what is your carpet cleaning regimen?

jaybs02

jaybs02

New member
We spend a lot of time on getting the paint to look perfect, but there doesn't seem to be too much discussion on the interior which is what we see while we are driving.

The carpeting is the thing that takes the hardest hit so I was curious what people do to keep the carpeting looking its best, and what you do when it looks it's worst.
 
To keep my personal vehicle carpet's looking their best, I three step it
1) Mat - I prefer the heavy duty rubber mats. Either the OEM mats or those by WeatherTech or similar.
2) Vacuum often
3) Treat spots promptly. With the mats I use, this is a rare occasion in the vehicles. More often the occurence is in the house.

For those carpets that look their worst (which luckily for me is pretty rare). I work by hand, as I have never invested in a commercial grade extractor.

1) Vacuum
2) Brush to remove any pet hair, dirt, etc. that wasn't picked up initially.
3) Vacuum again
4) Pre-spot obvious stains - allow to dwell while I prepare the shampoo bucket.
5) Shampoo, with a carpet/upholstery brush
6) Vacuum (extract, w/o the extractor)
7) Rinse, with a pump up sprayer - Lightly brush
8) Vacuum (extract w/o the extractor)
9) Rinse again - Lightly brush
10) Vacuum again
11) "Buff" w/ terry towel
12) Allow to dry
 
There was an awesome how to a while back that incorporated Oxy-Clean. I think the OP had a red Integra or something. The turnaround was amazing.
 
I remember when Sean first posted that.
Great thread, I also remember that there was some discussion later on about the long term effects of using Oxiclean.
 
I use diluted APC 15:1 , a nylon brush, a spray bottle of very hot water, and a strong shop vac ... but i think a new extractor is in the cards ;)
 
southerndetail said:
vapor steam the whole thing.
Click to expand...

It isn't the best choice for carpets in some cases but it sure is a good detailing tool for the interior.

I use a vapor steamer too but not all by itself. It allows me to use less chemical in most cases and it works wonders on headliners and tight spots.

I had a car recently that was in an accident and a big coffee drink got spilled all over the radio and A/C controls. With a little TLC I was able to clean it up pretty fast with the vapor steamer. It wasn't something that I would trust somebody else doing though because you can easily get the inner electronics wet and ruin them if you are not careful.
 
What would be a concern about using steam vapor on the carpets, unless there is a concern about adhesive being compromised.
 
jaybs02 said:
What would be a concern about using steam vapor on the carpets, unless there is a concern about adhesive being compromised.
Click to expand...

There isn't really a concern. It's just not the best choice to get it clean. An extractor is gonna clean deeper than a Vapor Cleaner. If the carpet just has surface dirt and stains that haven't gone into the padding then a Vapor cleaner is a great way to go as long as your not pushing the suface dirt and stains into the padding. It's not your best choice for getting carpets deep cleaned.

Although when combined with a strong vacuum (extractor type lift) and some water you can get extractor like results. I have done this several times to deal with spills because I roll without an extractor these days.;)
 
Troy@DetailCity said:
It isn't the best choice for carpets in some cases but it sure is a good detailing tool for the interior.

I use a vapor steamer too but not all by itself. It allows me to use less chemical in most cases and it works wonders on headliners and tight spots.

I had a car recently that was in an accident and a big coffee drink got spilled all over the radio and A/C controls. With a little TLC I was able to clean it up pretty fast with the vapor steamer. It wasn't something that I would trust somebody else doing though because you can easily get the inner electronics wet and ruin them if you are not careful.
Click to expand...
If it doesn't endanger any of your "trade secrets", ;) would you care to elaborate on your process. Working around those areas can be tricky, if you're dealing with anything other than normal "hand grime".

southerndetail said:
Isn't steam what made stanley steamer famous?
Click to expand...
If this is a joke, forget about my response :)

Stanley Steamer use hot water extraction, not vapor steam.
 
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