Cleaning carpet floor mats can be very tedious.
Normally, if I find carpet mats need more than a simple vacuum, I'll start by blasting them with compressed air first. This helps dislodge stubborn sand and debris, which in turn makes vacuuming easier.
If the mats are stained, I'll usually blast with compressed air, then lightly apply some carpet cleaner, agitate with a brush, then vacuum. I'll then put them in the sun to dry while I continue working on the vehicle. This method limits the amount of moisture introduced, which means not handing a car back with wet carpets.
Considering this car is not currently being used by the owner, I decided to try another method, basically the next step in carpet cleaning.....................
In the past, I've seen carpet mats being blasted by a pressure washer to properly flush out the dirt from the fibres. So, I'm going from "minimal" moisture to "fully" saturated! No turning back on this one.................
It's surprising how heavy these mats are when fully saturated.
You would never do this and leave it that way, not unless you have days for the carpet to dry. Otherwise, you need an extractor. Something I've always wondered while watching certain Youtube detailers go all-in ripping out seats, then fully saturating carpet with cleaning chemicals and extractors. Do they then keep the car until all of this dries out, or hand it back that way? This is rarely, if ever, addressed.
Anyway, I bought this Bissell a few years ago when they were on sale. At the time, I didn't necessarily need it, but the price was too good to ignore. It's sat in my cabinet ever since, again, the idea of handing cars back with wet carpet didn't appeal
After the blast with the pressure washer, the mats looked much cleaner, the high-pressure water removing that ingrained dirt that wouldn't lift with the vacuum. Even so, I then applied some KCx Pol Star, allowed it to soak, then went in with the extractor.
These extractors have two reservoirs, one for a cleaning chemical or clean water, the other holds the liquid extracted from the carpet. The chemical or clean water can then be sprayed onto the carpet as you work. This method would be used for fabric seats and carpet in situe. In my case, I used the Bissell simply for extraction purposes as the carpet was already wet and already had cleaning chemical applied.
This was my first time using an extractor. Even after using the pressure washer, it was surprising how much extra funk the Bissell drew out of the carpet. And I have to say, it was deeply satisfying seeing all that water and dirt being sucked into the extractor head and into the tank.
The end result is by far the best finish I've ever achieved cleaning carpet mats. Once dried, I'm going to apply some 303 Fabric Guard, then follow with some KCx Fresh Up to kill off any odours.
