Carpet cleaning technique

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emaxxman

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Well, I am really digging all the stuff I got from autogeek in my first order. Per my other thread, the foamgun rocks. I'm now testing the carpet brush attachment for the PC.

I was wondering what everyone's carpet cleaning technique is?

I'm practicing on the dirty old removable driver's mat first. I have some heavy duty carpet cleaning foam and also some very diluted Simple Green. I've used the foam and Simple Green with good success on some interior entry rugs.

Do you vacuum up the cleaner after you're done scrubbing?
Do you spray clean water to act as a rinse first?


My plan was to:
  • Vacuum thoroughly with a shopvac.
  • Spray cleaner, let it soak.
  • Scrub with the PC and scrub brush attachment and/or Meguiar's interior brush (for spots where the PC won't fit.)
  • Vacuum cleaner with a Hoover steam vac and hose.
  • Spray some clean water to "rinse"
  • Vacuum cleaner with a Hoover steam vac again.
  • Blot dry carpet with a clean towel.
I'm concerned with mold and/or mildew forming in the car if I use too much liquid and the carpet doesn't dry adequately. Are auto carpets resistant to this stuff? Is there anything to worry about here?
 
That should work reasonably well. I don't think mold would form, I mean in places where it rains a lot, it is inevitable that you will bring moisture into the car. Maybe someone from an area that rains more than a handful of times a year can chime in with their experience.
 
abrcrombe said:
That should work reasonably well. I don't think mold would form, I mean in places where it rains a lot, it is inevitable that you will bring moisture into the car. Maybe someone from an area that rains more than a handful of times a year can chime in with their experience.
Click to expand...

Do you think I need to do the 5th step - spray rinse? Or is the vacuum after the scrubbing sufficient?
 
I think that if you are using a steam vac after, the rinse is unnecessary.
 
I'm concerned with mold and/or mildew forming in the car if I use too much liquid and the carpet doesn't dry adequately. Are auto carpets resistant to this stuff? Is there anything to worry about here?

JUST MAKE SURE ::: you do this on a dry humid-less day, your plan looks good IMHO....... Good luck........
 
I've ALWAYS used my shopvac (4hp) to extract the water/shampoo mix left on the carpet after scrubbing and it usually sucks it 95% dry. I've actually even VERY LIGHTLY misted the carpet with my hose sprayer :eek: to "activate" the shampoo or degreaser or whatever else you use to clean your carpet with no mold or unpleasant smell afterwards(just make sure you extract VERY well). I HIGHLY recommend a spray bottle;). Shampoos will give it a deoderized scent (preferred) and degreasers will give, well, a degreaser scent. Test a degreaser in an inconspicuous area first. Definitely use a decent shopvac (go over several times) with decent power to extract after scrubbing if you don't have a good carpet cleaner/extractor and leave your windows and doors open if it's a sunny day. If not, get a cheap box fan(under $10 at wallyworld) and alternate positions with it as the carpet dries. I've always been happy with the results when using this process. Note: I have no professional training:D
 
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I agree with Dengood and would just add that you could lay some dry towels over the area and press down on them after doing the extraction to absorb some extra water and then leave the doors open to help it dry faster. :)
 
I like my Aztec mini hot extractor. On lightly soiled carpets I dont use any chemicals at all or a very very small amount. The hot water does most of the work.

Even very bad carpets, I pre-treat, soak, scrub (bad spots), then let the heated extractor do the rest with amazing results.

After geting the Aztec I'll never go back to shop vac/hose carpet cleaning EVER :p
I would be careful though bringing too much water onto the carpet for fear of mold etc.
 
How much was your aztec mini hot extractor? I am looking to buy the bissell little green giant. 70 bucks, so if yours is cheaper, I may consider.
 
Abrcrombe, any "hot water extractor" is going to cost a little bit if it is a quality unit(from under $200 to $2000+), but they are well worth it. Some of them heat the water to 180 degrees! Hot water evaporates twice as fast and cleans twice as good. Try washing dishes in cold water instead of hot water one time, you'll see the difference. If you can afford one you will avoid using a lot of chemicals and avoid letting the moisture stay in the carpet for long periods of time. If you lay towels down on the carpet to "wick" the water, don't leave them on for a long time because it will slow down the evaporation process. Just my thoughts:cheers:
 
Abrcrombe FYI>>>>>The Aztec Hot Spotter & Extractor - Price: $595.00!

And that's the lowest priced one!!
 
!!! wow that is too much for my blood right now. I have seen pretty darn good results from the Little Green so I am going to stick to that for now. 70 bucks, you can't really go wrong with that.

http://gtaindetail.com/pics/nsx061606/photo5.jpg

I like how the carpet looks. It lets the customer know it has been cleaned.

BTW, it isn't the little green giant, it is just the Bissell little green. LOL
 
Awe c'mon 'rombe, just go to the bank and get some financing!! lol Yeah, it's definitely a lot of money, but I've never got great results from the "little green guys"! I'll stick with my shopvac method after seeing that price!
 
I also have a shopvac, but it is a little too cumbersome to lug around. For 70 bucks, I am willing to give it a try, and if it doesn't work, I can sell it off to someone. Maybe even for a profit! LOL I have no debt right now, and I would like to keep it that way for as long as possible. :)
 
i use my (rather large) rigid wet/dry vacuum to do carpeting. it's the 6.5 horsepower, 16 gallon model that also seconds as a 265 mph blower which i use to dry the car.

1. vacuum completely
2. spray a 5:1 dilution APC on the entire carpet
3. spray folex on spots that look bad
4. let that soak for a couple of minutes
5. use the cyclo brushes on the pc and scrub the sh*t out of the carpeting
6. suck out the cleaners with the vacuum
7. spray hot water onto the carpet (somewhat generously)
8. suck out the water
9. repeat 7+8 again
10. dry with a mf

to get hot water, i have a black bucket that i put some water in when i first get to the customers house and have it heat up in the sun while i'm washing/polishing/waxing (seeing as i do the inside after the exterior is completed).
 
The water acts as a rinse. No matter how good the vacuum or extractor is, there will always be some sort of soap left if you don't rinse. I used a shop vac like Neo has (mines a Craftsman "made by Rigid"). I used roughly the same process he did.

I didn't soak my carpet when I washed mine. It was my first time washing it and I didn't want to chance getting too much water on it and not being able to extract it out. I used a squirt bottle and misted the area after washing with woolite.
 
What is a good carpet cleaner that smells good and wont leave a lot of soap on the carpet?

Im cleaning some mats right now. First I vacuum them, then spray the cleaner on (Turtle Wax Oxy Power Out), rub it in with the PC and brush, vacuum using wet/ dry vac, then spray water on with a bottle, vacuum again with wet/ dry vac. This is where Im getting stuck, after I spray the water on the soap and stuff gets activated and I cant get rid of it. I have to rinse the mats off with a hose, then vacuum them again, and let them sit in the 90* heat to get dry. Now I obviously cant do this with the carpet in the car because it wont dry and I cant spray the inside of the car down with a hose. So what am I doing wrong?

I just tried some Blue Coral Upholstery Cleaner and it didnt make as much soap as the Turtle Wax stuff. What if I just use that for the inside then vacuum it really good without spraying water on it.
 
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I tried not using water with the Blue Coral stuff and it leaves the carpet with a kind of sticky rough feeling. The carpet isnt as soft. Im going to see what happens when I use the Turtle Wax stuff without water.
 
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