5 Upholstery Materials You Should Know and How to Clean Them

Seats are the main component of a car's interior. Seat covers have become a primary need for new car owners. In addition to window film and floor mats, seat covers also attract people when choosing which car will be their ride. There are various materials used in making seat covers. Here are the types and their explanations:

1. Nylon Seat Covers

Typically, car materials consist of two types, namely nylon and polyester. This type of material is like fabric or known as fabric-type material. However, it cannot be denied that fabric materials require slightly more complicated maintenance, especially for some issues like dust accumulation and when exposed to liquids. Moreover, this type has a fairly high absorbency. If it gets stained, immediately take a dry cloth to absorb and wipe the area to remove the stain.

Vacuum the dirt, then spray a cleaning solution and let it sit for 1-2 minutes. Wipe with a dry cloth to remove the stain. But if there are many stains, use a larger brush. After that, wipe with a clean cloth so that the dirt lifted by the brush sticks to the cloth. If the stains are hard to remove, while wiping with the cloth, press repeatedly.

2. Polyester Seat Covers

Polyester is one of the most affordable and reasonably good quality seat cover materials. This type of seat cover has become popular because it offers a comfort level almost similar to leather but at a much lower price. Polyester is also easy to clean using soapy water because the material dries quickly. You can also use a vacuum to clean this polyester seat cover.

3. Vinyl Seat Covers

Vinyl seat covers are the easiest type to clean, as spills and dirt usually come off on their own. If your seat is dirty, you only need to spray a multi-purpose glass cleaner on the seat cover and wipe with a soft cloth, and stubborn stains and odors will disappear instantly.

4. Imitation Leather or Semi-Synthetic Seat Covers

Synthetic leather materials are indeed created almost exactly like genuine leather in terms of texture. This type of seat cover is much easier to maintain compared to genuine leather. Semi-synthetic leather does not easily get dirty; when exposed to water, it will not absorb, so it will not damage the semi-synthetic leather texture layer.

5. Genuine Leather Seat Covers

Seat covers made from genuine leather are now in high demand. Besides having good quality and being stylish, using leather seat covers also looks more elegant and has a fairly good lifespan. However, many owners still make mistakes in maintenance, which sometimes makes the appearance look bad and even the color fades. Understandably, genuine leather requires careful maintenance and tends to be more difficult.

When cleaning leather seats, use soap that is only wrapped around a sponge, then scrub repeatedly until the dirt is gone. If using a toothbrush, it should be an old one or with super soft bristles to avoid damaging the leather surface.

Maintenance itself is sufficient every two weeks or once a month. But if cleaned, do it only when it is dirty. Because if done too frequently, it can also damage or change the leather color from its original state.