Chad Posted July 14, 2009 Report Share Posted July 14, 2009 Got a '98 4 door Tahoe, needs carpet cleaning in the worst way. It smells a little funky, so I'm going to pull the seats and carpet out for thorough cleaning. I plan on washing the floor boards and laying down a light coat of some baking soda (prior mold problem). Because the carpet will be out of the vehicle, I plan on getting real aggressive, so no method is out of the question. Moslty dirt and a few food/soda stains, there don't seem to be any chemical stains. It's tan carpet BTW. On a scale of 1-10, 10 being new, and 2 being throw that POS out, it's a 3 to 3-1/2. I planned on soaking it for a few hours with a hose and working in some heavy duty soaps and scrubbing with a bristle brush, but I'm sure some soaps are better than others. I figured I'd do this 2 or 3 times with a good rince between. I'm fine with it taking a week or so (dry time). I want it as clean as possible and only want to do this once (pulling the carpet). I'm sure there are several "right ways" so any advice is welcomed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmyers151 Posted July 14, 2009 Report Share Posted July 14, 2009 Since your removing the carpeting, maybe try a pressure washer with a soap/detergent pickup tube and your choice of cleaning agent. Use a low pressure wand (obviously) and spray away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edde Posted July 14, 2009 Report Share Posted July 14, 2009 I'd have to see it up close BUT with that in mind I would use a mix of warm (not hot) water and dish soap (Joy). Spot treat obvious stains, scrub the dog doo out of the rest of it, and wet-vac the soap out. Then I'd do it all over using plain clear water several times until all the soap is actually rinsed out, agin using the wet-vac. The worst thing is leaving soapy stuff behind to attract new dirt. If there is any auto grease I'd pretreat that with a lanolin hand cleaner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UlrichWolf Posted July 14, 2009 Report Share Posted July 14, 2009 Since you're pulling the carpet, why not just replace it? Carpet's not that much to replace. Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zack_Morris Posted July 14, 2009 Report Share Posted July 14, 2009 steam cleaning Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chad Posted July 14, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 14, 2009 New carpet is $260 shipped, not bad realy, especialy since I got about $2000 off the KBB private-party price for how dirty it is (I can aford to put a few $$$ into it). The plan is to keep this vehicle for a long time since it will only get ~3000 miles a year so we want it to look/smell good. It's our family trip hauler, and the family tow rig. I'll probalby try to clean it first, and then buy new if it won't come clean. Good tips so far... On greese, I've found orange hand cleaner soap does wonders to oil stains without damaging fabric/dyes, lanolin sounds like a good idea too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vbrad511 Posted July 14, 2009 Report Share Posted July 14, 2009 Car wash. I vacuumed and shampood my trucks floormats extensively a while back. Thought I had them pretty clean, but on a whim I clipped them to wall while I was washing the truck and sprayed them. Talk about dirt. The much that still flowed out of them was unbelievable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jszucs Posted July 14, 2009 Report Share Posted July 14, 2009 simple green for grease or organic. Felsnapa soap for dirty critial areas you care about or don't want to risk damage to fabric or color. Get a steam cleaner with an agitator or do it with the hand brush ether way lots of agitation and clan warm water. Keep putting on the clean water and claner so your not just rubbing dirt or dirty cleaner or water in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TainterRacing Posted July 14, 2009 Report Share Posted July 14, 2009 When washing it out use as hot water as you can it will help what every you do just make sure you rinse it off well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starfighterpilot Posted July 14, 2009 Report Share Posted July 14, 2009 I have had great success with OxiClean. My boat cover was badly coated with mold and mildew this last Spring. Laid it on the ground, scrubbed it down with OxiClean, it still looked like crap. I let the cover sit on the grass over night and went outside the next morning and the cover looked like it was brand new. I have also used it to clean oily foot prints out of my tan living room carpet. It removes 'em every time. When the carpet dries, after the carpet cleaning, you gotta vacuum it down, to get the OxiClean crud out of the carpet fibers. For What It's Worth. KEN Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edde Posted July 14, 2009 Report Share Posted July 14, 2009 Oxi clean sometimes works friggin' miracles. The only worry I have about using really hot water is shrinkage. Nobody likes that. http://fitsnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/shrinkage.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmyers151 Posted July 14, 2009 Report Share Posted July 14, 2009 Oxi clean sometimes works friggin' miracles. The only worry I have about using really hot water is shrinkage. Nobody likes that. http://fitsnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/shrinkage.jpg Your visual aid represents cold water shrinkage, and although a much more severe condition, it applies to a different sector all together. :biggrinumbrella1: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starfighterpilot Posted July 14, 2009 Report Share Posted July 14, 2009 Edde, hell of a great picture!!! I hope that was you she is scoping out for shinkage or RAPID GROWTH as she is watching. For What It's Worth. KEN Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chad Posted July 14, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 14, 2009 After reading some ideas posted here, I'm thinking of laying it on my flat bed trailer, soak it with some water and dish soap (scrubbed in with a brush) for a few hours to get the process started (kinda like soaking dirty dishes), then drive it over to the car wash with the pressure washing station (Dispences soapy warm water at pretty high pressures) and wash teh crap out of it (tipping it like suggested to give the dirt somewhere to go). Then I'll rinse with the same pressure washer in the "rinse" mode (no soap). this will only be ~$5 and will tell me real quick how much is stain and how much is just plain ole surface dirt. I can then try the stain tricks you guys have suggested on the bad spots, after I get the dirt out. If it looks real bad after those stain trics, I'll decide wether or not to get a new carpet. I'm not super cheap, but if I can clean it for $5-10 and a few hours work, that's a lot better than $260 for a new one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DieHARDmitsu. Posted July 14, 2009 Report Share Posted July 14, 2009 Home depot rents these "rug doctor" carpet shampooing machines and sells cleaning agents/deodorizers to go with it; Its about $20 to rent the machine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jszucs Posted July 14, 2009 Report Share Posted July 14, 2009 id get a roll of indoor out door carpet. Then it's just like a boat. Put in a few drain plugs and hose out the inside next time it's dirty. :biggrinumbrella1: Yeah blast it at the carwash. I think they have soap or a setting for floormats. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vbrad511 Posted July 14, 2009 Report Share Posted July 14, 2009 If it's a mildew issue we use a product called JoMax at work. It's a biodegradable house cleaner that really works on mold and mildew. I had one house I was washing a few years ago that had one side that was BLACK with mold. I used my pump up garden sprayer to wet it down with the Jomax mix, and 15 minutes later the mildew was gone and the wall was white again, without rinsing it off ( I washed it anyway). It's about $20 a gallon, but you dilute it, and you wouldn't need that much. A quart will make a couple gallons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chad Posted July 30, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 30, 2009 Just wanted to report back, I choose a new carpet from this company: http://www.stockinteriors.com/ I got the cheap version (there are upgrade options available) and I was quite impressed at the value of the product. While it looks cheap comming out of the box, it turned out looking like a new OEM carpet. It's not as thick/dense of a pile as stock, but it's not noticable unless you rub it with your hands. I ordered a non-stock color for my vehicle and it was made and shipped in just 2 business days. Time of order to time of recipt just under 10 days, and that includes cross-country ground shipping. I woudl not hesitate to reccomend this companies products ! they make a starquest carpet BTW : http://www.stockinteriors.com/items.asp?Ma..._Starion_Carpet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Komeuppance Posted July 30, 2009 Report Share Posted July 30, 2009 Did cleaning it not work?? -Robert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burton Posted July 30, 2009 Report Share Posted July 30, 2009 There a nice how to here about how to detail your car, including cleaning trashed carpet. Chapter 15 of a 21 chapter online DIY body repair manual- Detailing Your Car.... http://www.26liter.us/forum/index.php/topic,2817.0.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chad Posted July 30, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 30, 2009 the carpet was worse than I expected, the PO used something on it that bleached the color out in places, and other places had stains that are always hard to get out (rust) in a tan carpet. Most of the decision was basied on the very moldy carpet padding, my wife is really alergic to that and our cool damp climate makes that stuff grow like crazy 10 months out of the year. there was no way I was putting that old padding back in, even if I bleached it. The new carpet came with padding, but it wasnt' as thick as OEM, but there was an option for better padding if I wanted it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spoolinturbo Posted July 31, 2009 Report Share Posted July 31, 2009 i live and die by purple power. That stuff removed oil stains out of the carpet of my 86 subaru. that interior looked brand spankin new when i was done. Just delute as necessary, warm water, bristled brush and scrub. use a wet and dry vac to get as much of the water out as possible. I would advise doing it on a hot day, open all windows and doors and let it dry out for a day or two. one pass with the vac doesnt do it, do a few passes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts