Seat treatment

You noticed it first as a shadow on the passenger seat. Then the shadow grew darker, and eventually you started turning the cushion or laying a blanket over it. Last year's coffee spill is no longer a surface stain — it has soaked down into the foam padding, and every time someone sits down, a little of it is pressed back up again.

That is why wiping it with a cloth does not help. The dirt is not where you wipe.

What we actually do

A seat treatment is wet chemistry, mechanics and negative pressure, in that order.

1. Dry first. Full vacuuming of seats, seams and the tracks underneath the seats, plus compressed air into the seams. Sand and grit left behind before wet treatment turns to sludge and gets ground into the fibre.
2. Stains are identified. Grease, protein, sugar and dye all require different agents. A milk stain and a diesel stain are not dissolved by the same thing, and using the wrong agent sets the stain rather than lifting it.
3. Fabric seats — deep shampoo and extraction. Shampoo is worked in with a brush, given dwell time, then drawn back out with the extraction machine: hot water pushed in under pressure, dirty water pulled out under vacuum, repeated in several passes until the water coming out runs clear. It is this last part that separates deep cleaning from washing — we take the dirt out with us, instead of rinsing it further down into the foam.
4. Leather seats — pH-neutral. Leather cannot tolerate strong chemicals. We clean with a pH-neutral agent and a soft brush, spending extra time in the seams and perforations where grime and skin oils actually sit. Conditioner is then applied, which keeps the leather supple and counteracts drying and cracking along the entry edge.
5. The belts and edges. Seat belts are cleaned on the surface. The entry edge of the driver's seat — the spot that wears first on any car — gets extra attention.
6. Controlled drying. We never leave the padding soaked. Moisture in the foam is exactly what causes musty odour three weeks later.

Why it pays off

What sits in a seat is not just unsightly. Sweat, skin oils and food residue are food for bacteria, and moisture from shoes and clothing keeps them going. This is often the source of the smell you notice when a car has been closed up in summer heat. At the same time, sand in the textile acts like sandpaper between the fibre and you — which is why fabric seats become shiny and thin in the middle before the edges show wear.

For leather, the arithmetic is even clearer. Leather that gets no conditioning dries out. Dry leather cracks along the seams and the entry edge, and a crack cannot be cleaned away. At that point the alternative is reupholstery, which costs many times more than a treatment.

How often should you have it done?

Once a year for an ordinary family car. Twice a year with a dog, small children, or heavy use. And always before a sale — the seats are where a buyer places a hand.

How long does it take?

Around 3 hours, plus 2 to 4 hours of drying time before the seats are ready for use. We come to wherever the car is parked.

See available times and book seat treatment — we assess the condition before we start, and let you know if something cannot be removed.