While I'm one of those that does surface cleaning with a good vacuum and the original Meg's APC+, that surface cleaning is pretty lacking when it comes to getting carpet really clean.
I don't have access to an extractor, but it would be interesting to see how much dirt one would pull out after the surface cleaning has the mats looking great.
Since it's too cold for me to be working outside, I tried cleaning one carpeted floor mat with a soap and water soak after vacuuming and using the APC+ with a scrub brush.
It was quite a revelation.
The amount of dirt that I was able to get out after my surface cleaning was amazing. Don't do it unless you want to be pretty disappointed in what you are doing with the surface cleaning that most of us do.
Hosing the mats down and scrubbing them with a Dawn mixture and a scrub brush is something I have done a few times a year for quite some time. The dirt is rinsed away in the driveway and I really had no way of knowing just how much was removed. Today, I did it in a shower stall we have in the basement. The scrubbing after the surface cleaning, (which looked decent), created such dirty water that you couldn't see the bottom of a white shower stall.
If you are getting the carpet truly clean with just an APC and a brush, your technique is much better than mine.
Charles
I don't have access to an extractor, but it would be interesting to see how much dirt one would pull out after the surface cleaning has the mats looking great.
Since it's too cold for me to be working outside, I tried cleaning one carpeted floor mat with a soap and water soak after vacuuming and using the APC+ with a scrub brush.
It was quite a revelation.
The amount of dirt that I was able to get out after my surface cleaning was amazing. Don't do it unless you want to be pretty disappointed in what you are doing with the surface cleaning that most of us do.
Hosing the mats down and scrubbing them with a Dawn mixture and a scrub brush is something I have done a few times a year for quite some time. The dirt is rinsed away in the driveway and I really had no way of knowing just how much was removed. Today, I did it in a shower stall we have in the basement. The scrubbing after the surface cleaning, (which looked decent), created such dirty water that you couldn't see the bottom of a white shower stall.
If you are getting the carpet truly clean with just an APC and a brush, your technique is much better than mine.
Charles
Also shows the importance of soap residue removal when cleaning carpeting.