Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning by GSRstilez

Headliners you have to be very carfeul when working to remove stains from them. TO much solution you can have a instant headliner that droops or one that will start to fall down soon!! They sell checmicals especially made for headliner cleaning or you can use some of your all purpose interior clean stuff and put it on a towl!!! Do not squrt products onto headliner this may result in the adheasive coming loose. Then just lightly rub with a terry cloth and ull be good!
 
GSRstilez, you mention to mix with warm/hot water. What do you do when you are mobile detailing. Where do you get the hot water from. Will a cold mix work just as well? I have a detail this weekend that I will be unable to get hot water at and was wondering if you use cold water in situations like this with good results. thanks
 
For headliners, I use the same mixture, just soak an MF in it then gently rub the headliner. The key is to take your time and be gently. The headliner is very delicate, but definately cleanable.



SR77: I make the mix ASAP and try to let it sit in the sun. I do my best to get it the very warmest as possible. The results are

similar but warm water is always better.
 
I started using this technique and I really like it. Before I leave in the morning, I fill a 5 gallon bucket (with a lid) full of hot water. If I wont be using it for an hour or more, i'll make the water really HOT. If I will be using it in 20 min... ill make it a bit less hot. That way, it will hopefully be at the perfect temperature by the time I need it.



Still, if your water ends up being lukewarm... its still going to be better than the freezing cold stuff that might come from a customers water supply.
 
I *guarantee* that if I really extracted that 'clean' carpet, I'd be able to show you very dirty waste water. Guaranteed.



Making a 'sticky' of this post is both sophomoric and naive.



I am seldom this harsh, but... get a grip, kids!



Jim
 
wow... i thought that was kinda harsh.. but everyone IS entitled to their opinion...



im hoping to invest in an extractor anyway, but for now, this method works wonders.
 
Jimmy Buffit said:
I *guarantee* that if I really extracted that 'clean' carpet, I'd be able to show you very dirty waste water. Guaranteed.



Making a 'sticky' of this post is both sophomoric and naive.



I am seldom this harsh, but... get a grip, kids!



Jim
Click to expand...





There are ways to contruct points and there are ways not too...Jim, you have shown a nice example of how not too. Constructive criticism is not that hard of a concept. You use these fancy words to try to supercede intelligence levels of other members on this board and, well, it doesn't work.



I provided my findings through many different attempts at cleaning carpets and upholstery in a mobile atmosphere. As you can see, many members have replied with success stories.



The purpose here was to provide a clean surface. I, as well as others (I don't think) are not looking for a surface to eat off of. I believe the pictures speak for themselves in showing this procedure works.



I don't appreciate your negative comments and to call us 'kids' is just plain low and uncalled for. But then again, I guess this proves furthermore why you aren't a respected member on this board.
 
Here is my formal apology.



I could have phrased my response (not opinion) in a much more tactful manner. In fact, I should have.



Letterman uses the the term 'kids' constantly, and I don't think he means it to be prejorative, or even relevant to age.

I used that term in the same context.



Again, I apologize for my tone.



On a specific note, a 'clean surface' really is kinda contradictoy to the 'Autopian Way", don't ya think? I was just *trying* to say that there are more thorough ways to accomplish a clean carpet.



Me? I'm gonna mellow out...



Cause I sure don't like to read comments like: "But then again, I guess this proves furthermore why you aren't a respected member on this board."







Jim
 
Jim: I accept your apology.



I hope you know why I did what I did. Your comments came out of nowhere when I did nothing to you.



I am not familiar with Letterman's terms. The way you put it made it sound like you were putting everyone who used this method down.



As far as clean, I believe this is very clean. It is not always practical or price efficient to have a carpet extractor with you. I don't do this as a career so I do not have a van/truck to carry everything. For what I do, I feel this is more than good enough. I get countless compliments from customers on the job performed on the carpets.



What it comes down to is I don't, and pretty much everyone here does not pick apart other's procedures, but rather try to steer in the right direction.



(BTW: Please send your PM again, I accidently deleted it before reading)
 
Well I think this writeup was very informative.



I'm sure that a good extractor could clean some more but not all of us have $1,000 plus to purchase such a machine. For the enthusiast like myself, this seems like a quality and cost-effective technique.
 
I use my Bissell spot cleaner; it was only about $35 a few years ago and it is effective at removing stains. I use it to clean up my cats hairballs inside the house and to be honest it is better at stain removal than the Little Green I had.



I know that it doesn't remove everything, but it is still effective. I agree that Sean's technique would be very effective for those of us that are enthusiasts and weekend warriors.
 
Jimmy Buffit said:


Cause I sure don't like to read comments like: "But then again, I guess this proves furthermore why you aren't a respected member on this board."
Click to expand...





Ya nor do I... I am not sure how one person says that another is not a respected member? I am sure I dont feel that way?



:nixweiss
 
Nice write-up



For someone to take the time to share thier process, experience, and results in great detail, I would have expected nothing but positive results from all board members.



Nobody is obligated to share anything, the fact that the information was provided should call for some level of respect.



I feel like the mobile detail ppl have a completly different animal to deal with, as opposed to those of us with our own facilities, if you ppl can find a way to produce the same quality product as the detail shops put out, more power to you.



The "inconvienece" of the mobile unit has kept me away from that aspect of our evolving business for some time.
 
Sean,



When you do upholstery (I HATE cloth seats... :mad:) do you just scoop the 'oxy-water' onto the seats? The fabric in my Wrangler is the same as in one of the pictures you posted. I noticed when I used a stiff bristled brush, it made the fabric feel the slightest bit 'knubbly'.



Nad when you say "leave the doors open for a few hours", what do you do while you wait for it to dry? Can't do exterior work, because of water and buffing dust. Do you just do more interior work?
 
Glenn: Yeh, I scooped (with my hand)it onto the seats and agitated, then extracted. If the seats feel stiff, add a little bit of fabric softener to the mix. I find usually that OxyClean leaves them pretty soft.



For leaving the doors open...My procedure usually starts with the carpets and upholstery. This way I can leave everything else open when I do the doors, leather, vinyl, etc. Then after I wash and begin to polish, I open the doors on the opposite side of polishing. I also leave the mats in the sun. By the time I'm done, they are either dry or very close to it. If they are not dry, I reccomend to the customer to leave the windows cracked open and leave the mats outside.
 
What if I don't have a wet/dry Shop Vac? I do however have a Bissell upright steam carpet cleaner. Can I use that to suck out the water in the fabric upholstery in lieu of the Shop Vac? It has small attachments that can be used for small areas like a car. I was thinking about putting the upright on one of those carpet mats while I use the attachment to suck out the water in my car's upholstery.



Here's a picture of the Bissell: And one of the attachments:

7920-L.gif
0109201-M.gif
 
I cleaned the carpets in my house a while back. Lotsa suction. It even pulled up "dead" carpet hairs, and I had to wipe them out of the brush. You wouldn't believe how black and dirty the water was in that bucket after cleaning a section. I did take a picture for my mom to see when she got home, but I think I already deleted it.
 
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