My Superb has a cream leather interior, which combined with my car carrying 2 bikes almost all the time with the rear seats folded down, means that the rear seat belts are dirty from tyres touching them. I got seatbelt protectors to cover them quite soon after I bought the car, but the damage had already been done by then. 

 

I did a quick search and found nothing on cleaning seat belts, though this seems to be a feature of the forum search :(, so the question is; are car interior cleaners/shampoos are safe to use on seat belts? What do people recommend?

Not something I have tackled - but my got to product is Autobrite FAB:-

 

http://www.autobritedirect.co.uk/index.php/interior-cleaning/fabric-hard-surface-cleaners/fab-interior-upholstery-cleaner.html

 

 

It hasn't failed me yet; used on seats, carpets, headliner, boot liners and also around the house as well.

 

 

You could test a small inconspicuous area with a more generic APC initially.

Try a gentle soak with your chosen product and agitation with a microfiber perhaps, or an old toothbrush on stubborn areas.

 

Hope this helps.

My worry is whether these cleaners affect the strength of the seat belt. I've sent Autobrite a message asking about this anyway - hopefully I'm just being overly cautious... 

My worry is whether these cleaners affect the strength of the seat belt.

 

I've sent Autobrite a message asking about this anyway - hopefully I'm just being overly cautious... 

 

 

Understandable - better safe than sorry.

 

FAB can be diluted as well; so you could start with a very weak mix on the stains in question.

 

I should also mention that the seat belt be towel dried afterwards, then aired properly to fully dry afterwards;

don't let it re-coil onto the roller once damp/wet - then you risk mould/mildew growth further down the line.

steam cleaner would work.

It's only the bit across the seat bolsters that needs cleaning anyway, so no need to unreel it. Thanks for the advice so far . 

It's only the bit across the seat bolsters that needs cleaning anyway, so no need to unreel it. Thanks for the advice so far . 

 

 

Not a problem - apologies if some of the advice seems obvious or common sense.

 

Let us know how you get on with it....

 

 

I also like Ben's idea of the steam cleaner; but never tried this option - but one I will keep in mind for future

I got a reply from Autobrite: 

 FAB will work fine on the seat belts and will not harm the fabric in anyway.

 

So I see a bottle of this in my future .

I have cleaned some grey seat belts on a Merc SL and used just plain old All Purpose Cleaner (APC) and diluted down to 50%

Cleaned them up really well and no dye came out..just the dirty marks

I got a reply from Autobrite:   FAB will work fine on the seat belts and will not harm the fabric in anyway.

 

So I see a bottle of this in my future .

 

 

Excellent - good to hear about quick feedback from Autobrite