When was the last time you cleaned your car’s sun visor? A lot of car owners ignore sun visors. We only pop them down when we want to protect our eyes from the glare of the sun. Similar to other parts of the car, sun visors also get dirty.
When we touch them, we leave stains behind, and if not cleaned, these stains can dry on the visor material and become difficult to remove. The stains can also be transferred to the headliner. This can affect the appearance of your car’s interior.
If your sun visor is broken and you plan on replacing it with a used one, the latter will most likely be dirty as well.
Therefore, knowing how to clean a sun visor properly goes a long way in ensuring your vehicle’s interior looks neat.
This is a relatively easy process, and it shouldn’t take more than thirty minutes, no matter how dirty the visor is.
A Guide on Cleaning Car Sun Visor
Step 1 – Gather the Required Cleaning Materials
You will need a car interior fabric cleaner, a microfiber cloth, and a soft brush for this project. A detergent can substitute a fabric cleaner, provided it doesn’t contain harsh chemicals.
It is recommended that you purchase a fabric cleaner as it will keep your interior clean and get rid of stains quickly without damaging the materials used in your car. Any fabric cleaner will do. You can compare the different options at your nearest auto store.
Step 2 – Spray the Fabric Cleaner onto the Visor
Cleaning a car’s visor is easy. All you have to do is spray the fabric cleaner onto the visor and let it soak in for a while. For surface-level stains, wiping the soaked stain should remove it immediately.
But if that doesn’t happen, you may want to move on to step 3. You must perform step 3 if you have never cleaned your visors before.
Step 3 – Scrub Gently with a Soft Brush
This step is mandatory for visors that are extremely dirty or those that have never been cleaned before. After spraying the fabric cleaner onto the visor, you should scrub the visor with a soft brush.
There is no need to be super gentle as the material used to cover the visor is stronger and more durable than that used on the headliner.
Make sure that you scrub every inch of the visor and not just on the stains. Doing this will give the visors a uniform, clean look.
Step 4 – Wipe with a Microfiber Cloth
When you are sure that the visor is clean, take a dry microfiber cloth and wipe them. The microfiber cloth should trap and remove any stain residue and fabric cleaner that was on the surface.
And as you wipe the visor, you should reveal a cleaner surface. In case there are some stubborn stains left behind, repeat from step 2.
Tips on How to Clean a Car Sun Visor?
Though this process may look easy, cleaning a car’s sun visor isn’t always a walk in the park. You may come across some nasty stains that will leave you scrubbing for hours. To help you avoid that, here are some car sun visor cleaning tips;
1. Clean makeup stains as soon as you see them. Do not wait for long because they will be more difficult to remove. One of the most common stains on visors comes from makeup, such as lipstick.
Makeup comprises oily substances that penetrate deeper into the visor fabric and become harder to remove. To avoid that, clean them as soon as you spot them.
2. Water-based makeup stains don’t require thorough cleaning as they come off easily. Do not damage the visor fabric by rubbing it excessively or with a lot of force.
3. If you are dealing with stubborn stains, dipping a cotton ball in ammonia and holding it on the stain for a couple of minutes can help remove it quickly. Before using ammonia, confirm the material used on your visor first.
Ammonia is very strong, and if the visor is made using leather, it can cause unrepairable damage. But if it’s a synthetic fabric, you have got nothing to worry about.
4. You can always substitute car interior fabric cleaner with home detergent, provided they do not contain harsh chemicals or ingredients. A carpet cleaner is an excellent substitute, and so is Simple Green.
5. If you don’t have a soft brush, you can use an old toothbrush. It works just fine.
How Do I Keep My Car Visor Clean?
Keeping your car visor clean will prevent you from having to clean it every time. Plus, doing so prolongs the life of the visor. There are several things you can do to ensure your car’s sun visor is clean. They include;
1. Do not use makeup in your car. Most visors in modern vehicles come with a mirror. Ladies love to use this mirror when they are applying makeup in their cars. That is how makeup stains find their way to the visor.
And we all know that you can’t clean these stains right away. To prevent that, apply makeup in the house. You are only allowed to do some slight touch-ups in the car.
2. Do not store anything in the visor. There is a reason why cars have glovebox compartments. That’s where you should keep stuff and not in the visor.
The idea of storing items on the visor seems like an excellent idea because it is located directly above your eyes.
However, when used as storage space, the visor can easily get dirty. Only use it for the purpose it is intended, and that is to protect the driver and passengers from sun glare.
3. Always remember to wash the visor when cleaning your car’s interior. Nearly half of all car owners do not clean the visors when washing the interiors.
We tend to focus more on the dashboard. A set of visors that are cleaned frequently won’t stain and will retain their look for longer.
4. Avoid eating in the car. Your vehicle may seem like the ideal place to enjoy a quick lunch break or snack. And even though there is nothing wrong with that, when you eat in the car, you will find yourself putting those oily hands on the visor, dashboard, steering, and door locks.
If you must eat in the car, practice proper etiquette. Wash your hands immediately after eating.
5. Have your kids’ seat at the back. Children love to ride shotguns as it gives them a better view of the road, and you get to chat as you drive. But we all know how kids love touching everything.
Their hands will move from the dashboard to the radio, and the visor will not be exempted. Having your children sit at the back isn’t only safer, but it ensures your visors remain clean.
6. Never drive around without car wipes. These nifty accessories don’t just come in handy when you get dirty, but they can also keep the visors clean.
If you have got wipes on your car, you can deal with stains right away. Most stains come off easily when they are cleaned immediately.
What Should I Do If My Car Sun Visors Are Too Dirty?
At times, no matter how hard you clean, the stains may refuse to come out. In this case, you can do the following;
- Seek professional help. No stain is too tough for a professional detailer. If the visors are super dirty, your nearest detailer can clean them. And while they are at it, they can also clean the interior.
- Stick to the above tips on how to keep your car sun visors clean. If the visors are always dirty, practicing the above tips can ensure they remain clean.
- Replace them with new ones. This will cost you more, but it is the best solution. If your car’s sun visors can’t be salvaged, replacing them with new ones can permanently solve this issue. Remember to take care of them so that you can avoid going back to the same situation.
What are Some of the Things that Can Stain a Car Sun Visor?
A lot of things can stain a sun visor. The first culprit is usually dust. Because visors aren’t cleaned as often as their counterparts which include the dash and seats, dust can accumulate on the visors.
Too much dust will leave stains on it. The second thing that can stain visors is makeup. Most car owners use the mirror attached to the visor when applying makeup.
As they adjust the visor, makeup remnants on the finger will be imprinted on the visor. Rarely do people clean makeup stains left on visors immediately.
They forget about it and see it three days later when the oil substances have soaked deeper into the fabric.
Food stains can also be left on your car’s sun visor if you prefer eating in the car. Most of the things that can stain car sun visors are avoidable.
Cleaning the visors frequently can ensure they retain their new look. So, do not let stains sit for days on your car’s sun visor without cleaning them.