Dirty Jeep Cherokee SeatI want to take a moment and show you one of the processes that we use for steam cleaning upholstery seats.  It may sound complicated, but it’s not.  If one has the right equipment and a little patience, the process works great and makes a huge difference in just a few minutes.  The photo above is the drivers side back upholstery seat of a 2007 Jeep Cherokee.  The owner just bought the vehicle about a month ago and she was very unhappy about the condition of the seats.  Obviously, the dealership did nothing to correct the problems, which was evident of the very noticeable stains left behind from some unruly passengers.  She saw online that we use steam cleaning and hot water extraction to deep clean seats and carpets in cars.  Today I want to show you how our process takes place of cleaning seats.  I am not sure what the stains were caused by, but if I had to guess I would say a pop spill of some sort.

 

Upholstery shampooThe second photo above shows me spraying the seat with our upholstery cleaner and shampoo.  Our shampoo is a high pH and low foaming liquid that we spray on the surface to help break down the dirt and residue of the spill.  The soap is quite strong so I definitely recommend wearing some protection on your hands.

 

 

Steam cleaning upholstery seatTaking a closer look above shows 320 degree steam being projected out of our vapor steamer.  One of the attachments to the steamer includes a triangular brush that I use to agitate the surface of the upholstery seat.

 

Steam cleaning upholstery seatsThe process above is simply scrubbing the surface with the triangular brush head of the steamer to agitate and loosed the grime from the seat.  This process not only loosens the dirt, but helps to bring the dirt to the surface making the extraction process much easier.  After scrubbing for a minute or so, the seat is ready for hot water extraction.

 

Extracting upholstery seatWithin seconds of steaming the seat, I grab the upholstery tool of the heated carpet extractor and start extracting the seat.  Looking at the photo above one can see a side by side of the results.  After going back and forth a few time to make sure all areas are covered the seat is as clean as it’s going to get.  The extractor is one of the real workhorses in the cleaning process and it’s a MUST have.

 

2007 Jeep Cherokee SeatOnce the extraction is complete, the seat is ready for drying.  The seat is not “wet,” it’s simply damp.  Usually, after an hour or so the seat is completely dry.  on a hot summer day, it may only take a few minutes to completely dry, while on a cold day, a bit longer.  I always provide the customer with plastic seat covers so their vehicle can be driven immediately.  The process is pretty simple.  Simply shampoo, steam, and extract.  It’s as easy as 1, 2, and 3, as long as you have the equipment!

Thank you for reading!

-Clint