How I Cleaned My Toyota Tundra's Seat Belt With a Can of Regular Carpet Cleaner

As car owners, we all know the importance of maintaining our trucks, from the engine to the interior. However, one often overlooked area is the seat belt as there is a gory truth about them. Over time, seat belts can accumulate dirt, oils, and grime, making them less effective and less pleasant to use. Silver Sasquatch, a fellow Toyota Tundra enthusiast, recently shared a simple yet effective method to clean seat belts using common household items.

This is what he wrote in Tundra Solutions forum:

I was looking for a quick job to do and noticed the driver's seat belt was looking a little ick. So I decided to do something about it.

I've read that you can use Dawn dish soap on it to take up all the hand oils that it picks up, and I may do that later. The product I used was a can of regular carpet cleaner. I don't think it matters what kind you choose. Having the attached plastic bristle brush on the can helps a lot with cleaning. It also helps to have a clamp or vise grip to hold the belt from retracting while you clean it.

As you can see, 20 years of blah builds up. I had enough in the can to do both sides of the belt three times. Now the belt is more flexible, retracts faster and smells better.

Indeed, looks very clean and neat.

Another user, who says his Toyota Tundra's seat blet also wouldn't retract, decided to clean the driver's seat belt for the same reason. 

He says he clamped the seat belt all the way open/stretched, soaked in a bucket of hot/warm water with Dawn dish washing liquid, let sit for about an hour. Then he used a stiff brush and scrubed the belt against the inside of the bucket. He then dumped a bucket filled with just hot water and rinsed the soap off the belt. That worked really good.

"I tried pressure washing the belt, but couldn't because of the tight quarters. I also cut about 1/4" of plastic off the retainer ring (top) to give the belt more room to roll," says John.

Seat belts are crucial for safety, and their performance can degrade over time due to accumulated dirt and oils. Remember that a dirty seat belt may not retract properly, making it less effective in an emergency. Moreover, a clean seat belt enhances the overall aesthetic and comfort of your vehicle’s interior.

What I Think About Cleaning Your Car's Seat Belt

I find Silver Sasquatch’s method both practical and effective. The use of a carpet cleaner is ingenious, given its ability to tackle stubborn stains and embedded grime. The attached brush is particularly useful for getting deep into the fabric of the seat belt.

One point of consideration is the type of carpet cleaner used. While Silver Sasquatch mentions that any kind will do, it’s wise to choose a cleaner that doesn’t contain harsh chemicals that could potentially damage the fabric or compromise the integrity of the seat belt. Always test a small, inconspicuous area first if you’re unsure.

The use of Dawn dish soap as an optional follow-up is a great touch. Known for its grease-cutting abilities, it can help remove any remaining oils that the carpet cleaner might have missed.

Have you ever cleaned the seat belt of your car? How did you do it? Please, click the red link below and write your comment. Your seat belt cleaning hacks will be very useful to our Torque News community.

Also, don't miss one of my latest Tundra stories, titled: "I Want To Ditch My 8,500 Miles Offroad Toyota Tundra For 1794 Edition Luxury, But Regret The Loss of TRD Package."

Armen Hareyan is the founder and the Editor in Chief of Torque News. He founded TorqueNews.com in 2010, which since then has been publishing expert news and analysis about the automotive industry. He can be reached at Torque News Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, and Youtube. He has more than a decade of expertise in the automotive industry with a special interest in Tesla and electric vehicles.