Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning by GSRstilez

**stilez** · 11-03-2004, 02:28 PM

Mazz: As stated earlier in the thread (guess it takes too much time to read through it :nixweiss), this thread is a basis for the part-time detailer/weekend warrior who is looking to have very clean carpets without spending large amounts of money (usually $500+) on professional extractors.

MikeWinLDS: I use a ShopVac with this procedure and I think the results speak for themselves. Using your Bissel machine will only create arguably better results due to the hot water spraying the surface before it is sucked in.

**MikeWinLDS** · 11-03-2004, 03:35 PM

Link me to one of these "professional" extractors please; I still don`t know what you`re talking about.

Anyway, here are some pictures of my cleaning the back seat. I cleaned all the seats and places where the fabric is like you see in the pictures. As for the other fabric on the car (which was found in places like the floor and the bottom, side, and back of the seats; actually, I might go and scrub the floors and the side panels some other time [they might not be the same material that is on the back, bottom, and side of the seats]) I tried scrubbing it a little, but it would get loose and ruffled and whatnot, not sure how to describe it, so I didn`t scrub those areas.

Sean`s method works really well. I poured in two cups of the OxyClean to my bucket of water (didn`t really do any measurements with the water, but the bucket was 12 quarts I think) and stirred it up nice. I scooped out the soapy water like instructed and applied it all over the fabric until all of it was wet. (I actually dumped out the water in the bucket halfway through the job and refilled with more warm water and 2 cups of OxyClean, since the water was getting a little dirty).

Then dipping my brush in the solution, I scrubbed back and forth, alternating directions and motions and kept doing (dipping and scrubbing) this until I saw white foamy action (the brush gets really, really wet and slippery, and I had to use both hands just to be able to scrub with it). Then I turned on the Bissell (switched it to water only use, so when I press the button water shoots out and not cleaning solution) and sucked out the water from the seats. Probably could`ve spent more time on this repeatedly passing over the same spot over and over again, but I didn`t want to spend that much time on it.

This wasn`t originally my car, so I have no idea where the hole and stains came from; I got it used from a private owner. Regardless the stains came out, the hole is still there though :p, and it looks and smells a lot cleaner. Still damp, so I`m letting it dry. Also decided against using the Bissell attachment to clean the seats; it was just taking way too long using the attachments, so I just used the attachments for the final extracting and cleaning.

Tools: $2 brush in the Automotive department at Super Wal-Mart; OxyClean in the laundry detergent aisle.

Before: Stains and a hole.

After: No stains at least; hole still there.

Dirty Water: Look what the Bissell sucked out of the seats.

**acl99** · 11-03-2004, 03:48 PM

wow looks like the suction on that is pretty good. Awesome

**MikeWinLDS** · 11-03-2004, 04:29 PM

Oh, and what`s a weekend warrior?

**Scottwax** · 11-03-2004, 05:16 PM

Originally posted by MikeWinLDS

Oh, and what`s a weekend warrior?

Someone who details professionally or for friends on weekends.

**MikeWinLDS** · 11-03-2004, 05:37 PM

What about if you`re not a professional detailer? I don`t have any fancy tools like a PC or a lot of high-grade products like Zaino or anything, but I wash, wax, and vacuum my car. Going to clay and polish from now on though too (just got some polish the other day and ordered some clay from the Autopia site today), but by no means detailing, like making sure all the swirls and scratches get hidden, layering polishes, sealers, etc.

I just like the car to look clean and a little shiny. Also, I`m probably lacking in the MF, applicator, etc. department. I`ve read about people who have a lot of applicators and MF towels on hand to dry their cars and polish and whatnot. I probably don`t have all or as many supplies on hand as a real detailer.

Could you get a professional detailed shine by hand without the use of a PC, if you were to have all the supplies you needed?

**stilez** · 11-03-2004, 07:30 PM

Mike: The results speak for themselves! Glad it worked out for ya

Run a search for detailing by hand. Scottwax did it for years

**scottlee** · 11-03-2004, 07:35 PM

here is a link for a extractorfrom topoftheline.com

glad u had good success, it shows basically the same method that sean uses and shows it is effective for the part timer or weekender :xyxthumbs

http://www.topoftheline.com/carpet-e...r-steamer.html

**MikeWinLDS** · 11-04-2004, 08:02 AM

$695 (w/o shipping), yikes! :shocked

It might be worth it in the long run (long as in maybe 5 or so years if you`re thinking about getting shampoo`ed 2x a year at a detailing shop for around $50 or so, or even 10 years if you`re gonna shampoo once a year) but shampoo`ing isn`t as basic as say a car wash, so I`d probably just go to a detailer and pay them to use the machine. That supercharged hot solution does look very tempting though. They got like a stainless steel boiler in those things or something?

**scottlee** · 11-04-2004, 08:27 AM

i am not sure about there heating unit, that was just given as an example, there are many many types of extractors, u can search many of the site for extractors, i have even rented a rug doctor with the hand tools for cleaning heavy dirt many ways to go about it, for myself i never let my car get that dirty so the bissell and seans oxy clean should be enough for me :up

**imported_Jon P. Nusbaum** · 11-04-2004, 08:40 AM

I`m a big fan of using some sort of extracting method following the cleaning.

I use APC+ 10:1, spray down the mats and carpets (emphasis on spots or heavily soiled area), brush with a hand brush or carpet scrubber attachment on PC, then extract using a heated Bissell Little Green Machine with clean, hot water.

The suction on the Bissell isn`t that great so I sometimes go over it again with a wet/dry vac. Also, more often then not, I wipe the mats/carpets down with a less than perfect terry cloth towel (don`t need to use a perfect towel, like the ones used for paint). This usually turns a white terry towel quite brown and dirty.

I used to just clean with an all purpose cleaner, then vac them again at the end (no extracting or toweling) and the mats usually came out looking good. But now, after seeing the actual dirt that is REMOVED from the carpets from extracting and toweling I KNOW that the carpets are truly clean and are free from any residue that could attract soil/stains in the future. Also, the toweling greatly speeds up the drying time of the carpets.

I am certainly not the only one to use this method, and I definitely didn`t create it by any means. There are many previous posts that describe this method.

The Bissell Little Green machine (with heat) is available for around $100 in places like Sears, Target,etc. Do a search and you will find other posts about it.

The OxiClean method described at the beginning sounds like I great method, APC and OxiClean should do a good job of cleaning the carpets. Just add a step to get some of the chemicals OFF of the carpet.

I think of it like washing your hair. Would you get in the shower, lather up, and then leave the shampoo in and get out?

Again, I don`t want to take anything away from the original poster, just throwin in my 2 cents.

**stilez** · 11-04-2004, 08:49 AM

Bob S. - I am purchasing a Bissel LGCM very soon. I hear it provides pretty nice results, so I`m gonna see for myself. For the price, it`s a much better buy than a professional extractor with arguably similar results.

Although cleaning the mats off would be a good idea, it`s not always feasable, but point well taken.

**scottlee** · 11-04-2004, 09:16 AM

sean i have a lgcm i just used it on a blazer for a rinse after your oxy clean method works even better with your method before the extracting, going to deliver today so will be taking pics and posting soon, i was amazed, ( a littel folex helped alot as well)

**scottlee** · 11-04-2004, 03:59 PM

heres a pic sean, done with the little green machine and your oxy mix before that

**Prometheus** · 11-04-2004, 04:21 PM

Holy Cleanliness Batman!

Now thats awesome. I`m gonna have to try that next spring ,too cold now, been in the 30s and 40s last two weeks, so detailing season is pretty much done as garage isnt heated. One of teh sucky parts of living in northern MI, detailing season is only from like May to September...

Very nice results though

BTW, am i looking at the right LGCM? RIght round $100?

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