With Halloween and other holidays coming up, many companies are switching to drive through activities to keep families entertained and safe in the time of Coronavirus. There have been several plans already for drive through Halloween displays, drive up food drives, and even drive in holiday movies. Whatever your family decides to attend, you’re bound to end up with at least one spill in the car from a fellow family member. Auto Body Specialties just recently started selling custom truck and auto floor mats and carpets. If you want to keep your old and new mats and carpets looking like new, our article this week will focus on removing common stains from automotive interiors.

Food Stains: You’ll want to scrape away as much of the dried on food as possible. The best tool to do this is a blunt knife. After, you’ll want to see what kind of stain the food left. Food that is consumed in cars is often greasy. Greasy stains are best removed with solvent based upholstery cleaner. Other stains can be removed with hydrogen peroxide. Just be sure to use the smallest amount possible so the cleaner does not end up making another stain or damaging the upholstery. .

Liquid Stains: Kids love to drink in the car and if they don’t have a sippy cup, there are bound to be spills. Sugary drinks are the worst because they often leave bright and sticky stains. You’ll want to start by soaking up as much of the liquid as possible. Next, apply a commercial upholstery cleaner and scrub the stain gently with an older toothbrush. You can also make a DIY cleaner with water and hydrogen peroxide. When the stain fades, dot the area dry with a paper towel.

Crayon Stains: Crayons can really stain a car’s interior because of their wax. If you find that your little one has decided to use the seat as a drawing pad, you’ll want to start out with a butter knife. Let the wax dry and then begin to slowly scrape it away with the knife. Once the excess is washed away, you’ll want to start scrubbing the remaining stain with a small amount of laundry detergent. Let the soap sit for about 15 minutes and then start scrubbing it away.

Ink Stains: The best way to remove ink is with hairspray and rubbing alcohol mixed together. You’ll want to spray the mixture on the stain. Wait for a few seconds for the liquid to set in and then start blotting carefully. When blotting, make sure you don’t spread the ink around which will make the stain larger.