Who doesn't have a pressure washer?

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danforz

New member
Hey guys, while all my clients have been satisfied and never complained, I'm always a little embarrassed because I can't get stains out of carpets. I resolve/folex, vacuum, Megs APC + scrub, and vacuum. But ever with all that, the stains are still there.



So what do you guys do who don't have extractors? Do you face this same dilemma?
 
I would hope you wouldn't use a pressure washer to clean carpets! I don't think your customers would be too thrilled to see that the stains on their carpets came out, but at the same time their car is flooded with water. You could however, use a pressure washer and APC for the floor mats (outside of the vehicle of course). That is what works best for me. What you need for the carpet is a steamer and/or a hot water carpet extractor.



In order to be a professional, you have to have the necessary equipment. I think there's a saying that "your only as good as your equipment" or something to that effect. But it's true. Although a very necessary tool for doing interior details, a wet/dry vac wasn't designed, nor is effective at what you are asking it to do.
 
What kind of vehicles are you having problems with and what type of stains? Cheap carpet can be tough to completely clean no matter what you use and some stains need a specific cleaner to properly remove them.



This link should help, Top of the Line has many stain specific products.



Carpet and Upholstery
 
Scottwax said:
What kind of vehicles are you having problems with and what type of stains? Cheap carpet can be tough to completely clean no matter what you use and some stains need a specific cleaner to properly remove them.



This link should help, Top of the Line has many stain specific products.



Carpet and Upholstery
Click to expand...



Primarily on the mats and sometimes on the carpet. The mats have dark blotches that just don't come clean, no matter how much rubbing and vacuuming I do. Will those products further enhance my work? I was under the impression that Folex as the best for carpet cleaning?
 
I've never used an extractor on floor matts because I've always had a pressure washer. I've also pressure washed isolated spots/areas of interior carpet and seats with a pressure washer too. As long as you can control your area of cleaning, it's a valuable tool. But at the same time, can be a very dangerous one if you get carried away. I've always relied on hand shampooing carpets and never found the need to use an extractor to get things completely clean. I'ver never come accross dirt/stain *on carpets* that didn't come out by hand that would have if I had an extractor. The key to properly cleaning is to identify the problems you're trying to clean and pre-soak it with the proper cleaner. For seats, an extractor is a very handy and powerful tool an can really do a great job. Again pre-scrubbing with the proper cleaner is a must. Another very important thing when cleaning interiors is to make sure everything is totally dry before sealing up the windows. After cleaning interiors, we put an interior dryer inside each vehicle while we detailed the exterior. That helped dry them out really fast. You don't want to dry an interior with heat because it will brown up the fabric and make fabric hard and smelly.
 
If you are just spot cleaning stains on carpets you can invest in a home grade steamer. They vary in price. Granted it is not commercial duty construction but to hit a few stains here in conjunction with your chemicals, you'll have much better results.





I am not a pro but detail weekends for money. I have had great success with them. A quick look here will give you some ideas: Steam Fast SF-278 Commercial Grade Steam Cleaner SF278 1500W with up to 45 Minutes Steaming
 
When I started I had a pressure washer. When it broke I couldn't afford to fix it. 10 years later I bought another pressure washer which I have today. I did fine without it. I rarely use it now and have been thinking about taking it out of my truck to free up some space.

I'm not an expert on carpet extractors. I've owned on in my mobile business many years ago. It was a cold water commercial model. It was huge, heavy and bulky. I found it helpful at times but everntually stopped using it. Many detailers and guides that I've read, use hot water extractors for rinsing. If your problem is left over stains you may just need to introduce heat to your cleaning. Hot water works better. In many cases a lot better. A hot water extractor is one option. A steamer is another. A $30 1000 watt bucket heater is another. No matter what you do, some stains or discolored areas will remain. In general if I can't get it out with several chemicals (proper dwell time), agitating (manual or mechanical), my steamer and hot water it won't be coming out by me. On occasion I will spot dye an area but that is rare. I'm not sure I'll be adding a hot water extractor in the future, when I need heavy rinsing of an area I tend to use a 2gallon sprayer or a pump driven hose on a mist setting (with or without hot water).
 
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