Need a better carpet cleaner

Hi guys,

I need some suggestions for a beter carpet/mat cleaner.

I've been using hot water in my LGM, some steamer action for stains and zep citrus where needed and following up with the shop vac to dry the carpet up.

In general though, for general cleaning I have been misting with zep "high traffic" carpet cleaner.

I just tried to do my neglected carpet in the supra and after 4 tanks from the LGM the carpet still looks like horrible. my light grey carpet is generally a light yellow. it's just taking a ridiculously long time and it's not getting any better.

I'm using hot water, and extracting nearly all of the water, I'm aggitating and yet carpets are still a huge challenge for me.

For these reasons, I point my finger at the zep high traffic....I need a better cleaner, I think.



What suggestions do you guys have for cleaning dirt out of carpets, not stains...just straight up ground in dirt (that may create stains, I suppose). I'd LOVE if some suggested some OTC stuff aswell, as I'd like to finish my car's interior tomorrow!

 

For dirt you need to dry vacuum first and agitate the carpet with a brush and dry vacuum again. (repeat as many times as required). Chemical treatment is really best left to stains.

It sounds like you've got well worn carpet though.

 

it's 25 years old and on it's very last legs. I can't agitate it very much, as many of the fibers are delaminating from the backing. It needs to be replaced, but I try and keep it as clean as I can...

 

I agree the problem may not be the chemical...you're trying to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. As far as Zep HT goes, spray it on well enough and allow it to dwell for tough stains...that makes a difference.

 

looking back on the pictures of when I first detailed my car...6 years ago I found this picture. I used spray 'n wash laundry stain remover and was able to get amazing results...I guess I had just forgotten about it.

I'll give it another run-through asap with this stuff. in my experience, it's been very colour safe, too.

 

I have used Spray 'n Wash through my LGM for most of my interior details and it never fails to impress. However, I have recently switched to Folex and that stuff is simply amazing whether you just spray on and buff off with a MF or push it through an extractor and agitate a totally saturated carpet. It has removed stuff in my own car that I thought were in there for good, Folex is my recommendation.

 

Thanks christian,

I prefer to use just straight water in extractors...I like to pre-treat the whole carpet so I can control how much cleaner goes in specific areas and then agitated. I use the extractor to flush out all the cleaner from the carpet. I stop when I see no foam being extracted.

I find if soap is left in the carpet it's hard and crunchy, and allows new dirt to stick to it in a hurry.

 

+1 for Folex against stains in carpet.

 

I did find that Spray 'n Wash would leave carpets kind of crunchy and also left residue, but I always rinse the carpets with a hose and extract it one more time to remove as much cleaner as possible. Folex is many leagues above that however, it leaves no residue and visibly brightens and cleans even the nastiest carpet with minimal effort on your part.

 

I was using ArmorAll Oxi Magic Carpet & Upholstery with "ok" result before but for this summer I bought Zep High Traffic Carpet Cleaner but didn't had the chance to try it yet. I will look into Folex the next time I go to Canadian Tire I know they have it there.

 

I always use the following method with products and have not found a dirty carpet I can not fix.

first vacum as best you can (shop vac)
the hit dirty areas with adam's carpet and upholstery cleaner
porter cable 7424 with a aqua/green bristle brush that you can find in units of 4 on ebay for 40 dollars new. for bad carpets I use the white brush which is referred to as the "standard carpet cleaning brush"
next vacum again to remove anything that has come up from the electric brush treatment

this had not failed me as of yet and I encourage you to buy a one gallon size of the adam's. try to find a distributor near you ( as I did) to save on shipping because they charge about 30 dollars a gallon and then shipping and taxes makes it add up way to quick.

this may seem like alot of stuff to get but I can get the inside of any car and any situation cleaned out spotless with this and it saves so much time and so so so so much money in the long run.

I also have the optima steamer that I use with this combo so it makes it that much easier to do the steam cleaning of the interior

godoman

 

Vacuum first, then treat and let stand for a bit, retreat and scrub, then final vacuum is what i like to do. some 303 carpet and upholstery cleaner with chemical guys carpet brush for your Porter cable, is a successful combo. I'll post some pics from a recent detail I did.

UPHOLSTERY BRUSH With Hook-And-Loop ATTACHMENT - (FOR Rotary & Random Orbital)

 

great suggestion dangler, I'll get one of those.

 

You're worried about hand brushing the carpet (per our conversation earlier) but not using a brush run on a machine?

:shead:

 

certainly not on my car, but it's a good idea for customer's cars that aren't as hammered as mine. I was looking for advice in general on cleaning products.

instead, I got some advice on methods, cleaners and a couple tools :headbang:

I'll try some of the suggested things on my car, and pick up a PC brush to help speed up customer's cars :thumb:

 

The best place to get Folex is Home Depot in the carpet cleaning aisle where the machines are. You can buy it by the gallon there...much better value.

 

Thank you I will take a look!

 

I've tried both Folex and High Traffic Cleaner and I think I will stick with folex. High traffic cleaner makes the carpet feel all dry and rough

 

I use Folex and seems like a good choice, just agitate with a brush.

 

Try to look here