How To Clean Car Seat Belts: The Start-To-Finish Guide
Almost seat belts are devices that get easily dirty but are usually forgotten. Drivers normally make their seat belts dirty by sweat, food stains, or coffee spills. A lot of people do not know how to clean seat belts; therefore, in this post, we will guide you on how to do it.
What Material Are Car Seat Belts Made Of?
Car seat belts are crucial for ensuring the safety of drivers as they help minimize injuries resulting from the body’s impact during accidents. However, it is important to note that seat belts can become dirty and have yellow stains due to factors such as sweat or food spills. If left unattended, these long-term stains can foster mold growth, compromising both aesthetics and health. Consequently, drivers should take proactive measures to clean their seat belts.
Car seat belts are technically produced to ensure driver safety even when the belt is pulled and stretched. The fabric that makes up the belt is mesh fabric, carefully designed to have an extremely high tensile strength – approximately 3000-6000 Ibs.
The seat belt material is usually woven from 100% polyester. Nylon used to be the most popular material but is more prone to stretching and wear. Even a small amount of damage or wear to the belt will significantly reduce the tensile strength. Therefore, the difference between polyester and nylon is small but extremely important.
How To Clean Seat Belts in 3 Simple Steps
Necessary items
- Hand clamp
- Scrub pad
- Small soft brush
- Terry towel
- Fabric cleaner
- All-purpose cleaner
- White vinegar
- Dish soap
- Plastic cup
- Stiff bristled brush
Steps to wash car seat belt
You may be surprised to learn that cleaning seat belts isn’t extremely difficult. Once you gather all of those necessary things, you are ready to start cleaning by following the simple stages below.
Step 1: Pull and stabilize the belt
Gently pull the seat belt most the way out of the retractor to find the mold and the sources of stinky odors. The belt should be pulled forward until it can not go any further so drivers can wash it completely. Use a metal clamp to prevent the belt from retracting back into the spool while you’re working on it.
Step 2: Use the cleaning liquid
With normal stain
Next, use car seat belt cleaner to remove the dirt. Lightly spray fabric cleaner on the fibers and scrub with a medium to stiff bristle brush and avoid circles by rubbing up and down. Most stains can be cleaned by all-purpose cleaner which is safe to use not only on belts but also for car owners’ health.
With stubborn stain
Drivers are recommended to create the mixture by filling a cup of warm water and adding 3 spoons of all-purpose clearer. Expert car owners usually create this cleaning mixture for difficult stains. Use the minimum amount of cleaner and liquid necessary to remove the stain and to avoid oversoaking or spreading the discoloration.
Read more:
With nasty mold and odors
To create a wonderful mixture, car owners can follow this recipe: Non-bleach dish soap, warm water, and vinegar. Mix 1 tablespoon of dish soap into a cup of warm water, then add about 30 ml of vinegar. It is advisable to stir the mixture gently until it is fully combined.
Then, gently scrub the webbing. Vinegar is great at killing smells and is a natural antibacterial agent to minimize future mold issues. If you have access to a steam machine, spray fabric cleaner on the belt and blast the webbing with pressurized steam to blow dirt away and kill germs. Steam is also helpful in minimizing the amount of moisture used and subsequently, the time required to dry.
Step 3: Gently scrub the belt
One of the most powerful cleaning tools of car owners is the stiff-bristle brush. The brush can be use to bring the seat belt back to its tip-top condition. Car owners should scrub from the bottom to the top to avoid wearing out the threads of the belts. Remember to use the soft brush and not move the brush in a circle movement.
Use the minimum amount of cleaner and liquid necessary to remove the stain and to avoid oversoaking or spreading the discoloration. By doing this, the nasty stains and mold will be removed completely.
After that, using a microfiber towel to remove moisture is also recommended.
Step 4: Let the belt dry
Lastly, dry with a cloth towel by squeezing the belt between your hands and running up and down the fibers, to avoid damaging the thread of the belts. The belts must be dry before pulling and retracting to avoid growing must inside.
It usually takes a night or more for the belts to dry completely. If the belt is retracted and retains moisture mold and bacteria will grow within the spool, so give enough time to air out thoroughly.
To learn more about cleaning seat belts, see the video below:
How Often Should We Clean The Car Seat Belt?
Seat belts are designed to be rolled up and hidden, so they are often overlooked when cleaning the car. However, in reality, belts are one of the sources of bad odors in cars.
Most compact cars have five seat belts: the driver’s seat belt, the passenger’s seat belt, and the remaining three in the rear seats.
For the passenger’s seat belt, the car owner can clean it anytime, if someone often sits in that position. If the user frequently drives alone, cleaning is only required every six months to remove accumulated dust and dirt. Same for the seat belts in the rear seats. If there are often children or pets in the vehicle, vehicle owners should clean the seat belts as often as the seat belts in the driver’s seat.
In conclusion
We hope that you find the detailed and helpful answer to the question how to clean seat belts. Moreover, you can browse online to find the best maintenance tips to get more information about car seat belt cleaning
