Cloth seats spotting from rain

[Auntie Soshul]

I have a 2013 SR5 with cloth seats. When the doors are opened during a rain, some rain gets on the outside edge of the seats, due to the shape of the vehicle's roof. I noticed early on that the driver's seat was getting spotted from the rain hitting it. I've tried a few cleaners to remove the spots, but it seems they have found a home and are there for the duration. Anyone have similar experience, or thoughts on how to remove the spots?

 

[4REIGN3R]

What cleaners have you used to try and remove it?

 

[OKStormRunner]

Have you tried a magic eraser?

 

[991-GT3MJK]

My 2008 did that, salt water from the beach left stains. Never would come off.

 

[02105]

A steam cleaner may help. Just keep it away from the electronics and keep your doors/windows open.

 

[Blitzkrieg]

Judging by your floor mats, I take it this is a work truck?

 

[Auntie Soshul]

Judging by your floor mats, I take it this is a work truck?

Nope, my daily driver. I don't usually hose off the floor mats until the outside temp is above 40 or so.

 

[apollo]

Judging by your floor mats, I take it this is a work truck?

rough

...mine looked a lot worse than that until a wash by the body shop today

OP--i used to own a ford pickup with tan cloth seats that would hold clean water spots...I learned from others on a forum to use blue coral foam cleaner and wet the entire section of the seat with it at a time, otherwise you could see the edges of the spray

doing a section at a time removed the water spots for me every time, could be worth a shot

http://www.amazon.com/Blue-Coral-DC...1455328457&sr=8-5&keywords=blue+spray+cleaner

 

[nglayton]

Anyone have similar experience, or thoughts on how to remove the spots?

Wet Oakle

Toyota Seat Covers - Wet Okole Hawaii

 

[Auntie Soshul]

rough

...mine looked a lot worse than that until a wash by the body shop today

OP--i used to own a ford pickup with tan cloth seats that would hold clean water spots...I learned from others on a forum to use blue coral foam cleaner and wet the entire section of the seat with it at a time, otherwise you could see the edges of the spray

doing a section at a time removed the water spots for me every time, could be worth a shot

Amazon.com: Blue Coral DC22 Upholstery Cleaner Dri-Clean Plus with Odor Eliminator, 22.8 oz. Aerosol: Automotive

Thanks, I'll give the Blue Coral a try. The other cleaners I tried didn't phase it, but they were generic auto store products that I had laying around.

 

[funkshovel]

You could try white vinegar / warm water 50/50 mix. Spray liberally and then agitate with a medium brush. Wipe with a microfiber.

 

[Blitzkrieg]

Curious - have you tried using a carpet/upholstery machine on them?

I have a Bissell carpet machine I use on my carpets and it also has an upholstery hose and attachments that work really well on things like this (and furniture).

A little carpet shampoo, warm water and suction to pull it back out generally will do the trick very nicely.

IMO the stains you are seeing are leftover detergents from prior "dry" cleanings.

 

[delloro]

have you tried soaking with lots of warm water, then sponging off?

 

[Auntie Soshul]

have you tried soaking with lots of warm water, then sponging off?

No, but I'll definitely try that first, as soon as the polar vortex exits the region.

 

[salong53]

If you have a wet/dry vacuum you could spray the seat with water/Purple Power cleaner or water/upholstery cleaner, followed by suctioning the excess moisture out of it. That's basically the same principle as a carpet/upholstery cleaner. Repeat that process several times, followed by just using warm water for a few more times to remove any detergent from the fabric.

Just a thought, but the spotting might also be caused by salts left over from acid rain, as I'm pretty sure the Piedmont area of VA has fairly acidic precipitation.

 

[FrontRange4Runner]

A steam cleaner may help. Just keep it away from the electronics and keep your doors/windows open.

Seconded. I picked up a cheap one from Harbor Freight. It's frigging awesome. It's cleans so may things effortlessly. And blasting stuff with seam makes cleaning fun. :gun4:

 

[LandCruiser]

I'm guessing you ass-sweated into the seats and the "rain stains" are where the water is rinsing off your swamp butt (at least that's my case).

Steam clean it, and throw some pine tree air freshners into your back pockets.

 

[Auntie Soshul]

I'm guessing you ass-sweated into the seats and the "rain stains" are where the water is rinsing off your swamp butt (at least that's my case).

Steam clean it, and throw some pine tree air freshners into your back pockets.

Well, no. The spotting started when the car was brand new, in February, before ass-sweat season. The spots appeared the first time I opened the driver's door while it was raining. My guess is that it has something to do with the dealer's prep using paint protection on the new vehicle, and the spotting may have resulted from the rain washing some residue of the paint sealant, which I stupidly paid extra for. But that's just a guess.

Besides, there's no spotting in the ass sweat area of the seat, just on the outside bolster, where my small ass doesn't cover.

 

[delloro]

No, but I'll definitely try that first, as soon as the polar vortex exits the region.

If that doesn't do it, I would try 91% isopropyl alcohol. A gentle but effective solvent. Test is small area first of course.

 

[Auntie Soshul]

Update

have you tried soaking with lots of warm water, then sponging off?

Thanks for all the suggestions! I decided to try the least aggressive suggestion first, which was the one above from [MENTION=122831]delloro[/MENTION]. Turns out, he's the winner. A couple of applications of warm water with a sponge did the trick.