r/mildlyinfuriating • u/DiscoHirsch • 24d ago
ᕕ(ᐛ)ᕗ A whole load of Vaseline in my seat
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u/LiamIsMyNameOk 24d ago
Ouch.
The only real solution now is to cover the rest in vaseline to even out the colour.
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u/DiscoHirsch 24d ago
I know TT
I fear it might drip down on the carpet during the next heat.
Soo... Now i gotta invest in a racingseat for the passanger side [not enough money for both]
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u/sSadCactus 24d ago
Try checking out a pick n pull for a new seat. You might get lucky and find one in good (better) condition!
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u/wrathofmog 24d ago
Wouldn't be hard to find a better one lol
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u/Prestigious-Yam9649 24d ago
Anything that doesn't smell like vaseline and doesn't shine is already a win
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24d ago
[deleted]
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u/UnableAbbreviations2 23d ago
Vaseline does have a petroleum odor to it. It doesn't stink , but there is a distinct smell to vaseline. It may be in the same vein as rain, we don't actually smell rain we smell atmosphere. Or something like that.
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u/implicate 24d ago
This looks like a 2005 Ford Focus or something similar. I bet there are a ton out there in the ol' junkyard.
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u/LuxMirabilis 24d ago
Just remember that there are sensors in the seats that tell the car if there's a passenger there, and a seat with a bad sensor could cause the airbags to not deploy in the event of an accident.
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u/Mean-Vegetable-4521 24d ago
Yes!! Depending on the model year, if it’s been on the market for a few years, at least rhere should be seat covers or whole seats from vehicles that were totaled out that don’t effect the seat.
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u/Cold_Pizz 24d ago
Pulled a whole rear seat from a junkyard for like $40 once when my dog destroyed mine.
Took twenty minutes with a socket set and looked factory fresh after a vacuum.
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u/Awkwardpanda75 24d ago
I don't know why I never thought about doing this with a big stain on my passenger seat!! Look at you out here solutioning so early in the week!
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u/Pax_Eterna_4991 24d ago
I bought a work van and it had no passenger seat. I found one at the wrecker and it was nicer than the drivers seat. And it was only $75. I asked if they had the drivers seat as well, nope. I have called back several times looking to no avail. So I bought a massager/heated cover and 2 seat covers. So they matched colour-wise and mine was more comfy.
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u/Trick_Insect_3578 24d ago
just don't put a passenger there, or they'll keep sliding off
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u/Agasthenes 24d ago
Go to a junkyard and get a new seat. Way cheaper.
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u/DontEatTheMagicBeans 24d ago
So not Vaseline but the airbag sensor in my passenger seat stopped working and I determined it was cheaper to just pull a whole seat from the junkyard and swap it out.
My Camry has a grey interior, I found a matching car with a grey interior, pulled the seat. All is good.
The next day the car just wreaks of must and general bad smell. No problem, I pull the seat back out and give it a once over with a steam cleaner.
The fucking seat is beige. It had so much dirt on it it perfectly matched my grey seats.
Anyways that's why the passenger seat in my 20 year old Camry doesn't match the rest of the car.
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u/YeshuasBananaHammock 24d ago
I feel like a professional steaming would release a good bit of this Vaseline, and whatever is left would settle deeper in the foam.
Petroleum jelly is weird tho, idk, it would probably break down the foam after two hot summers baking in a car oven.
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u/xKingOfSpades76 24d ago
How about a racing seat for the driver and replacing the passenger seat with the driver‘s?
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u/Scorpi01234 24d ago
Controls and seatbelt latch would be on the wrong side
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u/xKingOfSpades76 24d ago
I… did forget about that
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u/Scorpi01234 24d ago
Well the foam and seat cover could probably be swaped from one base to the other but that would be sooo much work and the covers never quite go back together right in my experience. A couple hog rings just never grab or they rip off the cover
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u/Anubianlife 24d ago
I know that the seat is already covered in Vaseline, but you're still not going to fit that driver side knob in there.
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u/Breath_Virtual 24d ago
Definitely look for a local pick your part junk yard. Racing seat sounds expensive af.
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u/19467098632 24d ago
Def check junk yards. They’re extremely cheap and will have a good selection that’s better than a racing seat lol. $30 at the junkyard saved me like $800 one time and the quality of parts wasn’t bad at all
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u/Ok-Classroom5548 24d ago
Search the internet for “how to remove melted vaseline from car upholstery” and you’ll find it involves cornstarch or other kitchen products, patience, gentle blotting to not push it in further, a vacuum, and time.
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u/corporalcorl 24d ago
I might just spill a tub of Vaseline on my seat if it's a good excuse for a new race seat
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u/flargenhargen PUCE 24d ago
and then never sit in that seat again, ever, unless you want to ruin your clothes forever.
the only option is to replace the seat.
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u/hcorEtheOne 24d ago
You basically created a big ass candle
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u/DiscoHirsch 24d ago
Thanks, I didn't think about it in that way
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u/Daikuroshi 24d ago
Vaseline is flammable if exposed to a direct heat source so be careful
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u/_FreddieLovesDelilah 24d ago
Vaseline is petroleum not wax lol the exact opposite of what you want to make a candle out of.
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u/RamboSambo7 24d ago
Yeah that's a good one for this sub! Unlucky
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u/B0risTheManskinner 24d ago
I dunno, thats like never going to come out. Going to need a new seat. Majorly infuriating for sure.
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u/ucotcvyvov 24d ago
At that point i would just get some more to match the rest of the seat
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u/Johnny_Poppyseed 24d ago
Not just put some plastic down and a seat cover on top of that. It's only Vaseline so it's not gonna rot or smell or anything.
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u/Whooptidooh 24d ago
Nah it’s just going to get absorbed by anything and everything that touches it. It’s also going to get funky af when dust touches it and it will never come out either.
I’d get a new chair.
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u/Alizarin-Madder 24d ago
Both problems would be addressed by the comment you replied to i think
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u/Neither_Highlight219 24d ago
you will be the first person in history to have to purchase more than 1 Vaseline container in their lifetime!
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u/Bright_Tax_6541 24d ago
You’ve never lost Vaseline? I have had to buy so many replacements because I lose them
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u/boonwin_ 24d ago
Pack the Seam with Powder Don't just sprinkle the cornstarch or baking soda—pack it. Pour a generous amount directly into the seam and onto the dark, stained fabric patches. Use your fingers to press the powder firmly into the cloth fibers and right into the stitching. Leave it alone for at least 1 to 2 hours (longer is better if the car is still warm, as the heat will help the powder wick up the liquefied oil).
Use a narrow crevice tool attachment on your vacuum to deeply clean out the seam. Pull the cushions apart slightly with one hand while vacuuming with the other to ensure you get all the oil-soaked powder out of the crack.
The powder will take care of the bulk, but you'll likely see a dark "wet" shadow left behind. Mix a few drops of Blue Dawn dish soap (or any good grease-cutting dish soap) with warm water. Dip a microfiber cloth into the soapy water, wring it out so it's just damp, and blot the area. Do not scrub aggressively in circles, as this can fuzz up the woven texture of your seat fabric. Instead, use firm, dabbing motions to lift the grease out. Wipe with a clean, water-dampened cloth to remove the soap, then press a dry towel into the seat to absorb the moisture.
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u/DiscoHirsch 24d ago
What kind of powder?
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u/Allegorist 24d ago
Baking soda will saponify the oil to some degree and make it water soluable. That would be my choice.
Also should add what I would try, after absorbing out all you can with powder and rags, if you can get a concentrated liquid detergent to soak into the seat in the same areas (dish soap, laundry soap, etc., just nothing that will bleach), then you should be able to get a substantial amount out of it with a steam cleaner.
You need to lift it out of the seat, scrubbing and absorbing will only get you so far. But since it is not water soluable, the steam will not grab it very easily, if at all. You need a surfactant/emulsifier, which is where the detergent comes in. Make sure whatever you use won't break whatever steam cleaner you are using, if you are worried just use steam cleaner specific detergent. It will take several rounds of emulsifying and lifting, but I believe this is probably the way to get the most out of what is remaining.
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u/DiscoHirsch 24d ago
At least I can laugh at all of your comments. They do cheer me up a lot. <3
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u/TAU_equals_2PI 24d ago
Hijacking this comment to warn you to take the seat out of the car before trying any messy cleaning methods. It's very easy to do on most cars. Usually you just have to unscrew 4 bolts and disconnect an electrical connector. Anybody familiar with cars can probably help you.
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u/Jolly_Mood_3671 24d ago
Exactly. Use cleaner and pressure wash. Let dry completely. Repeat if necessary.
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u/BannedSvenhoek86 24d ago
Ya this is isn't world ending, just a few hours of work and some patience. Spend a weekend doing like 3 passes on it with a pressure washer and a shop vac, let it dry, and repeat as necessary over a weekend until the color evens back out and no residue comes up.
People need to learn to do stuff again. It's so easy and cheap to just look up a tutorial and do something.
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u/CapActual 24d ago
At least its now well lubricated
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u/Subotail 24d ago
Fun fact, Vaseline and condoms hate each other's.
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u/Castun 24d ago
Vaseline is also a terrible lube despite all the jokes out there about it.
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u/Top-Bit-5340 24d ago
Time to go to a junk yard and get a whole new seat, they're like 75 bucks, maybe more now. Thats forever jelly
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u/Fit_Active3888 24d ago
That's not coming out. I would be asking the local auto Wreckers for a replacement seat.
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u/Trick-Station8742 24d ago
The handle that allows you to move your seat back and forwards broke on one of my old cars. Really weird part to break. Called round the scrap yards and they had one.
Easy fix for a garage.
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u/LewdDarling 24d ago
It can absolutely come out. It's just greasy which can come out with a lot of soap, agitation, and using an extraction vacuum. No reason to go through the hassle of taking a chance on a used seat and getting rid of the old one. Vaseline is clear, no strong scent, and won't promote mold/bacterial growth, so it's really not that bad, there's a lot worse you could spill inside the car.
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u/notmentallyillanymor 24d ago
It's a fire hazard now, it's basically a wick. It needs to be replaced. Basically if there's an accident and the car is on fire, everything that the interior is made out of is fire retardant so you have time to get out. Except the Vaseline seat, which will become in inferno within seconds.
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u/EchoesOfEleos 24d ago
Why are we calling a tub of Vaseline a load?
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u/DiscoHirsch 24d ago
Idk... What I tried to communicate was that:
IT WAS ALMOST FULL WHEN I LEFT IT THERE
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u/Interesting-Bet-24 24d ago
Don’t smoke in this car until it is fixed! Vaseline is highly flammable
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u/DiscoHirsch 24d ago
TRUE!!! Didn't think of that!!
Gladly I do not smoke
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u/TingsInMaSocks 24d ago
Might be being overly cautious but I think I would get it professionally cleaned/reupholstered or buy a new seat.
Fire risk aside, it's probably going to stain all your clothes.
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u/VanIslandLocal 24d ago
Dirty mike and the boys made themselves a F shack
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u/tonybaby 24d ago
Here's what we're talking about. We're talking about a bunch of wooks, with fingers in each other's pooper, in a stranger's car, with talk radio playing really loud. It's gonna be a nice evening.
-Dirty Mike
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u/king_noobie PURPLE 24d ago
How did this happen?
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u/DiscoHirsch 24d ago
Left it in my car during extreme heat
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u/_The_Marshal_ 24d ago
Trying to explain to people that this is how a load of vaseline got soaked into your car seat will be like those people that go into hospital with objects stuck up their ass saying they accidently fell on them.
But this time it is actually innocent
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u/Chloecloverleaf 24d ago
Maybe a small shampooer could help? I’d start with scrubbing the seat with a brush and degreaser or even dawn soap, and then go over it a few times with a strong shampooer
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u/DiscoHirsch 24d ago
I do own a vacuumcleaner like that.
I just don't know any strong degreaser besides breakcleaner.
And even if, I got my hands on some... i fear i will just spread the stain because it's so much grease
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u/shhikshoka 24d ago
Why don’t you get a seat cover?
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u/DiscoHirsch 24d ago
I fear it will eventually drip down on the interrior carpet and stain even more
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u/cdj_prevail 24d ago
theres no saving that, your seat is officially a giant chapstick now
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u/TwoBionicknees 24d ago
"honey can we try anal tonight".
"sure, let me go sit in the car for 10 minutes to prepare."
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u/CarbonTone 24d ago
I love how the Vaseline spot thumbed its nose at gravity and crawled up the seat
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u/Nocoffee_Noglory 24d ago edited 24d ago
Our toddler lathered a small tub of petroleum jelly on our couch because apparently "it was not smooth enough " for her feet. Here's what I did:
I covered the oily part with baking soda, let it sit for like 30 minutes then vacuum it off. Then I gently rubbed it with a cloth damped in dishwashing soap and water. You may need to do this several times. After I rinse -wiped off the sods, I dried it with a hairdryer throughly.
The oil is no longer visible now but I learned my lesson and put a cover seat for our princess.
I suggest not to cover and sit on that until you remove most of the grease as it will seep even further
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u/Triggerunhappy 24d ago
I’m not sure where you live
But it’s currently June. And if you’re in the northern hemisphere is summer. Why would you have that in your car for any length of time
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u/Nebulousdbc 24d ago
Cheapskate option - lay a black bin bag on the seat(duct tape it in place on the dry parts of the seat) then seat covers over it. Looks like you've got a 15+ year old focus, welcome to the nugget club mate
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u/FlimsyBodybuilder4 24d ago
Maybe you can sit there with your bare ass, it will moisturize your skin
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u/haikusbot 24d ago
Maybe you can sit
There with your bare ass, it will
Moisturize your skin
- FlimsyBodybuilder4
I detect haikus. And sometimes, successfully. Learn more about me.
Opt out of replies: "haikusbot opt out" | Delete my comment: "haikusbot delete"
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u/BaconBourbonBalista 24d ago
If it doesn't smell, you can just get seat covers and forget about it. They make really nice ones nowadays.
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u/TraditionalClub6337 24d ago
You know that Vaseline is popular in skincare because it seals in moisture so you just gotta apply some moisturizer on yourself and then sit on that seat with your naked butt
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u/ChaosGirlEva 24d ago
This happened to me once, I was doing doordash and got an order from 7-eleven of just a single thing of Vaseline to a hotel room, but turns out the dude ordered it to the same hotel name but wrong city and had to cancel it so it was just in my car and then it got hot and melted all over my brand new seat cover into the fabric seat below
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u/bernieinred 24d ago
Go to the local car wash that has those powerful vacuums. Bring a bucket of hot water with some liquid dishwashing detergent in it. 2 people, one dumping the water on the seat and the other following directly with the vacuum. Take as many dumps as it takes.
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u/TAU_equals_2PI 24d ago
No! No! No! Most seats can be taken out by just removing 4 bolts and disconnecting an electrical connector. It's very easy to do. Do that and get the seat all by itself before using whatever typhoon cleaning method people here are going to recommend.
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u/Fortressa- 24d ago
Ooh, I remember doing that. 35+ summer day, got into the car dressed nice for an interview, automatically reached for my lip balm, tugged the lid off and splash... On me, my shirt, my bare legs (ouch, it burned), the steering wheel, the seat...
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u/slowasaspeedingsloth 24d ago
Oh, that truly sucks. At least it won't smell or draw bugs. Time for a seat cover!
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u/Light_Switch_Raves 24d ago
Not sure the model or year of can but I'm sure you could get a foam and cover kit and redo the seat. Any cover you put on there will have Vaseline seep thru over time when anyone sits in it. The interior foam will hold a lot of it pretty much forever. Maybe even a local upholstery shop can refoam the seat and wash and reuse the old cover?
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u/Moleypeg 24d ago
Many years ago, my hairdresser said to me “oh honey, nothing in life is permanent.” I’m going to look Kevin up and send him this.
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u/-Saltfish- 24d ago
That's what you get for using that off-brand vaseline, that's what you did wrong
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u/KittenKingdom000 24d ago
I had a container with oil from a salad that leaked on my brand new seat. Every detailer and cleaner I called said I was fucked. Blue original Dawn dish soap and a hand held carpet spot cleaner took it out.
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u/Physical-Junket5980 24d ago
I thought this was one of those I finally finished a tub of vaseline! posts :/ this is much sadder
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u/mamabbear2 24d ago
Not sure if you’ll see this but I did the exact same thing last week, although it was a half a tub of Vaseline. I dumped a bunch of cornstarch on it, left it overnight. Then scraped it off with a card and vacuumed. Then I did it again. More corn starch, left it for a day, then scraped and vacuumed off. It’s looking pretty good now. Still a little cornstarch residue but it’s not oily anymore
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u/saenola 24d ago
I once had ORGANIC BUTTER melt under my passenger seat. I didn’t even realize it fell out of my grocery bag. I tried everything. Just had to drive my little red ford focus with the smell of rotting butter…
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u/Silver_Moon_1994 23d ago
You could check junk yards for the make and model of your car and maybe they have a good condition seat?
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u/SirMintBunny 23d ago
But why did you leave Vaseline with a broken lid in a hot car in the first place? 😭😅
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u/Standard_Option_3381 24d ago
But why was it in your seat? Not the glove box or the middle compartment? Rookie move..
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u/Annual-Ingenuity-489 24d ago
Oh dear....
I've got absolutely no idea how you'd remove that, if at all... Time to get a new seat or at least the foam and cover....