How often do you shampoo your carpets wet vac?

[MidnightNarwhal]

I have one of those small Bissell carpet extractors and I've done it used it once when I got the car and removed all the seats. This time I'm doing my whole interior for the post winter cleanup, I doubt shampoo is something people do regularly but I was curious if yes and how often you do it? Is it more for those really dirty detail jobs professionals encounter?

 

[Danube]

I always use a bit of shampoo in the warm water tank, as it certainly gives better results than water only (if that is what you asked).

I'm always surprised how the dirty water is dirty from the seats that do not look that dirty beforehand.

 

[Eldorado2k]

I always use a bit of shampoo in the warm water tank, as it certainly gives better results than water only (if that is what you asked).

I'm always surprised how the dirty water is dirty from the seats that do not look that dirty beforehand.

He’s talking about on your own car.

Personally my car only needs it maybe once every 6 months and that’s mainly just the drivers seat area. The rest of my car maybe, maybe once per year just to get things back to near perfect. I’m actually about to extract my drivers seat matt & possibly the carpet underneath tomorrow [I almost did it today] along with a set of spare Cadillac matts I might sell to a customer who owns the same kind of Cadillac as mine.

I also make sure to hit my carpets & matts with ScotchGard after I extract them. It helps keep it cleaner longer.

 

[opie2]

Only ever done it on one of our vehicles. And it was our previous "work car". It had cloth seats and wanted to see how dirty they actually were. Suprised as well how much was extracted from them.

None of our other vehicles are ever dirty enought to need anything other than a quick vac.

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[MidnightNarwhal]

Yeah I think I'll skip it this year. My car's interior is all black to I'm sure that helps alot.

 

[2black1s]

I keep mine clean enough that they NEVER need shampooing!

With my last two new vehicles one of the first things I did was head to the bath department at Target/Walmart/Bed Bath and Beyond to buy some color matching towels and bath mats to protect the carpeting, floor mats, armrests, seats, etc.

 

[MidnightNarwhal]

Thanks guys. Honestly I just realised shampoo and extracting are 2 different things. I'll probably still do a shampoo (apply product, brush) and then go over with a damp towel and then blot and let air dry instead of doing the extractor. Using a Bisell spotclean it just takes so much time but I assume it cleans better.

 

[Eldorado2k]

Thanks guys. Honestly I just realised shampoo and extracting are 2 different things. I'll probably still do a shampoo (apply product, brush) and then go over with a damp towel and then blot and let air dry instead of doing the extractor. Using a Bisell spotclean it just takes so much time but I assume it cleans better.

I consider shampoo & extract the same thing.
Shampoo is how I describe it to customers, extract is what I’m really doing.

IMO Doing things with a towel like you describe is more work and also messier + nobody likes having to deal with those nasty dirty towels afterwards.

 

[BrrrBrrr is verified member.]

I keep mine clean enough that they NEVER need shampooing!

With my last two new vehicles one of the first things I did was head to the bath department at Target/Walmart/Bed Bath and Beyond to buy some color matching towels and bath mats to protect the carpeting, floor mats, armrests, seats, etc.

My brother in law said he was working on an old man’s car one day and he had unbolted the seats, laid down bed sheets that matched the carpet and bolted the seats in over them. Then he had the sheets rigged up to the console so nothing would fall between the seats and console. I forgot about that. Probably need to do that myself.


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[MidnightNarwhal]

I consider shampoo & extract the same thing.
Shampoo is how I describe it to customers, extract is what I’m really doing.

IMO Doing things with a towel like you describe is more work and also messier + nobody likes having to deal with those nasty dirty towels afterwards.

Ahh okok. Using my Bissell with hot water is just so slow that's why. That said I can just wake up early in the morning and go at it, only doing it for me so doesn't matter how long it takes. Doing it yearly at my spring clean seems like a good idea then.

 

[Eldorado2k]

Ahh okok. Using my Bissell with hot water is just so slow that's why. That said I can just wake up early in the morning and go at it, only doing it for me so doesn't matter how long it takes. Doing it yearly at my spring clean seems like a good idea then.

Whichever way works best for you. Both ways work fine.

 

[Odrapnew1]

I've seen some comments about concern with not getting all the shampoo (or whatever cleaner) out of the carpet can make it get dirtier faster.

The theory is that there is the cleaner residue in the carpet and when it gets wet, it activates the cleaner again.
So, if you get in you vehicle with wet shoes, it activates the cleaner and the dirt on your shoes gets cleaned off and into the carpet.

Anyone know if there's much truth to that?

I only bring that up because MidnightNarwhal mentioned using the cleaner and wiping with damp towel.
I don't mean to point fingers, just thought it might help with optimum cleaning methods.


Oh, and to answer the original question, unfortunately I've only 'shampooed' the carpet in my Foxbody one time (few years ago).
I've never done that in any of my other cars, mainly because I don't have an extractor.

 

[MidnightNarwhal]

I've seen some comments about concern with not getting all the shampoo (or whatever cleaner) out of the carpet can make it get dirtier faster.

The theory is that there is the cleaner residue in the carpet and when it gets wet, it activates the cleaner again.
So, if you get in you vehicle with wet shoes, it activates the cleaner and the dirt on your shoes gets cleaned off and into the carpet.

Anyone know if there's much truth to that?

I only bring that up because MidnightNarwhal mentioned using the cleaner and wiping with damp towel.
I don't mean to point fingers, just thought it might help with optimum cleaning methods.


Oh, and to answer the original question, unfortunately I've only 'shampooed' the carpet in my Foxbody one time (few years ago).
I've never done that in any of my other cars, mainly because I don't have an extractor.

I've read the same as well. Like you say, the remaining cleaner will attract it back into the mat. On my CarPro inside bottle, it states to wipe off with a damp towel. That said, some products won't do this I believe. For example I'm about to purchase Optimum Carpet fabric cleaner & protector and they advertise it as having polymers that avoids bringing dirt back and even protects (although that is limited I assume) . It also states you can just use a dry towel to wipe off.

"While cleaning, Optimum Carpet & Fabric Cleaner & Protectant leaves a polymetric protectant behind that repels dust and dirt. Most cleaners contain surfactants that leave oily residue that attracts dirt and grime causing dirt build up."

Was gonna use a APC like Power Clean for my carpets since I already have it for other tasks but think I'll grab this Optimum carpet and fabric for my main shampoo and fabric cleaner.

 

[Eldorado2k]

I've seen some comments about concern with not getting all the shampoo (or whatever cleaner) out of the carpet can make it get dirtier faster.

The theory is that there is the cleaner residue in the carpet and when it gets wet, it activates the cleaner again.
So, if you get in you vehicle with wet shoes, it activates the cleaner and the dirt on your shoes gets cleaned off and into the carpet.

Anyone know if there's much truth to that?

That’s certainly been the cool story in these recent years, but I’ve yet to actually see it play out that way irl. I’ve never seen even a slight indication of that actually happening and Megs D101 APC has been my go to product for cleaning automotive carpets for almost 10yrs. now.

 

[MidnightNarwhal]

That’s certainly been the cool story in these recent years, but I’ve yet to actually see it play out that way irl. I’ve never seen even a slight indication of that actually happening and Megs D101 APC has been my go to product for cleaning automotive carpets for almost 10yrs. now.

You do use an extractor though right? Could be most of the remaining product wouldn't be left to dry me thinks. I haven't noticed either but I only do mine few times.

 

[Eldorado2k]

You do use an extractor though right? Could be most of the remaining product wouldn't be left to dry me thinks. I haven't noticed either but I only do mine few times.

Yes but only recently, maybe for the past year or so. Prior to that I used to do it the old fashioned way with brushes & towels.

 

[Urmil]

I also have the small Bissell carpet extractor. I have fabric seats so I extracted all seats and the carpets when I first got the extractor. Since then, I've extracted the driver and passenger carpets only, and the passenger seat because I had a light stain.

I would not recommend extracting the seats or carpets unless it's really necessary. I rarely have anyone sitting in my back-seats so I'll probably extract those like once every 2-3 years.

I extract the driver and passenger seats, and carpets once a year. I'll do a quick extraction anytime there's a stain which is very infrequent.