5 Tips to Clean a Car’s Headliner (Water Stains, Smoke, Coffee, Soda)

By guest writer Donald Casey

Your car’s ceiling is known as the headliner. Not many people care to examine it, let alone clean it. However, this part of your car collects dust, smoke, and other stains that can leave it looking anything but appealing. Here’s where I come in since today I’ll give you five tips to clean a car’s headliner.

Know that the same methods and techniques that you use to clean the upholstery in your car will not apply when it comes to cleaning the headliner. Again, using the wrong products can leave the headliner hanging, which you want to avoid.

Let me take you through the best and easiest methods that will get your headliner sparkly again.

Tip 1: Using a Steamer – Step by Step Guide

As I’ve mentioned, the headliner collects dirt and odors from water, coffee, soda, tobacco, and many others. Because of the way it’s constructed, you can’t attack the stains with hot water, soap, and a brush.

The headliner has three layers, including the pressboard, usually fiberglass or wood fibers. The pressboard is glued to the base using a thin foam layer, and on top, you have vinyl, cloth, or textile finish.

To this end, you cannot saturate the headliner or use an aggressive cleaner since it will damage the adhesive and cause sagging.

One of the best ways to deal with stubborn stains is using a steam cleaner. You’ll need a steamer with temperature and pressure adjustments. Using a steamer with the vapor pressure and temperature in the high setting will cause the headliner to start separating in seconds.

You will need:

  • Steam spot cleaner
  • Microfiber cloth
  • Tide Coldwater Clean
  • Fabric softener
  • Application pad

How To:

Step 1: Hit the area with the steamer to moisten the fabric. This step prepares the headliner to take on the stain lifter.

Step 2: Mix equal parts fabric softener and Tide Coldwater clean in a spray bottle.

Step 3: Spray a little of the mixture on an applicator pad and dab it directly onto the spot. Spread the mixture around, but do not saturate the area.

Step 4: Adjust the steam spot cleaner to 140°F temperature and the pressure to the lowest setting. Here, you’re using vapor which prevents any fabric degradation.

Step 5: Use the steamer to wet the stain and the microfiber cloth to dry the surface. As you do this, make sure that you apply gentle pressure.

Step 6: Work one stain at a time until you’ve cleaned the entire surface.

Your headliner should be clean and intact when you use the steam cleaning method for headliner car care.

Tip 2: Using a Detail Cleaner and Clean Towel

This method is ideal for water, smoke, and dust stains on small portions of the headliner.

You will need:

  • Detail cleaner
  • Clean towel (preferably white)

How To:

Step 1: Spray the detail cleaner on the towel or directly on the stain.

Step 2: Wipe the stain gently and repeat 3 times. By using a white towel, you will see how the stain lifts, and it will help you gauge whether or not you need to repeat the cleaning process.

Tip 3: Using a Sponge and Interior Cleaner

This technique is for large areas of the headliner.

You will need:

  • Interior cleaner
  • Hydro Sponge
  • Bucket of warm water
  • Clean microfiber towel

How To:

Step 1: Take the sponge and dip it into the bucket of warm water.

Step 2: Wring out most of the water, then spray a little interior cleaner onto the sponge. Do not spray the interior soap directly onto the headliner.

Step 3: Use the sponge to loosen dirt on the headliner in small sections of about 18 by 18 inches wide at a time.

Step 4: Once you remove stains from a section, use the clean microfiber towel to blot the surface until it’s dry. Again, remember not to saturate the headliner and pat the surface dry using the towel.

Step 5: Repeat the cleaning process only if necessary.

Tip 4: Using Tornador Car Cleaning Gun

This equipment lifts stains since it works with an air compressor to blast stains. You can use it for stubborn stains like coffee and soda. It’s also better for the visors than the ceiling since it can drip a significant amount of water in the cabin.

You will need:

  • 2 ounces of interior cleaner
  • Plain water
  • Clean towel

How To:

Step 1: Fill the Tornador container with a mixture of 2 ounces interior cleaner and water.

Step 2: Set the pressure on the air compressor to 60 psi.

Step 3: Press the gun to release the cleaning solution onto the visors and other areas.

Step 4: Agitate stains one section at a time, following up with the towel to absorb the loosened dirt and absorb any excess moisture.

Step 5: Wait for the headliner to dry completely before you drive your vehicle.

Tip 5: Using a Detail Brush

If you don’t have a steamer or Tornador, you can still use a brush and some elbow grease to get the stains out for excellent car care results.

You will need:

  • Two microfiber towels
  • Interior cleaner
  • Detail brush
  • Bucket of warm water

How To:

Step 1: A detail brush is a bit aggressive, so you’re not going to use it directly on the headliner. Instead, wrap the bristles with one of the microfiber towels.

Step 2: Spray the interior cleaner onto the towel, where the microfiber towel is.

Step 3: Go over the stain in different directions, using light motions. You want to be gentle but still able to lift the dirt.

Step 4: Use the other microfiber towel to dry off the area. If you still have some dirt from the stain, repeat the process to get it clean one more time.

Step 5: Rinse the brush in the bucket and apply fresh interior cleaner before moving to the next section. Remember not to spray cleaner directly onto the headliner because if it absorbs too much moisture, the adhesive will become loose and separate the base from the headliner.

Step 6: Repeat the cleaning process until the entire headliner is sparkly.

Final Thoughts

These five tips to clean a car’s headliner are super simple that anyone can do at home. It will only take a few minutes, so there’s no need to pay a detailer to do it for you. Go ahead and choose the method that works best for you and tell me how it goes in the comments.

Donald Casey is a detailer and the Editor-in-Chief of dccarcare.com. He has 24 years of experience in car care and car detailing. He can start with something that’s neglected and will not stop until it’s perfect. Currently, he focuses his time on sharing his knowledge & expertise. Visit his blog to get new content!

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