how to clean dirty seat belts?

[Brian_B]

Is there a way to clean dirty seat belts?

I am getting some out of a 90 F-250. They work fine, but it is a work truck so they are kind of dirty.

Any good easy ways to clean them up?

Thanks in advance,

Brian

 

[1970Custom]

I've heard that scrubbing them with dish soap/water does a good job.

If all else fails get the bleach.

 

[mrfixit]

Extend the belts fully
Waterless hand cleaner and a stiiff brush on greasy spots
spray n wash the rest of the belt
Tide w bleach
Put old socks over any mechanisms and secure with zip ties.
Throw em in the washing machine with a bunch of OLD towels/rags, as as the rags/towels will "scrub" the belts as the machine agitates.
Dry the towels, but let the belts hang to dry somewhere.
treat mechanisms with silicone spray.

 

[Brian_B]

Extend the belts fully
Waterless hand cleaner and a stiiff brush on greasy spots
spray n wash the rest of the belt
Tide w bleach
Put old socks over any mechanisms and secure with zip ties.
Throw em in the washing machine with a bunch of OLD towels/rags, as as the rags/towels will "scrub" the belts as the machine agitates.
Dry the towels, but let the belts hang to dry somewhere.
treat mechanisms with silicone spray.

You mean I have to use my own socks? All of them are old.

Thanks for the ideas guys. I will let you know what happens when I actually get them here. Somone on another site is sending them to me next week.

 

[mrfixit]

There is another way. Take them to the local Car wash, hang them from the clips you would normally hang your floor mats and pressure wash the heck outta them.

 

[Brian_B]

Hmm...I did that with the nasty grease soaked carpet out of the ranger. The soapy water turned black for quite a while. I spent quite a few quarters that day, but it was a huge improvement.


Took a few days to dry though. LOL

 

[ProjectResponder]

I did mine in a dish pan with a stiff brush and a lot of detergent. It took a lot of elbow grease to remove the years of sweat and grime but they came out looking great. I never thought about the washer idea. After they were rinsed several times, I just hung them to dry.

Good luck

 

[She Devil]

I am glad someone asked this because it's something I need to do. I just got my rear end chewed this morning because the other half just ruined a brand new shirt. Mine are caused by work.

Dumb question time, but how do I get the belts out of the truck??

 

[mrfixit]

The bolts are under the seat, behind it. It takes a torx drive but I forget the size (I have a set). The threaded mounting flanges are welded in, so there's no need to worry about getting under the truck. It's an in-cab job.

 

[She Devil]

I am sure we have some around here but if not I can just scrub them in the truck. I guess I am just going to have to start taking a change of clothes to work everyday. Just what I want, to spend 10 more min. in that building every morning. Hah!

 

[mrfixit]

My wife, crafty person that she is, applied a satin liner to her seat belt with tacky glue, cuz she said the nylon belts pilled her shirts.

 

[She Devil]

Has it worked well for her? I think (as much as I don't like them) once I clean mine I am going to put those fuzzy cover type things on them... only not fuzzy.

 

[mrfixit]

It has worked great, and doen't interfere with the rewinder.
Also, if you have a decent shop vac, when you scrub them, extract em with the vaccuum afterwards.

 

[mrfixit]

It has worked great, and doen't interfere with the rewinder.
Also,

 

[She Devil]

Thanks for the extra tip. I do have an awesome shop vac.

I think I'll clean them tomorrow or something. I am wiped out from all the house stuff and I still have a ton more I want to do.

 

[Brian_B]

I have the seat belts sitting in the living room. They are not that bad as far as dirt. It will be a while before I try to install them though. I am not taking the headliner (cab liner) out until I get ready to epoxy prime everything. When it is out, I can weld seat belts mounts in for the shoulder straps.

I am too broke to buy the supplies for sanding at the moment, so it wil be a while. LOL