How to Vacuum Between Car Seats | Everything You Should Know

Are you worried about how to vacuum between car seats as crumbs and stubborn pet hair stuck into it? Actually, it is a place where dirt, assortments of food, chips, etc., are trapped, and you have to waste time to remove them. 

You are not alone who have to face such a problem. It doesn’t mean you do not properly maintain your car. You often drop food or other unwanted things and all of these stores between the car seats with regular use. Maybe you know well how to clean your car, but it is not necessary that you also know how to clean between car seats. Well, it is a little bit tricky job, and many car owners neglect to clean the area between the seats and console, seat folds, and seat tracks. Though these areas contain lots of hidden dust, food particles, and debris, and their deep cleaning is essential. 

How to clean between car seat and folds

Required cleaning tools

• Car vacuum
• Stiff bristle brush
• Crevice tool

Cleaning process

• At first, remove loose dust. You can use a car vacuum also. No need to install any particular attachment; only a vacuum hose is enough to remove loose dust from the car seat. Usually, dust gathers on the back and the bottom of the seats, so give attention to these places.
• The next is the seams of the seat. Install a crevice tool to your vacuum. Now open the seams of the seat’s back and bottom by using your fingers and run the crevice nozzle straightway the seams. Pay more attention to the corners and the joints where the seatback meets with the bottom.
• You can still find some dust trapped in the fiber. Take the bristle brush and remove trapped fine dust. The hose and the crevice tool of the vacuum can remove only the surface dust; they cannot treat the trapped dirt. 

How to clean between the car seat and console

Clean between the car seat and the console is quite irritating as there is almost no space. As they are almost attached, it takes much time, and you need lots of patience to clean.

Required cleaning tools

• Air compressor
• Vacuum
• Dry microfiber cloth
• Crevice tool
• Steam cleaner
• Interior detailing brush

Cleaning process

• Remove clutter if you store something in this area.
• Set the vacuum in low power, run it on both seats, the space between the console and around the console area to remove debris and loose dirt.
• Install the crevice tool in the vacuum and deep clean in and around the center console. Do not forget to run the vacuum down the side of the seat. 
• Take enough time to vacuum these areas to remove the last piece of dust and debris from the seating area and center console. 
• Now it is time to dislodge smaller fine particles. Use the air compressor to direct pressurized air between the seat and console and in the console’s tight spaces to blow away small debris. Wipe down the area with a dry microfiber cloth.
• The next turn is for a steam cleaner. Use it for cleaning any stain or mark between the console and the sides of the seat. Direct use of steam cleaner on the stain and hold it for a few minutes. Once the stain loosens, use an interior detailing brush to gently remove stains and allow to dry.

How to clean between car seat tracks

If you do not clean the car seat rails, you may have to face problems in moving the front car seats backward and forward. Most annoying is, whenever you will try to move, the seat will move a fraction and then be stuck in one place. 

If you are now in the same situation, then check the seat tracks. Here might be a big amount of food, pet hair, dust particles, and dirt trapped. You must clean these areas as frequently as possible.

Required cleaning tools

• Handheld vacuum
• Crevice tool
• Small paintbrush
• Handheld bristle brush

Cleaning process

• Take off the floor carpets from both the front and back of the car and remove the dirt underneath.
• Move the seat to the forward as much as possible so that you can get enough space to clean the backside. 
• Perfectly sweep the carpet underneath to eliminate dust so that you vacuum easily. You can use a handheld bristled brush to sweep dirt from the front side to the seat’s backside. 
• Now install the crevice tool in the vacuum hose and suck the dirt that you have to loosen from the seat tracks. 
• Pay a little more concentration on cleaning seat track rails. Direct the nozzle of the crevice tool over the seat rail several times. Be careful; you should be gentle while cleaning the track to avoid eliminating the lubricant. Otherwise, the seat will not move along the rail smoothly.
• There are maybe a few such spaces where your crevice tool cannot reach. You can use a small paintbrush to loosen and sweep away the dust. Move the vacuum toward the center console, around the ac, and farther down to the footwell. 
• Repeat the whole process for the other seat. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Can I vacuum my car with a regular vacuum?

Unfortunately, there is not exist any specific vacuum for car cleaning. But few models of handheld vacuums are really suitable for car cleaning. Besides, with the right attachment, you can also deep clean your car with a regular vacuum cleaner.

How often should I vacuum my car?

You should run a deep cleaning or vacuum once every couple of weeks. If it is not possible, then it should be once a month. For interior cleaning, you should vacuum twice every week, a for removing surface dirt, vacuum once per week.

Should I vacuum or dust first?

If you want to run a thorough cleaning, you should start your cleaning by dusting. Dust first so that you can vacuum up the fallen particles.

Can I install a gap filler between the seats to prevent being dirty again?

Well, a gap filler can effectively cover the gap, but it does not mean that dust will not store in any gap. The easiest method is to keep clean between the car seats is to clean it regularly.

Wrapping up

Vacuum between a car seat is really a time-consuming job and irritating also. You need to arrange all of the cleaning tools and equipment altogether and go for the cleaning. If it is your first attempt, don’t worry at all. We have already discussed various cleaning processes of gaps between car seats. Just follow them and go ahead carefully. If possible, clean your car seat folds, console, and tracks regularly. You should not go for any commercial cleaners if you are not a professional car cleaner or you are doing car detailing as a business. We hope you have understood the cleaning process and will follow them to keep your car clean as a new one.