Grease stains can get on car upholstery in different ways: whether you accidentally leave a hand print after handling engine oil sludge or spill some greasy fast food. As long as you attend to these stains immediately, no lasting damage will occur. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to remove grease stains from upholstery.

How to Remove Grease Stains from Upholstery in 7 Steps

Step 1:

Gather the following supplies for the stain removal process.

Upholstery cleaner from a brand of your choice (e.g. Meguiars Carpet & Upholstery Cleaner) or dish soap
Water
Blotting paper
Spatula or plastic scraper
Soft-bristled brush
Hair dryer
Steam cleaner (optional)

Step 2:

Scrape excess grease off the stain using a spatula or a plastic scraper. Don’t scratch harshly or else you will end up damaging the material. Once you have removed the grease, use blotting paper to dab the stain and soak up excess oil gently.

Step 3:

For the third step, you could use a professional upholstery cleaner or a solution of dish soap and water made at home. Make sure to add the solution to a spray bottle so you can easily apply it to the affected area. If it is a professional cleaner, make sure it is suitable for all upholstery types (vinyl, cloth, suede, leather, etc.).

Step 4:

Let the cleaning solution sit for at least 10 minutes. The label on your upholstery cleaner will also specify exactly how long the product needs to work on the stain.

Step 5:

Use a soft-bristled auto detailing brush to work the product into the stain gently. Don’t use sponges, scouring pads or rough cleaning cloth because they can wear out and damage the upholstery.

Step 6:

If you used dish soap, rinse the stain using a little water. If you excessively wet the car seat, water spots will form, and you will have to follow another process to get rid of them.

*Optional step: Once the grease stain has been treated with dish soap or upholstery cleaner, you can use steam to treat it further. Steam’s high temperature will easily break down and dissolve not only grease but all types of stains including oil, blood, chocolate, mud, etc. Steam is also safe to be used on all upholstery types.

**If traces of the stain remain, repeat step 03 through 06.

Step 7:

If water was used to rinse the grease stain, use a hair dryer to quickly dry the area and prevent water spots from forming. For upholstery cleaner, you can gently pat the stain dry using a microfiber towel.

Grease hardens over time which makes it tough to remove and will leave permanent marks on your upholstery. Grease stains will not only affect the appearance of your car interior but also in time affect the resale value of the car because stains are a sign of your negligence and lack of care. Our 7-step guide on how to remove grease stains from upholstery is very easy to follow, and if you add that extra step of steam cleaning the stain, you’ve got yourself brand-new looking car upholstery!

Schedule an appointment with DetailXPerts to treat all types of upholstery stains with our patent-pending steam cleaning method.