Twenty hours on the road can leave your car filled with the likes of fries, spilled drinks, wadded up napkins, pillows, blankets, maps, newspapers and sticky, gooey messes. The best way to avoid stains is to not eat, drink or do anything in the car but ride. Since that’s impossible, here are 15 tips from Road & Travel Magazine to get things straightened up after your vacation.
You’ve got vinyl, leather, or cloth upholstery, carpet, floor mats and the interior of the doors to keep clean and stain free.
1. Dilute coffee spills immediately with cool water and blot with paper towels or clean rags. If a stain remains after the spot dries, spray on a glass cleaner (yes, a glass cleaner!). Soak the area, allow to sit for five minutes, and blot.
2. Most greasy carpeting and upholstery stains can be removed by rubbing on paint thinner with a clean, 100-percent cotton cloth. Then cover the stain with salt until the remaining grease is absorbed, and vacuum. Or cover the spot with cornmeal and let it sit overnight and vacuum in the morning. Note: Test the effect of the paint thinner on the colorfastness of the carpeting and/or upholstery in a discrete area first.
3. Hairspray will lift out pen ink stains on carpeting or upholstery. Salt will also lift the stain out of the carpet. Allow to sit until the stain is absorbed and brush off. Repeat if necessary.
4. Carsickness stains, from children, pets or adults, should be diluted and neutralized (vomit is acidic) with club soda or a mixture of baking soda and water.
5. Blood stains on carpeting or upholstery, whether animal or human, should be immediately covered with a paste made up of dry laundry starch and cold water. (Do not use hot water, as it will set the stain.) Allow to dry, then brush or vacuum the residue away.
To read the rest of the list, click right here.
