Common Stains and How to Get Rid of Them

Americans spend an average of 3 hours per day in their car. From after-school activities, long commutes, and weekend trips to the beach, that can total up to the feeling that you’re living out of your car.

Add eating a quick meal, toting around the kids, and transporting pets to the vet — the opportunity for stain and clutter to gather are endless

If you can’t avoid spending hours in your car and deal with any of the situations above, ensuring your space looks and smells its best can feel impossible. These stains may seem impossible to remove, but the good news is that they’re not.

The top stains found in car upholstery are:

• Coffee
• Food stains
• Crayon
• Ink

Other common stains include:

• Pet stains
• Mildew & mold
• Soda.
• Oils.
• Grease.
• Vomit.

Smells go hand in hand with these notoriously hard to clean stains. The last thing you want to do is drive or sell a vehicle that smells like an ashtray. Fortunately, there are a few solutions to disappear harsh stains and expel strong odors with ease.

Using All-Purpose Cleaner

For addressing that embarrassing drive-through stain, third spilt coffee, or the occasional crayons and ink stain, start with Pearl Nano’s All-Purpose Cleaner.

Process

To start you’ll need: 

• a power drill
• detachable drill brushes 
• an extractor
• an all-purpose cleaner (APC)

Directions:

1. Generously spray APC onto the stain until soaked. Let the APC sit while it penetrates the stain.
2. Select your drill brush set based on the surface you’re cleaning. Different brushes have different levels of bristle “hardness.”

For fabric seats, use soft-grade brushes to prevent harming the upholstery.

For rubber floor mats, use medium to hard grade brushes; skip step 3 and instead rinse the mats with a pressure washer or water hose.

1. Attach the brush to your power drill and lightly “drill” the APC into the stained area. If the APC isn’t foaming, spray more of it onto the stain.
2. Next, following the directions for your extractor, pull the APC and stain out of the upholstery. The stained surface is clean when the extractor pulls up only clear water.
3. Let the area dry and witness your stains and odor completely disappear. If the stain is not removed completely, repeat these directions.