I recently acquired a 2004 SAturn Ion that was garge kept and the exterior is great. Previous owner was a smoker and pretty sloppy also. I've been able to clean/vacuum most of the interior surfaces pretty well, but the floor mats are pretty bad with stains and all. Same with the seats. Any ideas how best to get them clean? I have a power washer for use on the mats. Thanks in advance!
Best method to clean carpets and upholstery
- Thread starter RF4guy
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A professional carpet/Upholstery cleaner.
I have a Bissell portable carpet cleaner and I haven't had a stain it wouldn't take care of.
I was hoping to do them myself if possible.
I was thinking a portable steam cleaner might be an option....how much do they normally go for?
Go to Lowes or some other place that rents the Bissel Big Green Machine and get the upholstery attachments($30). Use hot water to fill the tank. Then go to Home Depot and get some Folex spot remover($7) and some Zep Premium carpet cleaner($12). Here's a $5 off COUPON .
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if the floormats are also worn, it is way easier to just bite the bullet and just to get new floormats.
the upholstery if it is fabric just follow the usage instructions od any cqrpet cleaner with upholstety attschment. you must work sny stains with a brush.
the upholstery if it is fabric just follow the usage instructions od any cqrpet cleaner with upholstety attschment. you must work sny stains with a brush.
Per the Folex spot remover instructions, spray the spot and work the solution in with your fingers. Of course vacuum everything prior to spraying.
Per others you'll need to rent an upholstery cleaner (extractor). They often will want you to use their cleaner products for the machine. Afterwards, I'd follow up with a degreaser diluted per instructions (SuperClean, Purple Power), agitate, then use extractor again without the cleaners, just water to rinse and wet vac. Then drive it to DIY car wash place with compressed air and blow it. That last part is shockingly good at removing smells... well actually it will distribute the smell into the air where it'll leave your car. You will need to dust your interior afterwards.
You still may get the smell in the air con. You can use a weaker air compressor with a pipe cleaner through the vents to get the dust out.
You still may get the smell in the air con. You can use a weaker air compressor with a pipe cleaner through the vents to get the dust out.
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The mats can just be soaked in a tub of warm water with a degreaser/ cleaner and then line dried.
Originally Posted By: rooflessVW
I have a Bissell portable carpet cleaner and I haven't had a stain it wouldn't take care of.
Is this what you have rooflessVW? I've always wanted one and Bissel is a quality company. Could be just the ticket for this job and probably about as much as renting a cleaner or other options. Looks like it would be particularly great for seat upholstery but not sure how powerful it would be to extract water from carpeting.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/BISSELL-Little-Green-Portable-Spot-and-Stain-Cleaner-1400M/35702152
I have a Bissell portable carpet cleaner and I haven't had a stain it wouldn't take care of.
Is this what you have rooflessVW? I've always wanted one and Bissel is a quality company. Could be just the ticket for this job and probably about as much as renting a cleaner or other options. Looks like it would be particularly great for seat upholstery but not sure how powerful it would be to extract water from carpeting.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/BISSELL-Little-Green-Portable-Spot-and-Stain-Cleaner-1400M/35702152
If the seats and carpets are fairly dirty, this is going to be a long painful job with a small spot home based carpet cleaner. Some carpet cleaning companies will do this for a fair price, but they only do the upholstery and carpets. I have a larger Mytee portable carpet extractor and you would be amazed at how much more dirt and grime a pro grade machine pulls out of the upholstery vs. the little machines.
If you need to get carpeting of any sort clean,
this is the stuff you want:
Cobb Powermax
Mix it with hot water, spray it on the carpet and upholstery you wish to clean, let it sit 5 minutes, scrub with a hand brush and use a hot water extractor with an upholstery attachment from one of the box store rental machines. Do your house carpets while you have the machine. Nothing gets carpets clean like this stuff.
I cleaned carpets to work my way throughncollege. I've not seen anything better than this stuff. Will kill odors very well too.
this is the stuff you want:
Cobb Powermax
Mix it with hot water, spray it on the carpet and upholstery you wish to clean, let it sit 5 minutes, scrub with a hand brush and use a hot water extractor with an upholstery attachment from one of the box store rental machines. Do your house carpets while you have the machine. Nothing gets carpets clean like this stuff.
I cleaned carpets to work my way throughncollege. I've not seen anything better than this stuff. Will kill odors very well too.
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Tide cold water clean works very well for cleaning really trashed car interiors. Just google "Interior detail with tide cold water clean" for videos on how to use it.
Originally Posted By: rooflessVW
Mine's a step up from that.
Linky
The heat is nice so you don't have to make a new batch of cleaner with hot water each time you use it.
I use the old Little Green Machine with Zep carpet cleaner from HD but I am liking the unit you linked to, how hot does it get the water, does it take a long time?
Mine's a step up from that.
Linky
The heat is nice so you don't have to make a new batch of cleaner with hot water each time you use it.
I use the old Little Green Machine with Zep carpet cleaner from HD but I am liking the unit you linked to, how hot does it get the water, does it take a long time?
1. If they're that bad, you may decide to toss them & buy new.
2. Otherwise, add enough really HOT water to a bathtub to cover the mats an inch or so.
3. Use Tide or Whisk laundry detergent. These regularly win the CR laundry detergent tests. Add enough to the water to make the solution really slippery. Aggitate it well to fully dissolve.
4. Add the mats UPSIDE DOWN as they'll likely float and you need the carpet surface to remain saturated at all times.
5. Add plastic or bubble wrap on top to retain the heat for as long as possible.
6. Let it soak for ~ 24hrs.
7. Turn over, scrub both until your shoulders hurt.
8. Evaluate & repeat if necessary.
2. Otherwise, add enough really HOT water to a bathtub to cover the mats an inch or so.
3. Use Tide or Whisk laundry detergent. These regularly win the CR laundry detergent tests. Add enough to the water to make the solution really slippery. Aggitate it well to fully dissolve.
4. Add the mats UPSIDE DOWN as they'll likely float and you need the carpet surface to remain saturated at all times.
5. Add plastic or bubble wrap on top to retain the heat for as long as possible.
6. Let it soak for ~ 24hrs.
7. Turn over, scrub both until your shoulders hurt.
8. Evaluate & repeat if necessary.
For the mats, replace them. You can get new ones for super cheap. I use the attachments on my home carpet shampoo machine w any cleaner u like for the carpet. I like simple green, Zep, Lysol. Do the same w the seats. U may want to remove the seats from the car so u can reached all spots. Good luck trying to get the smoke smell out. It’s in the headliner too which is difficult to clean
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