Bad idea to shampoo my seats?

[masospaghetti]

I've used one of those Bissell machines and it picks up a ridiculous amount of crap out of the seat. But i know they are still dirty.

Is it a bad idea to take the seats out, shampoo and hose them down?

[deevergote]

I think my friend tried using upholstery shampoo and a wet vac on his seats years ago, and had good results. I'm not certain, though. I know he gave his floor mats and carpet a good deep cleaning, but I'm not sure how wet the seats got.

I'd imagine it would be fine to shampoo the seats as long as you didn't get them soaking wet. You don't want the foam to become saturated. It will likely take forever to dry, and mold will become a possibility. A hose might be too much. Do it on a hot day where you can sit the seats in the sun to dry, and use the least amount of liquid as you can. It should work without causing issues.

[Fleetw00d]

I have certainly removed the carpet, scrubbed it with OxyClean, then power washed it, then hung it to dry on a large stick on a stepladder. Even then, it took forever for the padding to dry. I have cleaned floor mats the same way. I have heard of people power washing seats, but I agree with deev, I wouldn't soak them. If you're really industrious, you could remove the covers and attempt to clean just them; warning, it is tedious. I also one time had a carpet dry cleaning service clean the seats and carpet of my wagon; they used a solvent and towels which didn't leave the seats wet at all.

[GTRON]

I have certainly removed the carpet, scrubbed it with OxyClean, then power washed it, then hung it to dry on a large stick on a stepladder. Even then, it took forever for the padding to dry. I have cleaned floor mats the same way. I have heard of people power washing seats, but I agree with deev, I wouldn't soak them. If you're really industrious, you could remove the covers and attempt to clean just them; warning, it is tedious. I also one time had a carpet dry cleaning service clean the seats and carpet of my wagon; they used a solvent and towels which didn't leave the seats wet at all.

Having a carpet dry cleaning service clean your car seats sounds like a great idea! Do I just call in and ask: Soooo, you guys do cars too?

[wagon-r]

There is a car wash near me that has an interior detail package for $125. This includes:
Shampoo Carpets, Seats & Mats
Clean Dashboard, Center Console & Doors
Protectant Applied Inside and Out

I had this done and it turned out great. Interior not only looks much better, but smells better too. The seats were damp for a couple days, but they give you a plastic cover to use when you are sitting in the car.

So, shampoo away! Just try not to drench the seat - the less water the better.