How to Clean Old Seat Belts for New & Gorgeous Look

Seat belt straps can get dirty quite easily. We all have spilled some food or ketchup on the seat belt at least once while eating in the car. Spilled soda in the seat belt buckle can make the strap sticky and quite uncomfortable to wear. You cannot replace the seat belt every time it gets dirty.

How to clean old seat belts? For starters, white vinegar or rubbing alcohol can clean old seat belts for a gorgeous look.

So, knowing to clean old seat belts is a handy skill for every car owner. Here, we will discuss how you can clean your car seat belt, seat belt buckle and make your journey more enjoyable.

Let’s learn these useful techniques and make our car seat belts last longer. So, let’s get into it.

How to Clean Old Seat Belts?

If you clean your seatbelt regularly, a simple hand cleaning is enough for your seat belt buckles. You may use white vinegar or rubbing alcohol to clean the dirt on your seatbelt. You can also use a good quality car cleaner for the cleaning process.

Pull out the seat belt as much as you can and secure it with a clothespin. Then dip a microfiber fabric in your cleaner and scrub your seatbelt to loosen up the grime. To wipe away the residue, use a clean towel and air dry the buckle.

If your seat belt is heavily covered with dirt, you can also use a deep cleaning process. You can use a pressure washer or go to a professional for deep cleaning.

How to Clean a Sticky Seat Belt Buckle?

You can use a good-quality car cleaner, dish soap, or vinegar mixture to clean your seat belt. The first step to clean a sticky seat belt buckle is to pull out the sticky pad and remove the dust from the area.

Spray a generous amount of cleaner on the seat belt and scrub it so that it can pull away all the stickiness. Then, wipe the residue with a towel or microfiber fabric. Don’t leave any water residue behind and air dry the belt to get a fresh look.

AIDEA Microfiber Cleaning Cloth-24PK

How to Remove Mold from Seat Belts?

Mold can eat away your seat belt and make it weak. So, cleaning molds as soon as you notice them is the best you can do to protect your car seat belt.

Pull away the seat belt and clamp it to security in its place. Brush off the visible molds from the seat belt. Be careful not to leave any residue inside your car’s interior.

Else they might grow again from there. Soak a microfiber fabric into rubbing alcohol and wipe the seat belt. Ensure the alcohol reaches all the area so that no mold can survive in any corner.

Dry the belt under direct sunlight for several hours. It will help to remove all the moisture and destroy the habitat of molds.

How to Clean Seat Belts with Oxiclean?

Oxiclean works quite effectively for removing stubborn stains and odor. To remove stains from your car seat belt, you can use Oxiclean, dawn, and water to make a cleaning mixture.

Soak a rag in the mixture to wipe your belt gently. If the stain is still there, you can rub there again with the cleaner. After cleaning, wipe away all the residue and clean to not damage your belt.

cleaning seat belts beige

How to Clean Smelly Seat Belts?

You need to clean the belt thoroughly to eliminate the unpleasant smell. First, completely pull out the seat belt and place a clamp near the belt reel.

That way, it will not retract automatically. Mix one tablespoon of non-bleach dish soap and two tablespoons of vinegar into one cup of warm water. The vinegar will help you to get rid of the unpleasant odor. Spray the mixture on the belt and scrub it thoroughly.

You can use a soft bristle brush as your seat belt cleaning brush. Soak away the belt with a microfiber towel. Squeeze the belt between the towel and gently move up and down to remove the moisture but don’t scrub it roughly.

The Laundress Stain Brush, Laundry Brush for Stain Removal

Don’t forget to air dry the straps. The wet straps will get real smelly quickly in a confined place.

How to Clean Seat Belt Latch?

A clogged seat belt latch can be quite life-threatening as it won’t allow buckling your seatbelt properly. If you don’t want to die early, keeping your seatbelt latch clean and functioning is a must. If any sticky material is stuck into your seat belt, you can get it cleaned with the help of professionals.

 As cleaning the seat belt latch requires a little complicacy, many people consider replacing it, if it does not work properly. But if you want to clean your latch, you can use some strong cleaning solvent that will clean the inner chamber of your latch and evaporate afterward.

Cover up the surrounding area of the latch with some rags or towels so that the gunk does not damage the area while dripping out. Pour the solvent into the latch and wash it properly.

Then buckle and unbuckle the latch to reach the solvent in every corner and check if the latch is working.

Cleaning Seat Belts with Pressure Washer

A pressure wash can get rid of the dust deeply rooted in your seatbelt. You can use an electric pressure washer or gas power washer as your seat belt cleaning tool.

Both of these will give you an excellent result if you control the pressure and don’t damage your seatbelt. Before starting the wash, you need to pull the seat belt out of the car and position it with the clamp. The clamp will keep the belt in one place so that you can clean it without much difficulty.

Connect the pressure washer to the back of your car and start the engine to turn on the water. Point the jet nozzle towards your car seat belt, which you want to clean. Spray the car wash soap and scrub it for a while. When satisfied with the scrubbing, use the pressure washer to give a good rinse and wash away all the dirt.

chemical guys seat belt cleaner

Final Words

While traveling with children, it is necessary to take care of their health. A damaged or dirty seat belt can cause huge discomfort and be quite unhealthy for the rider.

Here, we have tried to answer car seat belt cleaners and cleaning procedures. I am sure this will come to good use someday.

Learn how to clean old seat belts, keep your car and seat belt straps child-friendly, and ensure the safety of your loved ones. So, enjoy your ride with a healthy and clean car interior and enhance the ten-fold joy of the journey.

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Jimmy

I am a professional automotive and car mechanic. I have been in the industry for 15+ years. At the moment I have 3 garages. Every day dozens of cars come to our repair shops that are damaged in a very short period of time. The main reason for this is not taking a proper care of the car.

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