Sunscreen may be good for human skin and it protects the skin from harmful rays of ultraviolet. Sunscreen is good for your skin but it is more dangerous to your car interior. These days, more and more people are making an effort to reduce the use of plastics in the car. Whether it’s because of environmental or health concerns, most of us want to keep our cars as plastic-free as possible, but this isn’t always easy when it comes to things like sunscreen and hand sanitizer.
If you’ve ever tried to remove sunscreen from your leather car interior, you know that it can be tricky, and if not done correctly, can ruin your interior permanently. Removing sunscreen from the leather car interiors can be challenging. It’s difficult to remove the stain and even more challenging to do so without damaging the leather. In this article, we told you the ways to remove these substances from the leather car interiors so you can enjoy your car and stay safe at the same time.
Why does sunscreen appear in your leather car interior?
Before we know about the methods of removing sunscreen stains from the interior of leather cars, it’s better for us first to know about the sunscreen and how it appeared in the car interior.
There are two main reasons why sunscreen appeared in leather car interiors and we carefully note the reason and then clean according to the reason.
According to the first reason, sunscreen is in the open form of an oily substance and it is very difficult to remove from the interior. According to the second reason, sunscreen is made up of some special chemical known as avobenzone. This chemical in sunscreen allows ultraviolet rays to absorb and this chemical reacts with the iron present in hard water. As a result of this reaction, some harshly orange or rusted colors appear in the car interior.
When we get the reason for sunscreen then we also get the method of cleaning the sunscreen. We do not use water for the second reason to remove sunscreen because it reacts with avobenzone creating further problems. As we also know that most sunscreens are waterproof and have great resistance against water. These waterproof sunscreens withstand all types of water like sweat, rain, and swimming. These types of sunscreen are designed especially to avoid sunscreen stains.
Now let’s talk about the following methods of removing sunscreen from leather car interiors.
Before using these methods to remove sunscreen stains from the interior of the car, some most important things should be kept in mind.
First of all, we note the color of our interior and then treat it according to color. Because mostly all cars have dark black color on the interior and it becomes hard to remove all stains. If you have waterproof sunscreen then repeat these methods several times until all stains remove completely.
Rubbing alcohol
If you are looking for a safe, efficient, and affordable way to clean your car’s leather seats, then this guide is perfect for you. However, if it is only the car dashboard or console that needs to be cleaned then please refer to this guide instead.
The key ingredient in this household cleaner is rubbing alcohol. It has many uses around the house including disinfecting surfaces and removing stains and odors. In addition, it is inexpensive and can be found at almost any drugstore or grocery store.
We recommend using 99% pure rubbing alcohol as anything less could contain water which will dilute the strength of the solution and cause it not to work as well as it should.
Baking soda and water paste
This is a really simple way of removing sun tan lotion from your leather car seat. All you’ll need is baking soda, water, and a cloth. First off, put on some rubber gloves. Grab a small bowl and pour in enough baking soda to make it thick like paste (about a tablespoon). Add enough water so that the mixture becomes more like glue than paste, not too runny but not too thick either.
Apply the solution onto the stain with your cloth and rub firmly until the lotion starts to break down into smaller pieces which should then start flaking off the surface. If necessary, try scrubbing harder with your cloth or use more of the solution before you give up.
White vinegar
Fill a bucket with warm water and add about a quarter cup of white vinegar. (Be sure to test the mixture on an inconspicuous area of your seats first). Start by using a sponge or cloth, but if the stain doesn’t come up, dip your fingers into the water and gently rub them over the stained area. If there are any stubborn stains left behind, soak the seat cushion in a bathtub filled with warm soapy water.
Allow the cushion to soak for an hour before scrubbing it down with an old toothbrush. Then rinse it off in another bucket of clean water before drying it out with a towel or air dryer. You can use a hair dryer to speed up the process, but make sure that you hold it at least 10 inches away from the fabric!
The entire process should only take about an hour or less depending on how many items need to be cleaned.
Leather Interior
If your car has a leather interior and you want to clean sunscreen from them then use a non-abrasive sponge to scrub with alcohol or vinegar and quickly wipe it out with a soft cloth. If you do not wipe it out quickly then chemicals present in alcohol and vinegar cause reason for more damage.
Non-Leather Interior
If your car has a non-leather interior and is made with other materials like polyester and wants to clean then you allow alcohol or vinegar to soak in fabrics for about 3 to 5 minutes for better results.
Conclusion
To conclude it can be stated that, the presence of sunscreen stains on the seats, and the dashboard makes the interior ugly. No one like to sit in this ugly interior car. So to remove these ugly stains from your car interior use above mention methods and increase the look of your car interior as well as the life of your car.
FAQ
Will vinegar remove sunscreen stains?
Yes, vinegar can remove sunscreen stains if you will apply it correctly. Make a solution of vinegar and water. You can take 50% vinegar and 50% water. Mix it well and then apply it to the stain. Apply slightly and then treat with laundry soap and water.