Trashed Mini Van prepared for sale

so this is how we clean a nasty smelly mini van, with permanent stains in carpets, seats turned deep brown after shampooing so much coke spilled in them. After thorough detailing we repaired door, dyed and evened out the appearance of the carpet in areas where stains were permanent so it would be easier for them to sell and of course look more presentable.

























































 
Don't know what you charged them, but if the miles aren't bad, they will get at least a grand more than what they would without your expert job.

Grumpy
 
Yeah, you didn't say what van or year, so it's all a guessing crap shoot.

Those vans, in good condition, sell quick and for good dollars.

Grumpy
 
Not just the way people take care of their vehicles, but houses, lawns, boats, etc.

My neighbors are always asking "what lawn service" do you use, my lawn is crap!"

Nobody, just me, three or four times a year get out the speader, apply correct fertilizer, buy on sale, takes me less than an hour to apply and grass grows and weeds don't.

They think that if they mow it short, they won't have to mow as often, "hello weeds", 3 inch min height when it's cut, not a scalp job. I mow no more than they do, but they just don't get it.

Lazy, always trying to take a short cut.

I am not "anal" about the cars, yes I keep them clean, etc, but once again the neighbor's see me out doing a wash, or such and come over with the same old comments.

"Why don't you take it to carwash-why don't you just run it through the tunnel?", etc.

One old guy, great person, has a 2010 Chrysler Town and Country, loaded vehicle.

He hauls his grand kids around in it and doesn't ever tell them NO!

Asked me to clean up the interior and what would it cost.

One look and I told him "I no longer do bio-hazard interiors!" LOL!

Guess I will do it for him, with him understanding just what he can expect, but don't really want to do it.

Probably $200 to $300, it's that bad.

Grumpy
 
Automania- Nice work, stained gray carpet/fabric can be a real challenge!



And yeah...[INSERT my usual rant about people who let anything get that nasty HERE]..I just don't understand people living like that. Hey, I was a child too, and I never got so much as a fingerprint on anybody's anything. Actually, nobody I knew ever let a vehicle get like that and none of those folks were "car people" either. They just didn't [soil] where they live.
 
Wow. Major improvement. I've done carpets like that before and not got anywhere near the same result, I'm betting you needed to use tons of carpet dye on that beast.



I hope you got paid accordingly because that was a minimum $2-300 job on the interior alone.
 
Our lives sound very similar....



-Dean



Ron Ketcham said:
Not just the way people take care of their vehicles, but houses, lawns, boats, etc.

My neighbors are always asking "what lawn service" do you use, my lawn is crap!"

Nobody, just me, three or four times a year get out the speader, apply correct fertilizer, buy on sale, takes me less than an hour to apply and grass grows and weeds don't.

They think that if they mow it short, they won't have to mow as often, "hello weeds", 3 inch min height when it's cut, not a scalp job. I mow no more than they do, but they just don't get it.

Lazy, always trying to take a short cut.

I am not "anal" about the cars, yes I keep them clean, etc, but once again the neighbor's see me out doing a wash, or such and come over with the same old comments.

"Why don't you take it to carwash-why don't you just run it through the tunnel?", etc.

One old guy, great person, has a 2010 Chrysler Town and Country, loaded vehicle.

He hauls his grand kids around in it and doesn't ever tell them NO!

Asked me to clean up the interior and what would it cost.

One look and I told him "I no longer do bio-hazard interiors!" LOL!

Guess I will do it for him, with him understanding just what he can expect, but don't really want to do it.

Probably $200 to $300, it's that bad.

Grumpy
 
I know that guys on this thread are experts , so I have a question. A unotice gallon of milk sprung a leak in my wifes van , and sat there for 3 days . The van stinks bad , I scruber and steam cleaned the carpet twice , I used Lysol, Oder terminator ,vinagar ammonia, Fabreese, and other stuff and nothing works . There is 3 little trees hanging in the car ,and what you smell is sweet sour milk. I did take the seats out of the car for the cleaning. The inside of the van has never been this clean but it stinks.
 
lawrencea said:
I know that guys on this thread are experts , so I have a question. A unotice gallon of milk sprung a leak in my wifes van , and sat there for 3 days . The van stinks bad , I scruber and steam cleaned the carpet twice , I used Lysol, Oder terminator ,vinagar ammonia, Fabreese, and other stuff and nothing works . There is 3 little trees hanging in the car ,and what you smell is sweet sour milk. I did take the seats out of the car for the cleaning. The inside of the van has never been this clean but it stinks.



If you are not a pro detailer with experience in cleaning/removing milk odors.. Find a professional in your area that specializes in this type of cleaning as it is among the most difficult odors to remove. All your carpets must be removed as no amount of fabreeze odor terminator, vinegar carpet shampooing/steaming will solve the problem.
 
Soak the area with the product of Odor Terminator(ValuGard.net), after you clean it.

The odor is the bacteria feeding off of the protiens in the milk.

All you have attempting to do is "cover it up" with a "fragance".

The milk has left food/protiens, for the bacteria, and, yes, over time the odor of the bacteria will go away,(they die due to a lack of "food", however, if you want it gone, got to end the food source for the bacteria.

Of course a good cleaning, getting down into not only the carpet, but the pad under it, is required.

As you clean,with a all purpose cleaner, just add about 2 oz of the Odor Terminator to each quart or so of the all purpose you wish to use.

That allows some of the "protien alterer" to get down in the carpet/fabric and work on stopping the feeding of the bacteria, which makes the odor.

Then a misting/slight soaking of the area, finishes up the process.(IE, get it wet with the Odor Terminator so it can get down to all the food sources that the spilled milk, etc have penetrated into the carpet/fabric.

Blood, milk, urine, vomit, all a food source for bacteria.

Remove the "food source", the bacteria can not feed, so they die.

Odor is gone, not in a minute, it may take a bit of time, any were from a few minutes to an hour or so.

Bacteria are tough, some are stronger than others, (literally thousands of species of bacteria are all around us) so just consider that.

There are other products marketed, but same formulation as the Odor Terminator, however this product has no fragance added and is only sold in form that contains a higher percentage of the active ingrediant. (the product is non-toxic and will not harm you, your children or your pets)

Grumpy
 
lawrencea said:
I know that guys on this thread are experts , so I have a question. A unotice gallon of milk sprung a leak in my wifes van , and sat there for 3 days . The van stinks bad , I scruber and steam cleaned the carpet twice , I used Lysol, Oder terminator ,vinagar ammonia, Fabreese, and other stuff and nothing works . There is 3 little trees hanging in the car ,and what you smell is sweet sour milk. I did take the seats out of the car for the cleaning. The inside of the van has never been this clean but it stinks.



What Ron said will definitely work, but if I was doing this for a client I would completely remove the carpet and pad, let them dry, then treat them with the trio of DrivePur products I use. I would also clean all of the frame that came in contact with the contaminant with APC, then follow up with Shok and Prevent (DrivePur again).



Either way, you really need a pro to take care of this for you, it is only going to get worse.
 
W-O-W!!!!



I love doing nasty interiors and I think I'm pretty good at em, but that is outstanding.



What kind of carpet dye? I have used the SEM aerosol dye with less than awesome results (poor color match, crunching feeling carpet, etc). Looks like you got fantastic blend and color match.
 
lawrencea- I use TOL's house brand (Hi-Temp) Protein Stain Remover for jobs like that. Lent it to a pal who spilled mild-based protein drink in the trunk of his Auid last summer and it worked fine for him (he's a better example of how user-friendly/effective the stuff is since he doesn't know from this stuff).



Biggest lesson- *always* have milk/cream/etc. double-bagged before it goes into a vehicle. Always. For that matter, my wife and I always set such stuff on deep rubber mats, just to be sure.
 
Thanks guys. I talked to a pro detailer that does work for the company that I work for and he said that he will pull out the carpet and clean, and put in new padding for 120.00. He does do a lot of work for us , and I think that its a great price.
 
Back
Top