Can I clean carpets and seats without and extractor?

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crashcrew271

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I have been looking to expand and start cleaning the seats and carpets of my customers. I don't have a carpet extractor first, they are very expensive and second I have read that they are just something that newbies buy. I guess you can use your power drill with a brush attachment to aggitate the carpet and use towels to soak up the remaining liquids? I'm just not very verse in this department and would like some tips on how to do it without an extractor or if I should just suck it up and get a small one....or maybe a bissel heated spot cleaner (way cheaper)?
 
I personally have the bissell pro-heat, and I love it. I have been able to get some tough stains out and I just used it on the seats in my accord and they came back like new! I recommend that for $100 at wally world.
 
APC, soak 5-10 min, agitate with a brush, vaccuum out with a wet/dry vac if you have one. Done :)

I don't know if we can hot link to other forums here or if that's frowned upon, but there's a great thread about how to do this without an extractor on another forum. Actually I'll just pm you with it. :)
 
Right now I just have my metro vac/blower since I haven't been doing the carpets. I guess I am going to have to invest and get a shop vac that is decent....cheaper than an extractor I guess. I think I am going to try the pre treat method first and see how that works out.......thanks zilla!
 
Ive had good luck with the Ridgid wet/dry vacs that sell at Home Depot. They sell lots of attachments to.
 
Get one with lots of horse power. Better to have to much than not enough.
 
Do you own a DA polisher? AG sells nice carpet brush attachments for them. Drill would just abuse carpet. DAs agitate or stop when high pressure is applied.
 
DaHen said:
Get one with lots of horse power. Better to have to much than not enough.
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I thought that at first as well. Then someone on here showed me some interesting info. Water lift is much more important then HP. I realized this when my tiny little Metro Vac n Go worked much better then a shop vac I was using. You can get some impressive cleaning power out of small packages.
 
They have nice brushes for rotary. I use these at work and they work great.
 
You dont need a extractor. They soak the seats to much. Ive seen people use spray foam and spray cleaners that you spray brush and wipe, and they do a great job. When cleaning car interiors you need the least amount of water possible. I myself use a solution of ammonia and water to wipe down carpets and seats, and if a stain wont come out I use Folex and a brush. Yes I know ammonia smells, but it cleans and it pulls all oders out of the fabric when it dries , and it dries fast.
 
i have an aztek hot water extractor and its nice to have, but honestly im not sure if the heated water part is that functional. the solution tank isnt all that big, i get through maybe a little more than half a 4-door sedan and i have to refill the tank. maybe its just me being inefficient since im new to detailing. i dont have time to wait for it to heat up again so i just use cold water for the rest of the car.

if i could go back, id probably look for a cheaper cold-water extractor since thats how i usually use mine anyways.

im not sure how i feel about leaving soap in the fabric, thats why the extractor is nice, it rinses out the soap and pulls out more dirt than just wiping im sure.

as far as a wet/dry vac goes, im not sure if your mobile or not, but a lot of mobile detailers uses the ridgid 5hp 4gallon wet/dry vac. i have one and its awesome, portable and suction is great. i also have the ridgid car-detailing kit, it has an upgraded hose (much needed), the claw tool, crevice tool, and 2 brushes. works great i highly recommend it.
 
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5.4 Shelby said:
Do you own a DA polisher? AG sells nice carpet brush attachments for them. Drill would just abuse carpet. DAs agitate or stop when high pressure is applied.
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I do have a PC DA. Which brush would you recommend?

slickooz said:
They have nice brushes for rotary. I use these at work and they work great.
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I also have a DeWalt 849 rotary. I haven't seen a brush for this. If they say a drill will just mess up the carpet wouldn't a rotary do even more damage since it is WAY more powerful than a drill.

ride5150 said:
i have an aztek hot water extractor and its nice to have, but honestly im not sure if the heated water part is that functional. the solution tank isnt all that big, i get through maybe a little more than half a 4-door sedan and i have to refill the tank. maybe its just me being inefficient since im new to detailing. i dont have time to wait for it to heat up again so i just use cold water for the rest of the car.

if i could go back, id probably look for a cheaper cold-water extractor since thats how i usually use mine anyways.

im not sure how i feel about leaving soap in the fabric, thats why the extractor is nice, it rinses out the soap and pulls out more dirt than just wiping im sure.

as far as a wet/dry vac goes, im not sure if your mobile or not, but a lot of mobile detailers uses the ridgid 5hp 4gallon wet/dry vac. i have one and its awesome, portable and suction is great. i also have the ridgid car-detailing kit, it has an upgraded hose (much needed), the claw tool, crevice tool, and 2 brushes. works great i highly recommend it.
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I've seen the RidGid vacs a lot on this forum and other places. I think it might be a good investments to add to my arsenal even if i decide not to use it. I'm not mobile right now because I am about to move to Dallas. I am going to buy a home there and transform the garage in the house I buy there into a shop with new lighting, flooring, cabinetry....a real detailers dream and then possibly go mobile after a good client base is built there. Thanks for the info
 
All I've ever used to clean carpets and seats is a wet/dry vac. I spray cleaner on them, scrub with a brush, then vacuum it up.


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crashcrew271 said:
I have been looking to expand and start cleaning the seats and carpets of my customers. I don't have a carpet extractor first, they are very expensive and second I have read that they are just something that newbies buy. I guess you can use your power drill with a brush attachment to aggitate the carpet and use towels to soak up the remaining liquids? I'm just not very verse in this department and would like some tips on how to do it without an extractor or if I should just suck it up and get a small one....or maybe a bissel heated spot cleaner (way cheaper)?
Click to expand...

You can clean carpets and upholstery without an extractor - just spray.... aggitate.... then blot....... BUT - an extractor with a high psi and that is heated will make a tough 5 hour job by hand seem easy as can be in 30 to 60 minutes. SO - with that said..... sure you can do a good job without an extractor - but, how much time do you have on your hands?!?!??!
 
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