The Popular Cleaning Hack You Might Want To Rethink Trying On Your Car

Cars, whether you're a casual commuter or a collector, can be a source of pride. After all, they are fairly pricey investments. Keeping a vehicle clean is not only a cosmetic courtesy, however. It's part of the routine maintenance that can extend the life of your car. Externally, a thorough wash now and again can preserve the paint job, keep the value of the car at its topmost level, and prevent weather-related problems. There are also financial and safety benefits to preserving the interior. As we live through the era of social media lifehacks, there are plenty of tips and tricks floating around about the best car cleaning tools to use.

However, there is one particular car cleaning lifehack that you may want to skip. It involves a common bathroom staple: shaving cream or gel. Some users have suggested shaving cream as a great scrub for deep-set car seat stains. Here's why you should think twice about that.

The chemicals in shaving cream aren't exactly designed for car interiors. According to an expert with Auto Trader, though shaving cream may initially appear to lift grime from the fabric, what it can leave behind might be worse.

"I wouldn't use or recommend shaving gel as a quick solution for car upholstery cleaning," said Iwan Lloyd Jones of Auto Trader. "Shaving gel is designed specifically designed to shave with and nothing else."

Despite the fact that auto sites and blogs have claimed shaving cream is a viable hack to turn your car seats like-new, it is liable to stain, especially if you use too much. Ultimately, the safest bet is to use tried-and-true car seat cleaners or at-home remedies that are more natural, and less chemical. In fact, baking soda is one such simple ingredient for a perfect at-home cleaning solution for car seats that won't damage the integrity of the fabric.