We bought our first mini-van straight from the factory (we’re wiser now, and more frugal!). It was actually a thing of beauty, with large doors that opened on both sides and built-in car seats. Since I had four children under seven, that was a huge selling point! We paid extra for the stainproof carpet, the protectant on the upholstery, and even bought a specialized warranty that would cover cleaning.
I think it went about 90 days without a spill. I actually breathed a sigh of relief when Paul spilled a cup of hot coffee on his lap, which then proceeded to be flipped up and over the entire front console area and down the sides of the doors. “It’s okay, honey. It’ll come out.” No, it didn’t. “Don’t worry about it, we have the warranty.” Oh, we were so young and foolish! I called the warranty company to find that the closest “service center” was in the next state over. Not New Jersey to New York next, but California to Nevada. This was when gas was less than a dollar, and I agreed that I’d drive the four hours and simply make it a field trip. They were obviously surprised to hear that. “Did the coffee have creamer and sugar in it?” Did it! It was Paul’s, not mine. That meant four creams and four sugars. They gave me some runaround about acids and bases and how it wasn’t covered. Of course not. I never did get the stain completely out.
We’re smarter now. Paul’s commuter car has floor mats that are… yep, brown. So what if the interior is grey? I don’t worry about it too much. My SUV has a brown interior. It still ends up with weird smudges of I-don’t-want-to-know-what, but I’ve learned a lot of tricks to take them out, without an expensive and worthless add-on.
I haven’t tried the DuPont Teflon Carpet & Upholstery Cleaner, but the DuPont brand has been trustworthy for us. And for free, I’m willing to give it a shot. In his car, of course ;-).
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