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Here is another method to clean SVO cloth seats.
I started by purchasing a small, 1.5 HP one-gallon Shop Vac from Home Depot. Once I got the vacuum home, I used 320 grit sandpaper to smooth the inside of the 4 inch wide wet / dry nozzle, and the inside of the end of the tube. This is to make certain that there is no sharp end that can snag the upholstery.
Vacuum the seats well, and extend the leg cushions, and open the bottom bolsters as wide as they will go.
Use 3/4 of a cap of regular Woolite in 1 gallon of warm water. Using a small sponge wet the upholstery thoroughly from the top down, remembering that the soap solution will run down the seat. Once the seat is wet, use a soft brush (I used a vegetable brush from Linens and Things) in a circular motion to clean the upholstery. You will find that it is best to just use the hose itself to suck the soap solution from the seat, and use the wet / dry nozzle to vacuum the junction at the base of the seats. You will instantly see when you vacuum the soap solution from the seat if it is clean. If there is any dirt of discoloration, repeat with the soap solution and gentle scrubbing until it is clean, vacuuming each time.
Once the seat surface is clean, rinse the seat three times using a bucket of warm water, vacuuming with each application of the rinse water. Wet the seat thoroughly, so that the light section of the upholstery becomes the same color as the dark sections of the seats. It is very important to make certain that you rinse the seat well to remove all of the detergent. (It is very tempting to just rinse once or twice, but resist the temptation, and rinse and vacuum the seats all three times.)
When all of the upholstery has been cleaned and washed, take four clean towels, and stuff them into the base of the front and rear seats. Leave these for 30 minutes to an hour. These will draw the water that is not extracted by the vacuum at the base of the seats out, and speed the drying process.
Put the car in a garage, and disconnect the battery. Open a door, and place a fan by the opening, and allow the interior to dry 12 hours or so. I recommend that you open the opposite window about one inch to help extract moist air.
Do NOT dry the interior by letting the car sit in the sun, this can lead to uneven drying, and increase the possibility of moisture rings forming where the sun hits.
When the interior is completely dry, brush the upholstery with a dry, soft brush, and vacuum with the brush attachment. The interior will look like new again.
Hope this helps someone…I was amazed at how it cleaned up mine.
I started by purchasing a small, 1.5 HP one-gallon Shop Vac from Home Depot. Once I got the vacuum home, I used 320 grit sandpaper to smooth the inside of the 4 inch wide wet / dry nozzle, and the inside of the end of the tube. This is to make certain that there is no sharp end that can snag the upholstery.
Vacuum the seats well, and extend the leg cushions, and open the bottom bolsters as wide as they will go.
Use 3/4 of a cap of regular Woolite in 1 gallon of warm water. Using a small sponge wet the upholstery thoroughly from the top down, remembering that the soap solution will run down the seat. Once the seat is wet, use a soft brush (I used a vegetable brush from Linens and Things) in a circular motion to clean the upholstery. You will find that it is best to just use the hose itself to suck the soap solution from the seat, and use the wet / dry nozzle to vacuum the junction at the base of the seats. You will instantly see when you vacuum the soap solution from the seat if it is clean. If there is any dirt of discoloration, repeat with the soap solution and gentle scrubbing until it is clean, vacuuming each time.
Once the seat surface is clean, rinse the seat three times using a bucket of warm water, vacuuming with each application of the rinse water. Wet the seat thoroughly, so that the light section of the upholstery becomes the same color as the dark sections of the seats. It is very important to make certain that you rinse the seat well to remove all of the detergent. (It is very tempting to just rinse once or twice, but resist the temptation, and rinse and vacuum the seats all three times.)
When all of the upholstery has been cleaned and washed, take four clean towels, and stuff them into the base of the front and rear seats. Leave these for 30 minutes to an hour. These will draw the water that is not extracted by the vacuum at the base of the seats out, and speed the drying process.
Put the car in a garage, and disconnect the battery. Open a door, and place a fan by the opening, and allow the interior to dry 12 hours or so. I recommend that you open the opposite window about one inch to help extract moist air.
Do NOT dry the interior by letting the car sit in the sun, this can lead to uneven drying, and increase the possibility of moisture rings forming where the sun hits.
When the interior is completely dry, brush the upholstery with a dry, soft brush, and vacuum with the brush attachment. The interior will look like new again.
Hope this helps someone…I was amazed at how it cleaned up mine.
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