So, for the longest time, I've been trying to figure out how to clean seat belts (in a car) without totally destroying them or bleaching them. They're made of extremely strong nylon material (it seems), so they can absolutely handle some abuse.

My daughter and I tried a couple of different things, even letting them soak in dish detergent water for a few days... still didn't get them clean. What worked best was this:


- Remove the seat belts and seat belt retraction mechanism from the car.
- Fill a bucket of water with dish soap
- Carefully extend both seatbelt sections to their outer-most ability, and use a zip-tie to cinch them tight at the top (to prevent the belts from being retracted)
- Let the seatbelt soak overnight (with the mechanism OUT of the water, obviously)
- Spray TUFF STUFF carpet cleaner on the full length of the seat belt, let soak for about 30 minutes.
- Pressure wash with a lower power pressure washer (something like 1,500 to 1,750 PSI... like one of the electric ones).


I tried combinations of this, like... pressure washing seat belts without soaking them first, it worked OK, but didn't really get it cleaned. I also tried just soaking the seat belt and scrubbing it in a bucket... didn't do **** . I also tried spraying the Tuff Stuff on it and then hand washing it in a sink, also did nothing.

I have two sets of seatbelts, so I had a couple to try, but it's when I soaked it, sprayed the stuff, and THEN pressure-washed it, did they come out sparkling brand new... like... these seat belts literally look like they're brand new. I took the best from the two pairs and are letting them dry by hanging them in the garage.

Nice work. How can you lift that garage door with all the Rock auto magnets on it?

quote Originally posted by jdv: Nice work. How can you lift that garage door with all the Rock auto magnets on it?

Hahaha!!! My daughter puts them on there every time we get a new package. I'm too broke to afford the power to open the big garage door from all the car parts I've had to buy.

Does she have a Rock Auto Fiero magnet ?

quote Originally posted by cliffw: Does she have a Rock Auto Fiero magnet ?

I think there are two... I can't remember. One of them is a GT, and I think another one is a Formula.

My belts look clean but the main sections that are exposed to the sun are much stiffer than the rest of the belt that is typically hidden. Were yours like that and is there a technique to soften up the sun exposed hardened sections?

I cleaned mine years ago.
I kept mine fully retracted with those spring clips you use to hold down tarps and car covers. I would think using tie wraps (to keep them fully retracted) would cause creases and wrinkles. Anyways, I dreamt up my own cleaning solution. Mostly, I used Dawn and orange citrus hand cleaner, a small scrub brush and hit it afterwards with a garden hose with a sprayer attachment. I cleaned mine with the seat belts stretched out on the cement driveway.
The one important rule to follow (IMO) is to make sure that whatever cleaning agent(s) you choose, just make sure it’s not too harsh or too highly concentrated or it will dry out the nylon webbing. Kit

[This message has been edited by Kitskaboodle (edited 05-21-2025).]

A Tip

Start by 'Relaxing' the Seat Belts by soaking them in a Diluted Fabric Softener Solution which will reduce the friction between the fibers.

Then use your favorite cleaning solution.....

------------------
Original Owner of a Silver '88 GT
Under 'Production Refurbishment' @ 136k Miles

quote Originally posted by reinhart: My belts look clean but the main sections that are exposed to the sun are much stiffer than the rest of the belt that is typically hidden. Were yours like that and is there a technique to soften up the sun exposed hardened sections?

Yeah, for sure. Think of the seat belts like the watch strap of an old 60s Omega Seamaster...




Over the decades, you have dirt, sweat, grease, and everything else getting stick in all of those little spaces between the fibers. What makes the seat belt so strong is in the construction, which does not look too different than this watch bracelet if you were to really zoom in. Essentially, what's making it hard / brittle isn't really the sun, it's all the stuff that's caked into it.


I've tried hundreds of different ways to clean seat belts over the years... and you certainly need to soak it, and use a detergent, etc... but what takes it all off after you've soaked it... is a pressure washer. As I explained above... I used one of those "standard power" electric pressure washers, and it made those seat belts look BRAND new. I tried cleaning a seatbelt without soaking it... and it still took most of it off, but it still had a little staining. But if you soak it first in dish soap for a day or two, and THEN pressure wash it... your seat belt will be brand new.

How do you soak an installed seat belt ? Spray a soap solution on it and let it sit ?

quote Originally posted by cliffw: How do you soak an installed seat belt ? Spray a soap solution on it and let it sit ?

No, you remove the entire seat belt assembly from the car at the three points it's mounted. You take the whole mechanism, pull the seat belt out fully extended, clamp it off or use zip ties like I did. Get a Home Depot / Hechingers (haha) / Harbor Freight bucket, fill it with soapy water, and put the entire seat belt in there, minus the mechanism... which you can have hanging off the side or supported on a cinderblock or something next to it... but you don't want that sitting in there.

Let it sit for a day or two.

Ah, hence your request on which seat belt bolt went where.

Perhaps you tried, I was thinking spraying on a cleaning solution and letting it set, maybe renewing the spray later, and then using a Green Machine to finish cleaning it.



The Green Machine is mean machine in cleaning smaller fabrics such as car seats.

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[This message has been edited by cliffw (edited 05-25-2025).]

quote Originally posted by cliffw: Ah, hence your request on which seat belt bolt went where. Perhaps you tried, I was thinking spraying on a cleaning solution and letting it set, maybe renewing the spray later, and then using a Green Machine to finish cleaning it. The Green Machine is mean machine in cleaning smaller fabrics such as car seats.

I'm not saying it won't work... but I don't think you can really get it that clean. I had to hang the seat belt from a tree... my daughter held one side to stretch it out, and then I took turns using the pressure washer. It was the only thing that really made a dent in it. All that said, I tried it without soaking, and then with soaking. The one we didn't soak (which was the passenger one, and less dirty to start), simply didn't get clean enough with just the pressure washer. So, we soaked it again afterwards, and then pressure washed it, and it came out amazing.