Cloth seats in car and children

Jan06twinmom

New member
My DH and I have been planning to buy a new car with leather seats. We really like the ease of cleaning with leather and think it's a great option with small children. However, we saw a car today (Rav 4 with 3rd row seat) that doesn't come in leather - only cloth seats. We like the 3rd row option for occasional use, but I'm not so sure about the cloth seats.

So does anyone else have cloth seats in their car? How dirty do the seats get with children? How easy or hard is it to clean the seats? We would usually have only clear liquids and not too messy food in the car, but it seems like most of the dirtyness in our car comes from dirty shoes.

TIA

Melanie
 
ADS

Neatfreak

New member
I've had the best luck cleaning cloth seats when I get to the task right away, instead of putting off wiping them for days, weeks, oh months ...

IME, dry sand and dirt isn't a big deal, but mud and the grime that comes from melting snow mixed with salt and dirt definitely could not be ignored.
 

unityco

Ambassador - CPS Technician
We've got cloth in our car, and haven't had any problem so far. DS has not been RF since he's been walking, but he does often rest his feet on the front seats while FF. The colour and fabric (darker grey, no pile) seems to work wonders in our car. I've never had to wash them, I just brush them off/vacuum. His shoes come off before he gets in his seat if they're especially wet/mucky.

As much as leather is easier to clean, I find it uncomfortable (cold or sticky, depending on the season) so I won't consider it for our cars. To each their own, though!

HTH! :)
 

cdncasper

New member
I have cloth seats and I love them. I don't let the girls wear dirty/wet footwear in the car and alot of the time I take a very thin towel and put it so about 6" are under the seat and the rest goes down in front of the seat and down to the floor to help catch any little drips or anything.
 

ErinGoBragh

New member
We actually searched different dealers for our SUV because we wanted cloth, not leather. The sales guy thought we were nuts!

The only suggestion would be to get something with a dark color like gray or black. It really doesn't show like crazy. My tan seats in my old car were filthy.
 

Kat_Momof3

New member
leather is faster for cleaning, but cloth is just as easy... just takes a little more time.

since things tend not just wipe off with the whisk of a cloth, it's more the... quick grab a dust buster or vaccuum the car kind of thing.

I have cloth and while the places where my captain's chairs and third row benches attach have things in there I can't reach to remove or clean, the seats, the floor, etc. are NO problem.

I've had the same van (that we bought brand new) for almost 5yrs now (we bought it in the fall of 04 and it's an 05 caravan) and, when I get it all vaccuumed out and do the regular cleanings, it looks brand new inside.

Now, the outside is a different thing... I don't know how it's gotten the scrapes and little dents, but things seem to have happened to it in parking lots that I don't want to know about.

I'm going to price out having all that touched up soon.

If I had it to do over again, I would still have gotten cloth only because Damian has such sensory issues that the leather in the summer (when it gets all hot) would likely send him into fits of fury now that he is in just a seatbelt.

Now, don't quote me, because when we eventually get our next vehicle, I plan to take him with me and have him try out the leather and to do the shopping (if possible) in the middle of the summer so he can really feel what it would be like.

Otherwise, I'll err on the side of caution and go cloth.
 

Kat_Momof3

New member
We actually searched different dealers for our SUV because we wanted cloth, not leather. The sales guy thought we were nuts!

The only suggestion would be to get something with a dark color like gray or black. It really doesn't show like crazy. My tan seats in my old car were filthy.

Oh, yes... I love that about my grey interior.

but on the other hand, I've seen bookmama's (andrea's) tan leather in her photos and it looks SO pretty.

I think sometimes we tend to think cloth is better because sticky things can be removed (CAREFULLY) without risking tearing the leather. I've had chocolate (that to this day I don't even know how it entered the car) that was somehow melted and hardened onto my seat... I scrubbed it with baby wipes to get most of it, then had to sit there soaking it with goo gone and rubbing it with a towel. I swear, I worry what would have happened if it were leather. BUT... I know that many on this board have leather, so I wonder if maybe it wouldn't have been that hard.
 

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