The ceiling of your car is called a car headliner, and cleaning it is probably the last thing that comes to mind when cleaning your car interior. You might forget to clean the headliner because you can easily be overwhelmed by marks, stains, and dirt on your upholstery and interior trim.
You might not think that your headliner can get dirty; however, cigarette smoke and smells can penetrate through the layers of your headliner and leave an unpleasant odor in your car.
Knowing how to clean your car’s interior roof at home can save you a lot of money because you don’t have to rush to a detailer frequently.
Here’s how you can safely clean and remove stains from your headliner:
Can Headliner Stains Be Removed, or Do I Have to Replace It?
Your car headliner is made of soft foam and a backing material of fiberglass or cardboard covered with fabric.
It would help if you were very careful when cleaning your headliner because too much water or liquid can cause it to deform or sag. Therefore, it’s best to clean using specific cleaning methods and opt for the right cleaning products.
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These cleaning techniques will show you how to clean headliner fabric and restore your vehicle’s headliner to its original shape:
Spot Cleaning Your Headliner
If you regularly transport large items in your car, you’ll probably find an odd mark or two inside your car’s roof. However, a microfiber cloth and an upholstery cleaner will help you clean your headliner if you follow these steps:
- If there’s visible dirt on your headliner, gently wipe the area to remove any debris.
- Spray your upholstery cleaner directly on the microfiber cloth and gently wipe against the mark or stain. Refrain from soaking through to the foam if your stain is on the surface.
- Blot the area with a dry microfiber cloth to remove excess liquid and moisture.
Once the interior has dried, your mark should be gone. However, if you’re left with a spot or stain, you can try other cleaning methods discussed below.
Clean Your Headliner With Foaming Cleaner
Car roof cleaning foam is a perfect tool for cleaning the lining on your car’s ceiling. The foam doesn’t saturate the material as much as water, and it’s ideal for eliminating odors.
You can use the foaming cleaner by following these steps:
- Spray the entire surface of the headliner evenly with the foam.
- Give the cleaning foam time to work by letting it dry for the recommended time on the can instructions.
- Use a soft bristle brush to rub the cleaner into the material gently.
- Once the liner has completely dried, use the handheld upholstery tool of your vacuum to suck away any leftover residue.
Use Natural Headliner Surface Cleaner
If you’ve never cleaned your car headliner, then it might be a perfect time to do a surface cleaning of the entire headliner. Cleaning with a DIY interior roof lining cleaner will not only clean it but remove smoke and dust build-up that can accumulate on its surface.
What You Need:
- ¼ cup white vinegar
- 1 cup of water
- Microfiber cloth
- Spray bottle
Procedure
- Ensure your car’s headliner is secure and damage-free. Skip this method if there’s any loosening of the headliner fabric or other damage. Instead, have the headliner examined by a professional at a repair shop.
- Clean any dust or debris using a car vacuum cleaner.
- Use the upholstery cleaner tool of the vacuum to focus on crevices, outer edges, and dome lights of the ceiling.
- Dampen a cloth with water. Mix water and vinegar in a spray bottle and spray the solution onto the damp cloth.
- Use moderate pressure to dab the cloth onto the liner, gently working one section at a time until it’s dirt free.
- Be sure not to soak the headliner with too much water.
- Use a fresh, dry towel to dab excess moisture from the liner.
How to Remove Water Stains from a Car Headliner
If you’ve ever left your car windows open before a rainstorm, you probably know all about water stains in your car.
You can remove the method below to remove water stains from a car headliner:
What You Need:
- ¼ cup white vinegar
- 1 cup of water
- One tablespoon of dish soap
- Spray bottle
- Microfiber towel
- Soft bristle brush
Procedure
- Mix the white vinegar, dish soap, and water in a spray bottle and shake.
- Spray the solution onto a soft bristle brush and gently scrub the water-stained areas in circular motions.
- Don’t use too much cleaning solution or too much pressure because you risk damaging the fabric adhesive.
- Use a dry towel to apply pressure to the area to absorb any liquid.
How to Deep Clean a Car Headliner
Deep cleaning should be your last resort when cleaning your vehicle’s headliner. The process uses a combination of heat and moisture as a stain remover. However, it might also loosen the adhesive from the liner; therefore, it’s best to take special care.
What You Need
- Hot water
- Steam cleaner
- Upholstery stain remover solution
Procedure
- Use a steam cleaner with an upholstery attachment for this process.
- Find the proper ratio of stain remover solution and hot water by following your cleaning machine instruction manual instructions.
- Use the upholstery attachment and begin cleaning the corner of the headliner.
- Press the spray trigger as you move along the liner, ensuring that you don’t remain in one area for too long to prevent over-saturation.
- Use the same pace and technique across the entire liner.
- Let the headliner dry for a day. You can speed up drying time by rolling down the windows or running fans.
- You might notice dried lines in the material once the liner is dry. Therefore, you can run your hands along the grain of the fabric to smooth out the surface.
Removing Bad Odors from a Car Headliner
You might have discovered that your car’s overhead liner has terrible odors. Using a homemade fabric deodorizer, you can remove the bad smells from your car’s headliner in a few simple steps.
What You Need
- ¼ cup white vinegar
- 1 cup of water
- One tablespoon of baking soda
- Microfiber cloth
Procedure
- Mix the white vinegar, water, and baking soda in a spray bottle and shake well.
- Spray the solution onto a soft cloth and gently dab the solution onto the liner, ensuring you’re not saturating the headliner.
- Don’t spray the headliner directly because it might get too wet and lead to mildew later.
- Make your way over the entire headliner by working one section at a time.
- Once dry, use a vacuum cleaner with an upholstery attachment to vacuum the whole surface of the liner to remove any baking soda remnants and foul odors.
- If you don’t like the smell of vinegar, add a few drops of your favorite essential oil to this solution and put it in a spray bottle.
- You can keep this freshener and use it to deodorize your car whenever it smells funky.
Can You Wash a Car Headliner?
It would help if you were extremely careful when cleaning your car’s headliner because the process can go wrong quickly, and you might end up with a sagging headliner.
Most car headliners have three layers, i.e., a base layer glued to the metal roof, a foam layer, and a fabric layer, which are held in place by adhesive.
While you can wash your headliner, it’s best to do it carefully because you risk oversaturating it with cleaning liquid and getting it soaking wet or using too strong of a cleanser that melts the adhesive holding the headliner in place.
If you want to clean your car’s headliner, it’s best to do it with a mild cleaning solution, a microfiber cloth, a vacuum cleaner for drying, and a rag for drying in case of excess liquid.
Remember that you should never spray directly on the headliner. It’s best to always spray your cleaning solution onto the microfiber cloth until it’s damp but not soaking wet.
It might be best to replace your headliner if it’s saggy, ripped, and filthy. Washing it might not be an effective solution because it might cause more harm than good.
Top Mistakes to Avoid When Clean Your Car Roof Headliner: Don’t Ruin It
Cleaning your car headliner is only safe if you use the proper cleansers and know precisely how to do it. Additionally, incorrect cleaning of the car headliner might lead to extensive damage.
The most common damage that occurs when you wash the headliner incorrectly has a sagging headliner. Headliners are held to your car’s ceiling with adhesive, and if you clean with inappropriate materials, the bond will peel off with time, leading to sagging.
Here are some of the mistakes you should avoid when cleaning your headliner:
Buying a Low-Quality Fabric Cleaner
A low-quality fabric cleaner is not ideal for cleaning your headliner because it might make it too wet when cleaning.
The best thing you can do for your headliner is to buy a high-quality fabric cleaner. A high-quality fabric cleaner is like a dry foam that will not make your headliner too wet while cleaning.
Using a Hard Brush for Cleaning
Using a stiff brush to clean your headliner might damage its fibers. Even if you’re dealing with adamant stains, it’s best to clean the headliner with a soft brush and the right cleanser.
Putting Too Much Foam
Upholstery cleaners have powerful chemicals; therefore, using too much of them might lead to adhesive damage and even sagging of your headliner.
Additionally, too much foam will often wet your headliner, which is unsuitable because it might lead to sagging.
Failure to Give the Fabric Enough Time to Dry
If you’re cleaning a cloth car headliner, giving it enough time to dry out is best. Dampness can lead to adhesive damage and, eventually, sagging of your headliner.
Failure to Research Extensively Before Cleaning
It’s best to research extensively before cleaning your headliner, especially if you’re doing it for the first time.
You can research by watching a few YouTube videos or reading articles about cleaning a headliner. You might think that you know what to do; however, failure to research might lead to you damaging your headliner while cleaning it.
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Cleaning grease and other stains from your car roof lining is safe only if you adhere to the easy-to-follow tips above. When you successfully wash your headliner for the first time, you’ll see that it wasn’t hard to do so.
However, if you’re still afraid or unsure about washing your headliner, it might be best to visit a local car detailing service. Professionals run such places and will do an excellent job for you.