected by the accumulating dirt.

With a small thin brush or an old paintbrush, sweep away the dirt and dust from the tracks towards the carpet. Then attach the crevice tool to the end of your vacuum cleaner to vacuum up the dirt from your car’s carpet as well as on the track rails. 

The track rails have a lubricant or grease on them that allows the seats to move smoothly. When cleaning you need to make sure that you do remove it.

Getting between the seats

The areas between the front car seat and the console are probably the most difficult area to clean in a car. With the narrow and difficult to reach nooks and crannies, it may take you a little extra time and effort to get it spotless, but it is worth it.

This is the main area in a car where a lot of the dirt and debris hides, collects and builds up over time. So it is important to get it clean between the car seat and center console and it can be done with the right tools to help you to.

Set your vacuum cleaner on the lowest power setting that it has. Attach the crevice tool, and vacuum the console area and between both seats to remove the dust and dirt.

An option is that you can also use a steam cleaner to get rid of any stubborn stains that are between the seat and the console. The steamer will help loosen the dirt if you hold the nozzle over it for a couple of minutes. Brush the dirt away gently and allow the area to dry.

Removing the seats altogether

If you have an older type of car and the seats are having difficulty moving all the way back or forward so that you can clean. Then it is best to remove car seats from your car.

To remove the seats, you will need a socket wrench, strength in your wrist and an extra pair of hands to help you. There will be four or six bolts, depending on your car’s model for you to loosen. Once you have loosened all the bolts, you can lift the seats completely out of the car.

It will now be a lot easier to vacuum and clean thoroughly in the area where your car seats go. Then replace the seats carefully and be sure to tighten the bolts securely again.

If you follow, the simple and easy steps that we have provided for you for how to clean under the car seats, your car will be clean in very little time. But the more often you clean your car, especially those hard to reach areas under the seats, the quicker and easier it will become.

33 MINUTES

ESTIMATED TIME DESIGNING AND UPLOADING THIS ARTICLE

6 HOURS 41 MINUTES

ESTIMATED TIME RESEARCHING AND WRITING THIS ARTICLE

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