Lets face it, our customers carpets are not always extractable or come clean by any simple methods. Some stains just simply have chosen to stay forever. In recent years I have gotten into restoration projects, some of my own, some for customers. I have restored quite a bit of interiors, and it is a lot of work, and costly if your doing this for a customer.
Ill keep this short.
Step 1: Know thy Carpet.
Some Carpets are fluffy nylon, newer carpets are more rigid and flat material than can be very difficult to clean.
Tufted:
Flattened Matting
Being that the two vary in thickness and material, they are very different approaches to cleaning them.
Tufted carpets:
Extractors and a good agitation tool works very well with these. The reason why?
Tufted carpet are the most easily soiled, and easily cleaned. They trap dirt and grime and can be the culprit of stench. Hot water extractors heat the fibers up, open the pores and releases dirt and oils from the fibers. The vacuuming can be a pain because the tufted material acts as a net, holding dirt in. The best way to get dirt up is with compressed air, or agitating with an upholstery brush.
Flattened Nylon Upholstery:
These types of rugs are just a complete pain, and almost always need compressed air to clean them. A brush can rip up the fibers and make the carpet look uneven in texture and or damaged. Extraction is possible, but difficult to remove all fluids, so light application is best.
Chemicals that remove tough stains and smells:
-Lacquer thinner works amazing for getting small stains out.
-for smells, a dilution of 20% white distilled vinegar with water (also can remove stains)
-Zep cleaners
-simple green for light soiling
-super clean for tougher stains
-Bissel heavy clean for your extractor mix, or any other carpet cleaner.
-steam cleaner, saves money on chemicals, and works on nearly everything.
What not to use:
-Hydrogen peroxide, although a good release agent, it can dye the carpets green if it reacts to much.
-Purple power, stains the rugs and panels.
-Dish soap, although a great degreaser, too much can suds up and be difficult to remove it all.
Step 2: Know thy Tools:
Hot water extractor:
Tornador Cleaning tool:
Steam cleaner:
If all else fails, I turn to upholstery paint restoration.
By matching the color of the rugs with a swatch gauge, you can easily find the right upholstery paint to paint the rugs entirely to restore them to brand new looking. Remove the seats, vacuum and shampoo the rigs and clean thoroughly before you paint. Tape off trim and any vinyl material you dont want covered with over spray.
Spray two thick coats of paint while brushing the fibers straight make sure the fibers are saturated entirely. Allow to dry for 12-24 hours before you replace seats and other materials.
I will be updating here an there, and answering questions when I can. Hope this helps some people out, its my favorite part to clean of the interior of the car.
Ill keep this short.
Step 1: Know thy Carpet.
Some Carpets are fluffy nylon, newer carpets are more rigid and flat material than can be very difficult to clean.
Tufted:
Flattened Matting
Being that the two vary in thickness and material, they are very different approaches to cleaning them.
Tufted carpets:
Extractors and a good agitation tool works very well with these. The reason why?
Tufted carpet are the most easily soiled, and easily cleaned. They trap dirt and grime and can be the culprit of stench. Hot water extractors heat the fibers up, open the pores and releases dirt and oils from the fibers. The vacuuming can be a pain because the tufted material acts as a net, holding dirt in. The best way to get dirt up is with compressed air, or agitating with an upholstery brush.
Flattened Nylon Upholstery:
These types of rugs are just a complete pain, and almost always need compressed air to clean them. A brush can rip up the fibers and make the carpet look uneven in texture and or damaged. Extraction is possible, but difficult to remove all fluids, so light application is best.
Chemicals that remove tough stains and smells:
-Lacquer thinner works amazing for getting small stains out.
-for smells, a dilution of 20% white distilled vinegar with water (also can remove stains)
-Zep cleaners
-simple green for light soiling
-super clean for tougher stains
-Bissel heavy clean for your extractor mix, or any other carpet cleaner.
-steam cleaner, saves money on chemicals, and works on nearly everything.
What not to use:
-Hydrogen peroxide, although a good release agent, it can dye the carpets green if it reacts to much.
-Purple power, stains the rugs and panels.
-Dish soap, although a great degreaser, too much can suds up and be difficult to remove it all.
Step 2: Know thy Tools:
Hot water extractor:
Tornador Cleaning tool:
Steam cleaner:
If all else fails, I turn to upholstery paint restoration.
By matching the color of the rugs with a swatch gauge, you can easily find the right upholstery paint to paint the rugs entirely to restore them to brand new looking. Remove the seats, vacuum and shampoo the rigs and clean thoroughly before you paint. Tape off trim and any vinyl material you dont want covered with over spray.
Spray two thick coats of paint while brushing the fibers straight make sure the fibers are saturated entirely. Allow to dry for 12-24 hours before you replace seats and other materials.
I will be updating here an there, and answering questions when I can. Hope this helps some people out, its my favorite part to clean of the interior of the car.