Carpet/interior cleaning experience

[justin0469]

So I got the car not that long ago, knowing it needed alot of cosmetic work, including a GOOD cleaning of the carpet and vinyl. First I did the door panels in real leather myself. Unfortunately I dont have "step by step" pics to show the work.

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Now I have cleaned and protected the dash, doors and leather stuff with Meguiar's products as I was told by a local reputable auto upholstery shop that Armor All promotes cracking and drying because of the alcohol content. Meguiars looks way better too.

Today I started cleaning the ugly carpet with mixed results. I couldnt find any recommendations so I just got a couple things. Armor All Oxi-Cleaner works wonders on plastic piece but alot of scrubbing is still needed. There is probably better out there.

I bought Rug Doctor Spot Remover and Woolite Oxy-Deep 2 that says it made for removing typical dirt as well as motor oil/grease.

These stains have been there way before I bought the car. The portion closest to the console I used the Woolite, the portion closest to the door was Rug Doctor. I follow directions.

For the Woolite, it said to spray in circular motion (its relatively high pressure, not just a spray bottle or can) and let soak for 3-5 min then dab up with something. The Rug Doctor said to dump some on the area and scrub with coarse brush then dab up. For that reason you cannot use Rug Doctor with good results on the headliner or the carpet cover thing in the trunk. Probably have to steam clean those for best results. You can use Rug Doctor products with steam cleaners, Rug Doctor steam cleaners are available at most grocery stores.

The mat was Woolite but I scrubbed with it, it was ok but still not as good as Rug Doctor.

Before cleaning:

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After one cleaning each in their portion:

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After two cleanings, each in their own portion:

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So you can see the Rug Doctor did a way better job. There were areas around each portion that were purposely not cleaned for comparison purposes.

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[clipse0001]

I got the best recipe if you have a small wet vac.
1 part gasoline
2 parts rubbing alcohol
4 parts febreeze
4 parts oxyclean with scotchguard
2 parts cat and dog pee remover
This never failed me

 

[justin0469]

dont suppose i could put your magic potion into a steam cleaner?

 

[AndrewD5418]

If you really want to fix your rug problem, you can get some pre-moulded/cut carpeting for the specific make/model/year car you have for around 160 bux. All you would have to do is take out the seats, rip out the old carpeting, place the new one in.. Of course glueing it down in some spots to keep it from moving.

 

[justin0469]

ha ya but thats way more money then cleaning it. plus right about now, it looks brand new!

 

[Booster-Shot]

Wanna come over and do mine? While youre at it how bout reupholstering my seats?

 

[manticore33]

Just take the carpet out and go to a coin-op carwash and pressure wash it. Used some of the engine cleaner/degreaser and go to town. Use your favorite spot cleaner for any stubborn stains. Let it sit out and dry for a day. Of course, this is best to be done in the summer time. I did this to my 2g's grey carpet and it made a significant difference!

 

[fr33b1rth]

i don't remember the name of it, but i got my hands on some automotive carpet cleaner a while back from wal-mart. it's a big yellow can, and it has a big tire on the front of it. it's an actual picture of a tire.

i used it to clean a few spots on my carpet in my apartment and it got a 7 month iced tea stain out with about 1 min of scrubbing.

 

[97EagleTalon2nr]

alright, if you havent already cleaned it, this is what i did, removed seats console kick panels etc pulled the carpet out and sprayed it with a pressure washer then i sprayed it all down with purple power(you can get it at advance auto parts maybe wal-mart) then spray it all down, i held the nozzle about 2 inches away and it didnt try to rip it apart , go back and do it again for good measure then after it was all clean i still had 5 or so stubborn spots so i doused it on and use a bristle brush for about 2 minutes on each stain the pressure washed it out, i hung it off my deck for a day came back vaccumed it, febreezed it and reinstalled, good as new! btw after it was dry and i vaccumed it i bet 1 pound of sand came out of the carpet, the guy that had it before me lived in florida

 

[95blackGsTurbo]

I have found out through work that the best stuff to use on carpet in vehicle's is Laquer Thinner. Car will smell for a while but I have seen them take 3 month old grease stains out of carpet just by putting some on a rag and rubbing it off.

 

[Jrivas617]

your never gonna get those carpets back to "newly looking" so why not just do what i did...Change the color to black? Remove seats and anything else in the way of removing the carpet...remove the carpet...Clean it with a vaccum. Autozone sells a carpet paint spray for about 5.50 a can. I bought three cans...sprayed down the carpet with 3 full coats and it looks brand spanking "black" new

 

[DiamondStarM]

your never gonna get those carpets back to "newly looking" so why not just do what i did...Change the color to black? Remove seats and anything else in the way of removing the carpet...remove the carpet...Clean it with a vaccum. Autozone sells a carpet paint spray for about 5.50 a can. I bought three cans...sprayed down the carpet with 3 full coats and it looks brand spanking "black" new

Doesnt that make the carpet feel all hard and grainy.

 

[Jrivas617]

! When are you gonna be touching the carpet? or when do you ever? naw but that paint is designed not to give it the hard "paint" like structure...so the carpet fibers do extend out as to like cleaning off the bottom of your shoes and stuff...i havent tried stepping on them when being wet though

 

[sk8shorty01]

yeah i painted mine black with that stuff as well and it seems to be holding up just fine... i just did it about 2 weeks ago though... let you know if anything changes... but anyways it doesnt feel bad at all... after you get done you just take something like a paintbrush that has clear soft bristles and run it over it when its dry and it knocks all the overspray off.. leaving the carpet black and soft again

 

[Project94]

Its not paint its actually carpet dye spray paint will mke the carpet hard and nasty and difficult to clean

 

[fr33b1rth]

tuff stuff, that's the name of the carpet cleaner that i use... works like a charm every time.