Why We Steam Clean Car Seats

When you take your car to an auto detailer or search for “car seat cleaning near me,” you hope to find professionals who will take care of your car or truck in the most efficient way and maintain its long-term value. There are many things to consider when detailing a vehicle; however, one of the most important parts of the process involves cleaning the seats. Many providers use traditional shampoo when detailing, but we are instead committed to using steam. We do this for many reasons which we’ve chosen to highlight here.

Less Mess

One inherent drawback of shampooing is the sheer sloppiness of the procedure. Shampooing car seats requires putting a lot of water and cleaner onto them before soaking it back up, ideally with most of the dirt and grime within it. This is a messy and inefficient process, to say the least.

It also has to be done properly to be successful. After all, nobody wants excess water left in their vehicle’s seats as this can react with heat to grow mold and mildew. Basically, cleaning your car’s seats with shampoo poses too high a risk for our standards.

More Efficient

Shampooing car seats is a fairly time-intensive endeavor. Ensuring that it is done properly, and the seats are dried thoroughly, means taking quite a bit of time. By comparison, steam cleaning is a much faster and easier process overall.

When you steam clean car interiors, dense liquid water does not penetrate and stay deep within the fabric. This means that it will dry naturally within just a few hours. This process can also be sped up simply by moving more air through the interior. Plus, with steam cleaning, there is no need to spend time tediously scrubbing dirt away.

Deeper Clean

It is tempting to assume that shampooing produces a better end result, though the opposite is actually true. When you shampoo car seats, some of soil is removed, but much of it is simply pushed deeper into the fabric. You may not see the residue, but it is definitely still there below the surface. This often creates toxic and unhygienic conditions over time.

In contrast, the application of the steam actually lifts dirt to the surface with water vapor. This means that steam cleaning not only addresses soil on the exterior but also brings out what has been hiding deep within the interior. The heat of the steam is the primary source of this benefit.

Better Sanitation

One of the biggest benefits of steam cleaning is the sanitation aspect. We don’t just want car seats to look good—we want them to be truly clean from the inside out. The heat from steam is effective at not only removing locked-in residue, but it’s also able to kill germs, bacteria, and fungal growth. Many cars are affected by these due to food, pets, weather, and children. Steam works well to resolve these issues for good.

Steam cleaning not only provides a beautiful interior, but it also aids in sanitizing your vehicle, thereby reducing the chances of you and your family getting sick from contaminants. This is augmented by steam’s ability to penetrate into cracks and crevices that traditional shampoo cannot touch.

Eliminate Odors

One would think shampoo destroys odors inside a vehicle. In truth, the scent of shampoo simply serves to mask any smells that may still be present. This is why your car’s odor may return a few weeks after traditional detailing. However, steam cleaning largely eliminates even the most significant odors such as cigarette smoke. Again, this is due to steam’s incredible ability to remove residue embedded deep within the vehicle’s interior.

In summary, there are many reasons why we opt to use steam instead of shampoo. The results certainly provide a far greater value for you and your vehicle in the short- and long-term. If you have questions about our steam cleaning process or auto detailing in general, we encourage you to contact us for more information. We look forward to giving your vehicle the best clean possible.