Whether grabbing a meal at a drive-through or enjoying a snack on the road, there are plenty of times when drivers can get grease stains in their cars. These dark splotches, left behind on car seats and arm rests, can be a bit of an eye sore and affect the resale value of a car.
Auto detailers know to avoid using a lot of water for this kind of job, as doing so could just cause stains to expand and become even tougher to get out. What go-to tricks do auto detailers use instead? Here’s a look at some of the ways you can tackle grease stains once you become a professional auto detailer.
1. Dish Soap Can Be an Excellent Option for Grease Stains
One go-to solution many detailers turn to when tackling grease stains is dish soap. Once you’ve isolated the stain on the upholstery, squirt just a pinch of dish soap on the spot and let it sit for a few minutes. You can grab a hold of a small detailing brush made from nylon or horse hair, spray just a little bit of warm water from a bottle, and then give the spot a couple of dabs to really work up a lather and get the soap deep into the stain to lift it out. One thing to look out for is to make sure you keep everything contained to the spot so that it doesn’t spread. After all, you don’t want a bigger mess to clean!
2. Baking Soda Can Also Be a Handy Solution for Grease Stains
Sometimes auto detailers will need to scrape away caked on grease with a paint scrapper or a knife without a serrated edge. When working on big grease stains, start by scrapping off as much of the excess and caked on grease as you can before wiping away any dry grease flakes and other residue with a trusty microfiber cloth. After that, it’s time to apply some baking soda. Grads of professional automotive detailing courses should let the baking soda sit for several minutes or even hours before going back to clean it, giving it enough time to absorb the grease trapped in the upholstery.
3. Steam for Removing Grease Stains Is a Must for Auto Detailing Careers
Steam machines are essential tools that a real pro is almost guaranteed to use over their auto detailing career. That’s because cleaning up stains with a steamer is just so easy. You simply pass the nozzle over the stained area and let the steam release the trapped in oil and grease. Once the grease has been brought to the surface, you can use a microfiber cloth to wipe the mess away without a fuss!
4. Bust Away Grease from Carpets with Carpet Shampoo
Finally, for carpet stains gather up your preferred carpet shampoo product. You can also use some paper towel and an iron to lift out some of the grease before applying the carpet shampoo. Start by placing a sheet of paper towel over the stain and iron over it, but only on low or medium heat. The heat from the iron will help to draw up some of the grease into the paper towel. After that, it’s a simple matter of applying the carpet shampoo, scrubbing it in, and clearing the area with a microfiber cloth.
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