Can you suggest ways to get really dark stains off the car seat?
It will help if you have a heavy-duty wet-dry vacuum cleaner. It also helps if you have some idea what the stains are. Black stains could be bubble gum or dirt or even mildew. Oily stains are going to respond to detergents and solvents. Water-borne stains like dirt will respond to water and ammonia. I’d try, in this order: * Pearson’s sudsy ammonia (Diluted as per label). Slop lots of it on. Let it sit a minute. Vacuum it off. Wet it down well, vacuum it off, repeat. * Diluted bleach. Great for removing mildew. Dilute it well, put it on, let it sit for 20 minutes, vacuum off, rinse and repeat rinsing. * Rubbing alcohol. With care so you don’t burn things up. Better dilute it 50/50 with water to aviod conflagrations.
There is a product called Tech Stain Remover that does a better job than anything else of removing stains from carpet and upholstery. It’s sold at Ace Hardware stores in several container sizes. I would apply it to the stain full strength to the stain, work it in with a bristle or nylon brush, let it sit for a while, and snort it out with a wet/dry vacuum cleaner (shop vac). Rinse with clear water, vac out the excess, and let it dry. Nothing will get out all stains. I’ve got a coffee stain in the carpet of my car that just won’t come out, no matter what I use. For my wife’s car, which is a brand new Mazda 3, we wised up and got a waterproof seat cover for the back seat. We have a 2-year-old – and a Wheaten Terrier.
