I didn't catch the original post, but, yes, you can hose them down safely. I had to do
this several years ago on our '88 Westy after the cat had an accident on the rear
bench. I tried everything, but the smell would not come out. I then removed the seats
on a sunny day, and let the hose run on them for a long time, squishing the water out
repeatedly, then soaking in a solution of "Hertel" liquid detergent, which is safe for
fabrics. I rinsed, then used a heavy dose of baking soda on the wet fabric in attempts
to neutralize the smell, which I assume was soaked well into the foam. It worked -
now the only smell is a faint smell of the soap... Hope this helps.

On 13 Aug 2003 at 21:26, jesse and monica <jjmojo@SUSCOM.NET> wrote:

> Well, I decided to try using just water with a little Dawn soap and a
> brush. No luck...now my seat looks like someone spilled coffee all over
> it....The more water I put on it...the more "Brown" juice that comes
> out. I think it's the foam underneath that is making the seats turn
> brown. Anyone else ever had this problem...the exact same problem? I am
> going to rent one of those carpet cleaner machines this weekend with a
> sofa cleaning attachment and see what happens...maybe if i just run
> enough water into the seat and then suck it out...it will dilute the
> brown stuff. Not sure that I could make the seat look any worse...If
> that doesn't work...Im taking the garden hose and soaking the stupid
> things....i'll wash them until they are clean if it's the last thing i
> do!!! Sorry had to vent...never had such a problem before cleaning car
> upholstery. Do you guys think that hosing the seats down will ruin
> them? I plan on doing it in the morning and then setting them outside
> in the sun all day to dry.
> I would think this would be ok. Any thoughts?
> Thanks for all your replies...you guys rock!
> later,
> jesse
> 89 Vanagon with one brown seat : � (

--
Shawn Wright
http://Zuiko.sls.bc.ca/swright
'88 Westy 375k
'85 Jetta D 263k
'85 Jetta TD 482k (retired)
~This message sent by Pegasus Mail, the safe E-Mail alternative~
"Friends don't let friends use Outlook"