I just dyed another carpet

[jayjacque]

I do interior repairs and ever so often come across carpet stain/dirt problems. Usually it has already been thru the dealership's detail department, so it's stuff they couldn't get out. Yesterday I got one of those jobs. I thought I'd be smart and not paint it if I didn't have to. I tried Spot Shot spot remover, then some P21 Total Auto Wash. I could've tried some other stuff too, but when I saw what was happening I could tell it was useless. Those chemicals were breaking up the dirt alright and it was showing up on rag after rag, but without an extractor, it was never going to come up all the way. So I dyed it.



You might think that's cool that I could still make the money off the job. Problem is, matching carpet color has to be totally exact or if just a little off, you gotta get every square inch covered in every nook and cranny, probably 2-3 coats for complete coverage. If it's the kind of carpet that you brush one way and it looks one color, but brush another direction and looks lighter or darker (which is real common), then of course color matching is that much harder. It's a total PITB.



So the questions are: Is it time to break down and get an extractor, even if it's just a Bissel LGM? And will that be the answer to all that ground in dirt/grease/stain in carpets? And does a job like I've described typically take a long time to see results or relatively short time like a half hour to an hour?

 

[bryan]

The answer is yes. you should get an extractor. I have suggestions if you are in the market

 

[SuperBee364]

I have a home extractor and love it. It's just a cheap-o Hoover upright with a few hand tools. Cleaning car carpets and mats with it is so easy. I imagine a professional extractor would be even better.



My wife was in an accident in our SUV a few months ago. A full cup of fruit punch ended up on the front right side floor mat and carpet. The auto body place tried several times to get it out, and in the end they just couldn't do it. So they called and asked if it was ok if they had "their guy" dye them. I told them if it didn't come out *completely* perfect, I expeceted brand new carpet and mats. I was shocked; it came out *exactly* the same as the rest of the carpet. I totally thought I'd be getting new carpet and mats. Big surprise. Don't know how you guys pull off matching colors that exact with dye, but I'm sure glad you can.