My 6:1 Water:Woolite Review

Not to say anything about the particular detergent or dillution, but I've found that when using an extractor there is often an abundance of foam when using detergents (applies to Little Bissels all the way up to floor carpet cleaners).



You can knock the foam down by adding some vinegar to the recovery tank (neutralizes the foam), as well as spraying a little on the carpet before extracting, as the acidity of the vinegar will help rinse the carpet clean faster.



Still, that's a lot of added steps when you already have something that works well without the extra work (303)!
 
BillNorth said:
All fair comments. Thank you. I will try the real woolite at 10:1 and see how that works. Actually, what we get here is not 'Woolite'. It's actually called 'Zero by Woolite'. I assume it's the same as Woolite in the USA.



Bill thats Woolite not a generic and I use it all the time at 6:1 without sudsing issues .. You may have just used way too much .. Proceed as Scottwax said .. BTW I bought Woolite in the US and Zero here and poured it in side by side bowls I detect no difference .. smell .. feel .. thickness nor did I in performance.



I don't know why we call it Zero .. maybe the language police ?????
 
rookie said:
I personally think what you did wrong was soak your carpets previous to applying the w/w.



I don't think it had to do with the dilution or generic brand.



Please reread my first post. I didn't dilute the matt with water prior to w/w. I sprayed water after the w/w. As I explained, I do this to aid in the removal of the cleaner from the fibres. Leftover cleaner = dired residue = carpets get dirtier faster.



If you guys are just spraying w/w into dry mats and wiping it with a dry towel then you still have a whole lot of residue trapped in there. I pity your carpets. Certainly not the way I would clean them.



JMHO.
 
Jesstzn said:
Bill thats Woolite not a generic and I use it all the time at 6:1 without sudsing issues .. You may have just used way too much .. Proceed as Scottwax said .. BTW I bought Woolite in the US and Zero here and poured it in side by side bowls I detect no difference .. smell .. feel .. thickness nor did I in performance.



I don't know why we call it Zero .. maybe the language police ?????



Thanks Jess. Will do. The language police may have a beef with Woolite. Maybe it means something bad in french!! lol
 
BigLeegr said:
Not to say anything about the particular detergent or dillution, but I've found that when using an extractor there is often an abundance of foam when using detergents (applies to Little Bissels all the way up to floor carpet cleaners).



You can knock the foam down by adding some vinegar to the recovery tank (neutralizes the foam), as well as spraying a little on the carpet before extracting, as the acidity of the vinegar will help rinse the carpet clean faster.



Still, that's a lot of added steps when you already have something that works well without the extra work (303)!



Thank you for the vinegar tip. I may try that as well.
 
Option 13 said:
Hey Bill,



I tried water/Woolite 6:1 and don't like it either.



13



What didn't you like? Cleaning ability? Sudsing? Smell? Residue?



I'm curios to know what you did not like.



Thanks.
 
BillNorth said:


GoodnClean, every other no name brand thing I've ever used has been the same as the real thing. Fine fabric washes are all designed to do the same thing. But alas, I shall test the real woolite. And yes, you are right, woolite does not suds up that much... when you pour a tiny cup into a huge washing machine or tub for handwashing. 6:1 is a helluva lot more concentrated than what the product is traditionally used for.



It may have appeared the same to you when used in a traditional sense, but car waxes of all brands seem the same to laypeople too, whether its Souveran or Pep Boys brand. Just because it appears the same and is designed for the same purpose doesn't mean it behaves the same in all conditions. The formula that is "Woolite" is a patented formula, the generic *can't* be *exactly* the same.
 
GoodnClean said:
It may have appeared the same to you when used in a traditional sense, but car waxes of all brands seem the same to laypeople too, whether its Souveran or Pep Boys brand. Just because it appears the same and is designed for the same purpose doesn't mean it behaves the same in all conditions. The formula that is "Woolite" is a patented formula, the generic *can't* be *exactly* the same.



True. You make a good point. I'll try the real thing next time.
 
Bill , I think you used to much water. You dont have to soak anything . Must carpets especially Autopian carpets dont get that dirty. The way Scott does it seem to work the best , light spray ,scrub, wipe dry . Most of the dirt is surface dirt. Mats you can rinse, but the carpets and uph., i f you soak will smell moldy, and the padding will soak up the dirty water faster than you can suck it up with a machine, and when its humid out the dirt will come to the surface of the fabric. If you are cleaning auto uph use the least amount of water that will do the job.
 
BillNorth said:
What didn't you like? Cleaning ability? Sudsing? Smell? Residue?



I'm curios to know what you did not like.



Thanks.

I tried a 1:6 Woolite to water solution as vinyl cleaner. When scrubbed with a brush, I found it foamed too much for my taste. I diluted it some more. There was less foam and it was OK. Just OK. I liked APC+ better. Later I used the same batch as a leather cleaner and liked it for that purpose.
 
I can say that I only use it on the leather after trying every kind of "cleaner" for leather. Best thing I ever did! Threw out all the leather cleaners.



Having Ecru interior and the top down, the back seats of the SC430 gets pounded with fine dust/dirt. I have to clean it often. I'll have to take a picture of it. It's bad. Lexus should have found a way to prevent this in some way.



I use the 6:1 with distilled water, spray, scrub with horsehair brush, use damp towels to wipe off excess and dry. Apply Z-10 and I'm back to new leather!:up



Cannot say for carpets, never tried it. Use extractor on carpets.



I use 303 to protect dash. To clean vinyl, I use the Cockpit Premium. You know, CP and Lackfinish smell the same!



Regards,

Deanski
 
lawrencea said:
Bill , I think you used to much water. You dont have to soak anything . Must carpets especially Autopian carpets dont get that dirty. The way Scott does it seem to work the best , light spray ,scrub, wipe dry . Most of the dirt is surface dirt. Mats you can rinse, but the carpets and uph., i f you soak will smell moldy, and the padding will soak up the dirty water faster than you can suck it up with a machine, and when its humid out the dirt will come to the surface of the fabric. If you are cleaning auto uph use the least amount of water that will do the job.



Good point. I didn't soak the interior with water though. Just enough to suck out the cleaner.



I don't like the idea of light spray, scrub and wipe dry. The reality is, there still IS residue in the fibres of the carpet. Just becuase it has not been activiated with water does not mean it is not there. Like I said before, leftover residue = dirtier faster. I dunno. I think I'll stick with 303. It was made for automotive interiors.



JMHO
 
Dean-I am sure if you look in your owner's manual, you will see that Lexus recommends cleaning the leather with a water and wool based detergent solution. A customer of mine with a new LS430 mentioned that to me after her service advisor told her to make sure when she cleans the leather to follow the advice in the manual.
 
Dean-I am sure if you look in your owner's manual, you will see that Lexus recommends cleaning the leather with a water and wool based detergent solution.



That's exactly why I also recommend it to other Lexus owners! In one of the Lexus forums, I always refer them to that one statement in the back of the manual.



Works like a champ and it's cheap! Only problem... Make sure you get the Woolite replaced B4 the wife needs some:rolleyes:



Regards,

Deanski
 
BillNorth said:
What didn't you like? Cleaning ability? Sudsing? Smell? Residue?



I'm curios to know what you did not like.



Thanks.



I didn't like the cleaning ability.....a shot of Resolve did better.



It wasn't that there were too many suds, just that it took so much water to get the soapy feeling out of the carpet.



Yeah, it left a residue



Smell was O.K.



13
 
Option 13 said:
I didn't like the cleaning ability.....a shot of Resolve did better.



It wasn't that there were too many suds, just that it took so much water to get the soapy feeling out of the carpet.



Yeah, it left a residue



Smell was O.K.



13



Thanks man. Yeah, the residue is a concern for me. Good to know I'm no the only one who's seen it.
 
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