Capet cleaner still in carpets

L

levander

New member
I've got some filthy carpets in my car. One of the things I tried, I used Resolve carpet cleaner on it. I think it's more for carpets in the home than your car, but I saw someone on her who sounded like he knew what he was talking about say he used it, so I tried it.



Think is, when I rinsed it out of the floor mats, I was like "uh-oh". I had to spray them with a pressure washer (the kind you find at self-serve car wash places) for maybe 30 seconds each to get all the carpet cleaner out of them. And, a lot was coming out when I was spraying them.



I did vacuum the carpets in the car with the self-serv car wash place's vacuum cleaner. But, from having seen how much I had to spray the floor mats, I know there's carpet cleaner still in the carpet in the car. Is that carpet cleaner going to hurt the carpets? Do I need to spray it out like I did the floor mats? Sure that'll leave a huge mess of water in the car... Is there an easier way to get the carpet cleaner out?
 
Not the best for the carpet, but usually it will just attract and hold dirt. Your carpets will get dirty faster.



I cleaned a car last week that showed he common signs of leaving in too much chemical. The whole carpet had a brown color to it.
 
New carpet!





Na, you'll just need to rinse the solution out with clean water and wet vac/extract. Try a spray bottle with plain water and wet each section before extracting. It may take a while so don't get discouraged. Go section by section, maybe 2-5 passes?



I see this all the time with used dealer cars and $75 complete details.
 
Wait, when I'm doing that, how will I know when the chemical is entirely out of the carpet?



The vacuums at the self-serve car place, it's not like the hoses are clear colored so I can see if any suds are coming up.
 
Vinegar also helps release the detergent. Smell doesn't stick around long, but you can dilute it if you feel the need to.
 
Well, I was just at the car wash place and started misting the carpet with water, took a brush too it and you could barely see chemical come to the surface.



Then I was like, "screw it, I know there's a lot of chemical down there!". So, I took everything out of the car and used the pressure washer on the carpets. Wow, you should have seen the chemical come up! Didn't think it was possible... I'll probably do the mist and vac at home some. I'll try the vinegar thing too. I actually like the smell of vinegar. I assume use white distilled vinegar?



I'm probably back at the car wash place in a couple of days though. I'll be pressure washing to carpets again before too long...
 
levander said:
Well, I was just at the car wash place and started misting the carpet with water, took a brush too it and you could barely see chemical come to the surface.



Then I was like, "screw it, I know there's a lot of chemical down there!". So, I took everything out of the car and used the pressure washer on the carpets. Wow, you should have seen the chemical come up! Didn't think it was possible... I'll probably do the mist and vac at home some. I'll try the vinegar thing too. I actually like the smell of vinegar. I assume use white distilled vinegar?



I'm probably back at the car wash place in a couple of days though. I'll be pressure washing to carpets again before too long...
Click to expand...



:wow: I hope you did not just used a pressure washer on your interior.
 
levander said:
Well, I was just at the car wash place and started misting the carpet with water, took a brush too it and you could barely see chemical come to the surface.



Then I was like, "screw it, I know there's a lot of chemical down there!". So, I took everything out of the car and used the pressure washer on the carpets. Wow, you should have seen the chemical come up! Didn't think it was possible... I'll probably do the mist and vac at home some. I'll try the vinegar thing too. I actually like the smell of vinegar. I assume use white distilled vinegar?



I'm probably back at the car wash place in a couple of days though. I'll be pressure washing to carpets again before too long...
Click to expand...



You did what?????:nervous2: You do know that if your insurence company found out about that they would total out your car. A lot of electronics (wiring and relays) run underneath the carpets. Once they get wet they become suspect to anything that can happen and can no longer be reliable. I really hope your joking about this.
 
levander said:
Just on the carpets, that's bad?
Click to expand...



All the interior wiring is ran underneath the carpets so getting the connectors and relays wet is a real cause of concern. Also some stock amplifiers are mounted underneath the passenger seat. Definitely not a smart move.



:wall
 
I was careful about that. And it drove home with the radio and heater on. Really don't think I hurt anything.



But, I'll definitely be hesitant to do it again. Hopefully the misting/vinegar tricks listed earlier get all the chemical out...
 
:funnypost





Dampen the area with water, agitate and vac it out. Like Salty said, you'll know your good when there is no more foam, basically.



Did you take some pics of the interior at least? Maybe a video of the process?
 
You'll also be susceptible to mold and stuff growing there in the damp environment. You should have tried to dry it out thoroughly right away. Usually with a wet vac. Sometimes even with a towel. (Quick!! Grab your ShamWow!!)



(and yes, distilled white vinegar)
 
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