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If you’re struggling to remove stains from your car, then you are on the right page. Getting rid of car stains can be a daunting task for many car owners, but if you follow the right guidelines, it will be as easy as ever. But what should you use to get rid of car stains? Is using a car shampoo efficient or would you need advanced tools like extractors and clay bars? Also, how do you treat both the exterior and the interior of your car? Ever wondered why some stains come out with a regular car wash and some don’t, like for example bird droppings? Well, we will find out all that and more in the following few sections below – let’s tune in.
What products to use while removing car stains?
While there are multiple products to use to treat your car stain, the first you should note is what type of surface the stain is on. Depending on the surface, eg. Leather vs fabric vs the exterior paintwork will often determine what method works best for you. Here are some of the common essentials you could equip yourself with to tackle both interior and exterior car stains.
Car Wash Shampoo
You might want to use concentrated shampoo to clean the exterior of your car, particularly the paintwork. With the combination of a pressure washer, a microfibre wash mitt and pH neutral car wash shampoo, your common contamination from every day driving should come out, given that the contaminants are still fresh. Stubborn stains such as tree sap and bird droppings may require more aggressive techniques explained later in this article.
Extractor for car stains
This is yet another essential product that you need to clean car stains. Extractors are high-quality products that break your stains down quickly and effectively. Using extractors on your car is pretty simple. All you need to do is identify the stains inside your car and then apply a required amount of an upholstery shampoo prior to extraction with an extractor unit. A high-quality car fabric cleaning shampoo will not just reduce stains but also disintegrate them to a microscopic degree without having to use harsh chemical-inducing products like ammonia among others. These shampoos also do not come with bleach, meaning your car fabric will appear fresh, new and the scent will be amazing, to say the least! To help sustain this overall clean finish for the future ahead, a interior car protection, formulated ceramic coating for the car interior, is super effective in fighting the ageing effects that typically take place on high contact areas such as your carpet, seats and mats. But, most importantly, needs to be performed by a professional to ensure that it is applied correctly.
If you encounter stains on the roof linings of your car interior, then caution must be taken. You may have seen in the past where cars have the upholstery fabric sag from the roof and we can all agree how displeasing this looks. This typically happens over time across older vehicles, when the glue starts to deteriorate. For this reason, only apply minimal shampoo to the surface and gently agitate and blot dry in the process to avoid risk of a saggy headliner. If stains persist, consider doing this process multiple times across different occasions to avoid overloading the liner in one instance.
Clay bar
A clay bar is an excellent tool used to treat stubborn stains that persist even after your regular car wash service and tackle stains derived from tree sap, bird droppings, dirt, water marks and much more. However, much caution must be considered as to avoid paint damage during the process.
To give your car a comprehensive clay bar treatment you first need to wash it completely with a quality shampoo. Once done, you might want to use the car stain extractor spray to spot clean specific areas on the exterior of your car.
Now, you need to get your clay bar, break it into two parts, and keep one specific part in the bar package as you may not require the entire block in this one instance. Next, you need to design and shape your clay in an oval structure, you can do this by pressing it flat into your palms. Make sure that you can hold the structure in your palm. Do not use excessive clay and only hold as much as you can.
The biggest benefit of using clay bars is simply the fact that they can extract the majority of contaminants. This also means that you need to hold the bar carefully because it is likely to break if it slips your hand and you won’t manage to use it the second time. If you use a contaminated clay bar on your car exterior, it will end up affecting the paint surface of your vehicle. In these scenarios, it is best to use the clean bar that you had initially reserved. Always use a generous amount of lubrication and flip sides of the clay bar as you need. You can determine when to switch to a new side of the clay bar by regularly assessing the amount of dirt collected on the clay bar.
While using the clay bar you also want to add some lubricant that complements the bar. This is an excellent way to maneuver the clay bar without having to dig deep into the contaminants. Finally, follow the back-and-forth motion using the clay bar. This will enable you to get rid of the contaminants from your finished paint. Do not rub the clay in a circular pattern because it is more likely to leave scratches. Finally, when the car surface appears to be clean and the clay appears dirty, you will need to knead the clay to give it a new shape. Add lubricant as necessary and is a must at all times.
Does this mean the clay bar will remove all stains? Well, short answer is no. Some stains can still penetrate deeper into your car’s paintwork/clear coat and even car paint protection like a ceramic coating, if left for long enough. and even car paint protection like a ceramic coating, if left for long enough. and even car paint protection like a ceramic coating, if left for long enough.. For these matters, you will then have to consider machine polishing for a more abrasive technique to edge deeper into the contamination. For this process, we would always recommend a professional car detailer to perform this for you as you do not want to risk burning through the paintwork, let alone, cause more imperfections along the way that could become irreversible and become costly to repair. Specific stains on the car’s paintwork such as bird droppings where it has etched through the clear, will need to have the car resprayed as no amount of cleaning or polishing will rectify the issue.
Bottomline
Now that you know how exactly to treat the interior and exterior car stains, think no further and use the right tools today! Because we have provided a detailed insight into the techniques to remove exterior and interior car stains you now know which way to head forward when it comes to removing car stains. Each of the mentioned products works exceptionally well and if you follow the right strategies cleaning car stains will be a breeze. So, wait no further and follow these guidelines right away to get your car spick and span in a couple of minutes. For those who do not want to risk potential damage or just do not have the time to do it themselves, then Schmicko is here to help you with your car care needs. Our team of 5 star vetted car detailers will be more than happy to assist you and bring that nostalgic gloss back to your car again. Call us today.
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Hi, I’m Chester
author, Automotive Service writer
As a seasoned author on our team, Chester also known as ‘Gadget’, for his love for all things mechanical, brings a wealth of experience and expertise to the table, particularly when it comes to automotive topics.