How to: shampoo your vehicle's carpets in your driveway!
There is no doubt that most effective method of shampooing carpets is to use a professional hot-water extractor and quality chemicals. For the do it yourself detailer the cost of these machines can be quite expensive. The following method of carpet shampooing requires fairly little tools, but does require a little patience and hard work. By being meticulous it is possible to achieve near professional results, and with constant up-cleaning it can be all the shampooing your vehicle will ever need.
Tools needed:
Several wash buckets.
A stiff carpet brush.
A fabric safe All Purpose Cleaner such as Optimum Power Clean or Meguiar's All Purpose Cleaner
A wet-dry vacuum cleaner such as shop vac.
Several old (but clean) terry towels.
Note: Always spot clean an inconspicuous area of the carpet first, looking for discoloration.
Start by vacuuming the carpet or upholstery thoroughly. Remove the floor mats for the vehicle (these will be cleaned in a separate manner covered in Part Two: PAC tells you how to shampoo your vehicle's floor mats in your driveway! ).
After all of the surface dirt has been removed from the carpet scrub the carpet using a stiff brush. Push the bristles into the pile. A quick, brisk brushing will cause dirt that has been pushed into the pile of the carpet to come to the surface. It is amazing how much dirt can be trapped in a vacuumed carpet. If you haven't brushed your carpets before you may become discouraged at how much dirt is trapped and how difficult it is to remove. Vacuum again.
Heavily soiled carpets may require require alternating between brushing and vacuuming to thoroughly clean. Continue this step until dirt is no longer visible after brushing. A little patience will go a long way, and the quality of the result is determined by how thorough each step is completed.
Now mix up the the cleaning solution. In this example I am using Meguiar's All Purpose Cleaner. I mix to 1 part APC with approximately 15 parts water, then blast with water to encourage an ample amount of suds.
Optional: Mix a second bucket of just water.
Note: When extracting carpets with a machine it is best to use a low suds all purpose cleaner, such as Meguiar's APC +. When shampooing the carpets by hand, use the suds to scrub the carpet, which will keep it from getting overly wet.
Work a section at a time, such as the drivers carpet followed by the passenger side. First dip the brush into your wash solution, picking up equal parts suds and water. Now scrub in a slightly overlapping motion, working the shampoo solution into the carpet.
Use the wet/dry vacuum to extract the solution quickly. Make sure to pass over and remove as much shampoo solution as possible.
Optional: Dip the brush in the bucket of pure water. Remove as much excess water as possible by running the bristles again the edge of the bucket. Again lightly scrub the carpet using just water. This will help remove any excess soap residue that could cause the carpet to extract more dirt once it dries.
Then vacuum the carpet very carefully, removing as much water and residual shampoo as possible. Make slow passes over the carpet. At this point the carpet should feel damp.
Note: This second extraction of the carpet should take longer then the first and carpet should feel near dry when complete.
Finally take a clean cotton terry towel and blot it thoroughly into the carpet to remove even more moisture. This will help reduce the chance of wicking. Wicking occurs when any dirt trapped deep in the carpet's pile is pulled to the top by a capillary action. The carpet appears to become soiled as it dries.
Tips and Tricks: Vacuuming Your Vehicle.
Vacuuming carpet, upholstery, and interior is one of the most tedious and often least enjoyed aspects of auto detailing, and it can be the most frustrating. Over the years I have had the honor and pleasure of working with some of the best detailers in the country and have learned many techniques and processes applicable to all aspects of detailing. Vacuuming is one of those areas where patience is key. There is no short cut to doing a great job.
My poor car!
The most challenging aspect of this write-up, for me, was allowing my car to get this dirty. No cleaning for over a month! Here is the condition of my Mazdaspeed 3 prior to starting.
Tip 1: Clean all the trash and put it in a garbage bag for easy disposal.
Clean the interior (door pockets, holders, and floor) of large items and waste and place them in a bag to toss. This will make a huge difference, immediately, in the condition of the interior.
Tip 2: Remove the floor mats.
Remove the floor mats from the car (don't try to vacuum around them). This will make it easier to vacuum them and the floor more thoroughly.
Tip 3: Use the right tools for the job.
You will need a high powered vacuum at a minimum. An assortment of brushes (with different bristles) will allow you to do a more thorough job. I am using a Metro-Vac n' Blow with a Cobra Brush Kit.
Tip 4: Lay a soft towel down over the door jambs to prevent scuffing/scratching.
Use an old microfiber towel and lay it over the lip of the door jamb to prevent your hose from scratching the paint. High powered vacuums like the Metro-Vac will cause the hose to recoil as it sucks which can leave some nasty marks on delicate paint.
Tip 5: Start by vacuuming up all of the lose grime.
Start with out any attachments on the vacuum and work dillegently, removing as much loose grime and dirt. Vacuum the carpets, the seats, the folds of the seats, and any nooks you can fit the hose into.
The carpet looks clean after vacuuming all of the lose grime.
Tip 6: Brush and re-vacuum your way to a clean interior!
While the carpet may look clean after a thorough vacuuming it often is not. Most the dirt and grit is worked into the nap of the carpet over time and becomes trapped in the fibers. Using a stiff brush will help work the trapped grit from the depths of the fibers and bring them to the surface where they can be vacuumed. I like to use a fine brass brush from the Cobra Brush kit, although it is recommended to test an inconspicous spot first. If you notice the brush removing carpet fiber, switch to a stiff carpet brush.
Use a softer brush to whisk dust from tight panel seems, vents, and various nooks, as well as around tight areas where the vacuum cannot reach.
While it is hard to capture in this photograph of the rear driver's side, a considerable amount of dirt has been released by brushing.
Vacuum the lose dirt up. On areas of heavy traffic you will see a more dramatic difference.
Use the finer bristle Cobra Brush to whisk dust and dirt from folds in the seats, panel seems, and hard to reach nooks.
Tip 7: Go over the area one more time!
Finally use various attachments such as a soft bristle brush head and a low profile head to vacuum up any lose grime and dirt.
Work the bristles into the tight seams where dust hides.
The results of the back area.
Tip 8: Move the seats!
The seats move, move them! When working on the rear of the interior move the seats to the most forward position for easier access. When working on the front of the interior move the seats to their rear most position.
With the front seat forward access is limited.
Moving it backwards moves vacuuming the most hidden areas much easier.
Tip 9: Do a section at a time.
I find it easier to work a section at a time, cleaning and vacuuming it thoroughly before moving to the next section. If your goal is just a light vacuuming then this makes sense as you simply work around the vehicle. If you are doing a more thorough vacuuming, as in this write-up, it makes sense to tackle the interior in logical sections. For a four seat car, start with one seat area, complete all the steps, then move on to the next section.
With back area done, I moved the seat rearward and repeated the steps on the driver's side area.
First I started by vacuuming all of the lose grime and dirt.
Using various attachments allows access to hard-to-reach areas such as under the pedals.
Then the carpet was brushed with a stiff brush to loosen the embedded dirt.
Use a whisking motion to loosen the grit.
On areas that see a lot of traffic you will see a large amount of grime resurface after brushing.
Re-vacuum the lose dirt and particulate.
Use a softer brush to whisk dust and dirt out of hard to reach areas such as around the vents, seams, seat creases, and around buttons on the dashboard.
Finally vacuum the section with a soft bristle brush to remove any loose dust and dirt.
Move things like the shift and handbrake to gain access to the various areas.
Finally move onto the next section until the interior is done.
Tip 10: Do the floor mats last.
With the interior done, focus your attention on the floor mats. Start by holding the floor mats vertically.
Brush with a stiff brush, starting at the top and whisking downward to remove and loosen as much dirt as possible. Beating the mat will also help loosen grit and dirt.
Finally vacuum the remaining dirt and grime. Then re-position the mats back into the interior.
Final Pictures.
The interior could probably use a detail (chemically cleaning and protecting all of the areas including the rubber floor mat I use on the driver's side), however the focus of this write-up was on vacuuming.
