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Plaid seat cleaning recommendations

uberdot

Autocross Champion
Location
Ten Forward
Car(s)
Silver 2017 6MT
Looking for any recommendations and products to restore my front seats. They seem to have gotten kinda dull over the years and it’s probably mostly just caked-in dust. Thanks.
 

GolfRRRR1

Go Kart Champion
Location
Michigan
If you don't have a steamer:
1. Vacuum
2. Spray with diluted APC and brush seat well (I like a soft drill brush)
3. Wipe down with a microfiber towel
4. Let dry
 

StorableComa

Autocross Champion
Location
SoCal, USA
Car(s)
17 GSW S FWD
Chemical guys has a hydrophobic ceramic spray for fabric. Thinking of giving it a try once I get a chance to clean the seats.
 

MuscleToMouse94

Drag Racing Champion
Location
Long Island, NY
Car(s)
MK7 GTI
Chemical guys has a hydrophobic ceramic spray for fabric. Thinking of giving it a try once I get a chance to clean the seats.

Curious how this worked. I have the Adams cloth cleaner / pilot brush and it works very well to clean the seats
 

daconchslop

Autocross Champion
Location
SC
Car(s)
ACS SE/Tech
That little Bissell Spot Clean ProHeat is the shit.
 

parapraxis24

Vdubber
Location
PNW
Car(s)
MK7.5 Autobahn DSG
I had good luck with Tuff Stuff to clean fabric. My old Fiesta ST had the Recaros, which were partially leather. I worked for a moving company at the time and after a long day my sweat drenched shirt would leach into the cloth (gross). Tuff Stuff got the stains out with ease.
 

Gray_Panther

Drag Racing Champion
Location
NY
Car(s)
GTi
Buy a small Bissel extractor
Spray down with apc and spray the shit outta the seat. Soak that plaid up. Take a brush or a brush attachment for a drill and scrub the ish outta the seat.
Then take a small Bissel extractor and extract all that outta the plaid!

I do this once a year. Keeps the seats looking new after a salty winter.
 

chillax

Drag Racing Champion
Location
Wi
Car(s)
18 GTI SE plaid
Buy a small Bissel extractor
Spray down with apc and spray the shit outta the seat. Soak that plaid up. Take a brush or a brush attachment for a drill and scrub the ish outta the seat.
Then take a small Bissel extractor and extract all that outta the plaid!

I do this once a year. Keeps the seats looking new after a salty winter.

scrubbing it harshly doesn't ruin the fabric?
 

Gray_Panther

Drag Racing Champion
Location
NY
Car(s)
GTi
scrubbing it harshly doesn't ruin the fabric?
Good point to bring up. It’s more important that the bristles aren’t too stiff. I think you do more damage sitting in the car or getting in and out of the car everyday especially with jeans!
 

chillax

Drag Racing Champion
Location
Wi
Car(s)
18 GTI SE plaid
Good point to bring up. It’s more important that the bristles aren’t too stiff. I think you do more damage sitting in the car or getting in and out of the car everyday especially with jeans!

I see, my seats look a bit faded but the windows are tinted and I very rarely have passengers so dunno why.
 

Gray_Panther

Drag Racing Champion
Location
NY
Car(s)
GTi
I see, my seats look a bit faded but the windows are tinted and I very rarely have passengers so dunno why.
I would try cleaning them and see if color comes back. Number of things can cause that:
Car sitting outside in the sun all day
Driving with windows open collects dust
Kind of hard to swallow this truth, but dead skin cells and dandruff leave white flakes that embed themselves into the cloth and whiten them over time.

I think the best example I have is my parent’s E88 cabriolet that they love driving with the top down. I think 6-7 years went by before I got into detailing where I did a deep clean of their beige leather interior. And the amount of dirt and dust accumulated was shocking for a car that barely had like 30k on it. The seats looked like new afterwards and we had gotten so used to the change of seat color overtime that We didn’t notice it.

My GTI is due for deep cleaning of the seats, and I annually or bi-annually vacuum and wipe down the interior.

My E82’s interior, coming up on 9 years, is minty fresh because I treat the leather every year and vacuum and wipe down the interior twice a year also.
 

sherbet

Ready to race!
Location
Bay Area, CA
Try Gtechniq I2 Tri Clean or Shine Supply Leather and interior cleaner, with a soft brush or MF towel. Use product liberally, seats will be damp but those products (specifically the shine supply product) will dry and will not harden the fabric. Works really well. Steam is also great, but most DIY'ers dont have a decent steamer around, and its hardly even worth buying one even unless you are willing to spend some decent money.
 
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