Need help for nasty carpets!

[FlyinLow]

Mike, help! I'm working on a well-loved, well-used Explorer, and the carpets were pretty bad. I pulled them out, shot some 303 on them, scrubbed them, steamed them, cleaned with Folex, steamed them, extracted and extracted. Finally just hit them with the garden hose and extracted even more dirt. The problem is, now the fibers are stiff. Am thinking adding a few drops of hair conditioner to some water and spraying them. What would you suggest?

 

[Brandon Wetch]

Take some pics and share

 

[FlyinLow]

Will try to post some tonight, but it's a busy day. They're clean (now) tan Ford Explorer OEM removable carpet mats. Photo can't capture the stiffness.

 

[GearHead_1]

Thinking if the carpet is that stiff it still has some residue in it.

 

[RayVega]

Yep, sounds like over-wetting or there's still residue left behind. If it takes too long to dry carpet or fabric, it can turn hard. Or if there's residue left behind, it can turn hard. Once the water you were using evaporates, the residual soap and chemicals dry into the carpet fibers. The severity of the stiffness depends on the pH level of the chemicals used, but you just need to get the chemicals out and be sure they dry quickly (dry extract slowly and thoroughly and/or use an air mover).

 

[FlyinLow]

Thanks, gentlemen. The car here overnight, so I will rinse them again, thoroughly, extract slowly, and then place them on a dryer rack in the machine, air only. Now that I think about it, I sprayed the worst spots with 303 and then didn't get back to them last night. Started the process again today. Much too much product. I bet that's my trouble. I wondered why the rest of the interior carpet cleaned up normal and fine today, but those ended up that way.

 

[RMarkJr]

instead of conditioner for hair ... try some fabric softener with water instead ... I think that would make more sense being fabric and all