How bout a Thread about Vacuuming.

B

bdaly84

New member
I know everyone that read the title is probably thinking, "does this guy not know how to vacuum"?



Well of course I know how to vacuum but Im interested in others techinques to see if I can improve and reduce my time spent on dry vaccuming. Recently, my customers, even my regulars have had messy carpets, seats and mats. Anyway, I have been spending anywhere from 30-50 mins, just vacing out the usual. I am a perfectionist, when it comes to carpets...even for the my regulars, who dont always need the entire carpet areas vac'd.



Heres my techinque...



1. Clean out big trash and debris (underseats, trunk, floors etc.)

2. Air purge all surfaces (dash, seats, carpets, amts etc.)(only for New Customers)

3. Pull out mats and rubber mats and do a mild sweep with a brush on the floor areas

4. Vac as usual (brush attc. doors, dash, console and seats, use regular attc. on floors)

5. Brush mats (outside vehicles) vac and put in trunk.

6. Then proceed to extraction.



My beef is that, I cant always get all the sand and small dirt out with my vac. Its a newer Craftsman 5.5hp, the filter I change every month and clean it out about 2-3 times a month.



I wondering if anyone has a techinque to get the sand and small particles out of the carpet, if Iam not extracting. Thanks.

:xyxthumbs
 
Great Subject!!!!!!!



There's a couple of ways I remove sand and small particles. My first part of the process is to use a compressed air nozzle and blow debris from the back floor and under the seat area to the front driver/passenger area. This removes a bunch of stuff from under the seat and saves time.



1. After I use the plastic nozzle that comes with the Craftsman (I'm switching to the Ridgid soon...just wore out the old noisy monster), I switch to the brush tip and dry scrub the carpeting. That seems to work best if I'm not extracting.



2. If I am scrubbing with diluted APC and a brush, that brings up the small stuff in the carpets. You don't have to soak the carpet, just use a wet brush and then vacuum.



I'd like to find some tips/tricks myself as I spend a lot of time with this process on the Bimmers.



Toto
 
Well



Remove large loos debris.



I then used the brush attachment on the dash, rear window area and headliner. I vacuum the headliner very slowly while lightly wiggling the brush attachment.



From there i work by seating section,



I vacuum witht he same brush attachment the seat, seat cracks, under seat, floor matts, carpets, doors, center consoles, trunk ect. this step basically picks up the loos surface dust, grime, and dirt.



I then use a (for the lack of better words... barbershop tip) this has little grooves in the side to aide in picking up little bits. I then vacuum the floor mats, and carpets and trunk again. This step goes along way to removing ground in and trapped particulate soils.



After that i move to the prespot and pre condition stages.
 
Short of a beater bar device, carpets respond to a healthy "whack" :grinno: Using the palm of your hand give the carpeted area a swift swat or series of swats and follow quickly with your vacuum.
 
So far these are all great techniques, but just sitting brain storming...could you use a kids play rake. Bare with me...I remember years ago, you could purchase carpet rakes for your household carpets. The purpose behind these was to 1. spruce up the fibers, and 2. rake out old ground in dirt and then vac.



Couldnt you apply the same principle to interiors with a smaller version...how bout a kids sand rake...slightly modified???



What do you guys think:think2
 
you can still buy hand held rakes for stairs and carpets. check interlink supply.



and yes it makes a difference. a stif bristled nylon brush will do the same when used with moderate pressure.
 
I gotta buy one of those rakes. It would be a lot easier to use one of those to put lines in a carpet then a vacuum.
 
I like a PC with a brush attachment in one hand, and the vacuum nozzle in the other. This is the only way I have ever been able to get "beach cars" sandless without using an extractor.
 
I know you want to remove all debris from the carpet but is this really possible?

What I mean to say is do you vacuum until you absolutly see no debris at all? I try to vacuum everything I see (and some things I don't) but if working outside wind, shoes etc. may bring debris back in. When I'm completely done with the detail I will run the vac thru one last time but always wondered if it is possible to remove EVERY LITTLE SPECK.



I also remove my filter when vacuuming; it seems to work better( more suction power). But I do clean my vacuum at least every other day. Craftsman 5 HP
 
My process:



Remove all "stuff" from the interior of the car. I place items like jackets, hats, books etc. in a box.



Remove the mats.



Vacuum the interior from the headliner down.



After vacuming the carpeting, I "play the drums" on the carpet... starting at the driver's side... I just pretend I am Alex Van Halen or Neal Peart and do a solo.. you will be amazed at what will come to the surface!



I keep doing this until I am satisfied, then move onto the next section.



Once that entire carpeted area is "played", then I begin extracting the interior, then I do the same with the mats.
 
handigroom_ab20_lg.jpg


Grandi groomer rake

This all-purpose hand held groomer is for stairs, automobile carpet, fringes on orientals and many other uses. The special "Spatula" on the handle can be used to scoop up excess spillage and residue when spotting.



handibrush_ab34_lg.jpg


HANDI GROOMER HAND HELD BRUSH Item No.

AB34

A short, soft bristle light-weight brush excellent for cleaning

automotive fabrics, upholstery, velvet fabrics, Oriental,

Persian and quality area rugs. Effective for dusting and

lifting the nap of delicate draperies and fabric wall

coverings.



The fine bristles, tufted and aligned closely make this brush

ideally suited to release soil particles, lint, pet hair

and debris from upholstery and other fabrics.



Use on upholstered seats, backs and arms of furniture prior

to and after vacuuming or wet cleaning for thorough release

of soil particles
 
This thread made me curious about alternatives to the $1300 Electrolux I posted above. Miele makes a turbo attachment for their vacuums that the rep I was talking with said outperforms most powered beaters. If you go to this page: Miele Vacuum Cleaners at Best Vacuum - Miele Upright, Canister & Hepa Vacuum Dealer and click on any of the vacuums, on the right hand side it will show accessories, which includes the Handheld Turbobrush for $71. Miele also offers a CarClean Set Plus for $144 which includes the turbobrush. The guy I was talking with said that the more expensive kit wasn't as good of a value for the money as just the turbobrush for half of that, but that the other included accessories were very handy. I know that I have a spot between the seats and the console on my SUV that is almost impossible to get; the included extra long crevice tool would probably work great.



Though not shown on this retailer's website, he said they have a canister vac model called the Naturel (pronounced like it's French for wearing no clothes- don't know how to spell it) that he would sell for $299 delivered (to Denver) that would include the turbobrush. He said that the vacuum had just as much power as the other much more expensive models, but no bells and whistles and no HEPA filtering.



Later I'm gonna Google for some reviews if there are any. If it's any good, I would think $300 would be an easy spend for a pro, just let your wife use it once in awhile :)



Dave
 
don't worry about heppa filtration. You basically can use any bagging vack and add hepa filtration bags.



To be honest bags that filter down to .3 microns are fine.



a vac that can do that should be between 200-600 depending on needs.
 
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