Nobody wants to be sitting on a dirty, moldy, mildew-covered seat – and your nice clean clothes pay the price.
Fortunately, most golf cart seats nowadays are made of vinyl, which is pretty easy to clean. Here are the best ways to rid your golf cart seats of dirt, mildew, and other nasty stains.
How To Clean Dirty Golf Cart Seats?
Dirt can find its way onto your golf cart seats in a number of ways. As you drive through mucky off-road areas or puddles, dirt will inevitably splash up onto your seats. You might also accidentally transfer dirt from your clothes onto your seats.
If the dirt is left for too long, it will probably start to stain, which can be problematic when it comes to cleaning. However, if you’re quick to react to a dirty cart seat, it should come off easily with the following method. You’ll need:
- Two buckets
- Two sponges or wash rags
- An old toothbrush
- Dish soap
- A towel
- Fill one bucket with warm water and a splash of dish soap. Stir to activate the soap suds. Get your sponge or cloth nice and soapy, and then wring it out a bit.
- Start scrubbing your seats. Make sure you wipe all across the top and down the sides. For the particularly dirty areas, you may need to scrub a little harder. Use an old toothbrush to get into the seams where the sponge won’t fit.
- With the entire seat sufficiently scrubbed with soap, it’s time to rinse it off. Fill your other bucket with warm water – without soap. Dip your other sponge into it, wring it out, and use it to get rid of all the soap on your seat. Try not to use too much water, as it could end up seeping through the seats which would result in mildew.
- When all the soap residue has been rinsed off, pat your seats dry with a towel. It’s better to pat rather than wipe, as wiping tends to just spread the water across the surface of the seat, decreasing drying efficiency. If you see that you’ve missed any spots, you could go at them again with a soapy sponge. Otherwise, let the seat air dry the rest of the way.
How To Clean Mildew-Covered Golf Cart Seats?
Mildew tends to form on your golf cart seats during long-term storage, and it can occur either inside or outside. While mildew won’t necessarily damage the seat itself, it can become a bit of an eye sore and can produce an unpleasant odor that will end up rubbing off on your clothes.
There are a number of products available designed specifically for removing mildew from vinyl. We recommend Starbrite Mold & Mildew Stain Remover – a simple to use spray that effectively removes stains when paired with scrubbing. You’ll need:
- Stain remover
- A scrubber
- Rubber gloves
- Spray the stain remover all over the mildew-affected areas of your golf cart seat. Leave it to set for 5-10 minutes.
- Most of the mildew should have disappeared simply by spraying it. After enough time has passed, and you’re satisfied that the mildew has been removed, you can rinse off your seats with fresh water. Then pat dry with a towel.
- However, there may be some stubborn mildew stains that require a second application. If that’s the case, spray once more, leave for five minutes, and then give them a light scrubbing. Make sure you’re wearing rubber gloves, as the solution can cause irritation to your skin.
How To Remove Tough Stains From Golf Cart Seats?
If you’ve got some particularly stubborn stains on your cart seats, you might need something a bit stronger than dish soap.
There are a few different ways of tackling tough stains, but we suggest grabbing a bottle of rubbing alcohol. Apply it to a plain white cloth (avoid colored cloths, as these could stain your seat), and gently rub it on the affected area until the stain is gone.
Alternatively, you could pick up a packet of magic stain erasers, such as this one from Mr. Clean. There are no harsh chemicals used; all you do is add water to the sponge, squeeze it, scrub the stains, and watch as they disappear like magic!
How To Keep Your Golf Cart Seats Clean?
Now that you’ve got your golf cart seats looking spick and span, you’re probably wondering how you can keep them that way so that you don’t have to clean them again anytime soon.
The first thing to consider is where you store it. If you leave it outside, it will be at the full mercy of the elements, meaning that mold, mildew, and dirt build-up are inevitable. However, leaving it inside for long periods of time will also, more often than not, result in mildew.
The simplest and most effective solution, for both inside and outside storage, is to use a seat protector. With slits to fit over the armrests, it very easily slips on and off your seats. If you always remember to cover your seats when you are not using the cart, they will require far less frequent cleaning.
Final Thoughts
Golf cart seats are bound to get mucky, one way or another. But with soap, water, and a bit of elbow grease, you should be able to tackle dirt no problem. And when it comes to mildew, the Starbrite spray really is a miracle worker.
When you’ve got them all nice and clean, consider protecting them with a seat cover. Your seats will stay shinier for longer, meaning you can continue to cruise around in style!
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Nick is the founder of GolfSpan and an avid golfer. He's not quite a pro but has over 15 years of experience playing and coaching golfers worldwide. His mission is to bring the golfing community a better experience when it comes to choosing the right golf gear and finding the right setup for your game.
