[SAStoy]

I have a few stains on my seats in my 98 Tacoma, it is the oak color interior with tan seats so they show up pretty easily. Anyhows, what is a good product for cleaning stains off upholstery? Used a couple Wal-mart type products but they don't work well at all. Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks

Ryan

 

[atwinda]

I have a few stains on my seats in my 98 Tacoma, it is the oak color interior with tan seats so they show up pretty easily. Anyhows, what is a good product for cleaning stains off upholstery? Used a couple Wal-mart type products but they don't work well at all. Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks

Ryan

I take the seat skins off and simple green them to death. (pressure wash, spray simple green directly on, scrub with tough brush, and then pressure wash rinse). It works great. I do it to the carpet as well. I just move them from the truck on a warm day and let them dry for a night a day and put it all back together.

Steam cleaning may also work.. You can also take off the seat skins, put some color safe bleach or one of the washing spot removers (oxy clean?) and wash them in the washer...

 

[01tacoTRD]

Look for a product called Krud Kutter, the stuff is amazing for stains. We sell it at where I work (Sherwin Williams), and I use it for just about everything. It will even take paint splatters out of clothes if you spray em down fast enough. I use it in my truck for all sorts of stains, it even removed an old spilled coke stain out of my dad's truck.

 

[ByrdDog20]

I have used "Great Stuff" in the red and yellow can with good results in the past. Find it at WalMart or Autozone. For grease you can't beat Simple Green.

Many times in the past I have taken my carpet out and pressure washed it at a car wash, comes out great with no more smells or spots, looks new. Just take a few days to let it hang on your fence and dry throroughly.

 

[jon_7248]

I have gotten this stuff at the auto stores called "Tuff Stuff" and it's pretty nice. It's a foam like substance and works really really nice. I have had some oil stainf and coke stains from my old 4runner that my father decided to make back in 1991. I took them out in 2001 with that tuff stuff. The only problem is that after you place it on seats, it's a little wet and you would probably want to use a towel or two so when you get out your butt's not soaked. But it works great!

 

[SAStoy]

You guys think Simple Green is safe to use on my seats?

Ryan

 

[The Dude Abides]

Too late now for you... but I Scotchguarded the entire interior of my truck when it was brand new. I've spilled coffee and coke and the liquid came together just like "mercury". Very easy clean up and not "sticky" carpet! Pretty amazing stuff that scotchguard! Dirt cleans up with a simple sponge and some water. No stains to date!

 

[tbplus10]

Tuff Stuff works good for light stains, for heavy stains take them off and wash in cold water with color safe detergent and tumble dry.
I had blood stains on a seat cover once that I removed and took to the dry cleaners, it came back looking like new.

Tim

 

[atwinda]

You guys think Simple Green is safe to use on my seats?

Ryan

yup. I have done it four times now.. they come out perfect!

 

[toyotaman21]

if you can't find nothing to take it out and it bothers you so much, i don't know about there but here you can't your seats reupholstered for like 50 bucks a seat

 

[SAStoy]

if you can't find nothing to take it out and it bothers you so much, i don't know about there but here you can't your seats reupholstered for like 50 bucks a seat

Doubt I could get them re-upholstered for that little. Plus the cloth is still good so I think a good cleaning is all that is needed. As for the comment by Tbplus10 I can't remove them to clean because the stains are not on the covers (I don"t even have covers) but the seats themselves. I think I might use the simple green so I can clena my carpets and seats all in one shabang. The earlier recommendation about using that Scothguard, has onayone else used it and where can I get it? TIA

Ryan

 

[tbplus10]

As for the comment by Tbplus10 I can't remove them to clean because the stains are not on the covers (I don"t even have covers) but the seats themselves.

The cloth part of your seat is called the "Seat Cover". It can be removed (top and bottom cushions are separate pieces) by removing the seat from the truck, turn it over and you have access to the hogg rings that hold the cover to the seat frame, remove the hogg rings and start peeling the seat cover off, midway up the seat you will sind more attachments holding the seat cover on the inside, remove these then remove the head rest and the seat cover wii slip off. The bottom seat cover holds on the same way.

TIm

 

[SAStoy]

The cloth part of your seat is called the "Seat Cover". It can be removed (top and bottom cushions are separate pieces) by removing the seat from the truck, turn it over and you have access to the hogg rings that hold the cover to the seat frame, remove the hogg rings and start peeling the seat cover off, midway up the seat you will sind more attachments holding the seat cover on the inside, remove these then remove the head rest and the seat cover wii slip off. The bottom seat cover holds on the same way.

TIm

How difficult is it to R and R seat covers?

Ryan

 

[96tacolx]

It`s kind of time consuming but not hard to do. I have a 96 that I took the 60/40 bench seats out, removed the covers and threw them in the washer. They looked like I had just bought them from the factory! Very nice.

 

[tbplus10]

Like 96tacolx said it's time consuming, 30 min per seat to remove, same time for replace. It's one of those jobs I only do if I have heavy stains, or every couple years to really clean the interior.
Be sure you use cold water and tumble dry if you go this route, warm water and normal dryer heat shrinks the covers and makes them a PITA to get back on. It also helps to do it on a warm day, or after the covers dry let them set in the sun a while to make them pliable.
The results are well worth the effort.

Tim

 

[SAStoy]

Good info guys. Should I use Spray N Wash on em before I throw them in or will a regular detergent do the job?

Ryan

 

[tbplus10]

I sprayed the inside and outside with Spray & Wash then threw detergent in with them in the washer, all the stains came out, even oil and ink stains.

Tim