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QA friend spilled beer all over the rear seat of my 1979 Talbot Horizon. When it dried, it left a light but annoyingly obvious brown stain on the synthetic fabric. The seat covers aren’t removable. What can I do to un-stain it? Christopher Fincher, Spalding
AWe’ve all inadvertently soiled upholstery from time-to-time, so we’ll cover a range of stains in our answer. We’ll start with your friend’s beer, as it’s purely water-based and thus easy to deal with. You’ll obviously need to use water to remove it. The danger is over-wetting it so the stain dilutes and spreads out further.
First, gently dampen it with a solution of biological household washing powder (or liquid) and warm water applied with a cloth or a spray gun. Place a damp cloth over it and leave it for 20 minutes to allow the enzymes to do their stuff. After that, it’ll be a case of endless rubbing with towels to soak up the mucky liquid. Repeat the process until it’s clean. Switch to plain water after a couple of goes.
If you happen to have a wet-and-dry vacuum cleaner, you can be more liberal with the rinsing water and hoover it up immediately. Depending on the weave and finish of the fabric, rub the washing solution in with a paint brush, nail brush or toothbrush. Be careful not to distress the surface finish of the material or remove the top surface of the fibres (they might have been degraded by years of UV light). Household upholstery cleaner – applied according to its instructions – should work in place of washing powder.
Greasy stains are more problematic. They can sometimes penetrate synthetic fibres and cause permanent discolouration, so the sooner you can get to work on them, the better.
Something like milky tea can probably be dispatched using the method we just described. A splash of engine oil,
grease or rustproofing fluid will need to be wetted and removed with white spirit or petrol, using plenty of clean rags. Test a hidden area of fabric first.
White spirit should be OK, but the solvents in petrol may affect the fabric and cellulose thinners will almost certainly damage it. Finish by dusting the area with talc, then brushing it off with a bristle brush. Don’t vacuum it if there are any fumes remaining from the petrol.
Brake fluid represents a challenge. Try either methylated spirits or warm soapy water, followed by towelling or talc to soak it up. Carpets can be treated in the same way.