Carpet cleaning technique

[emaxxman]

Well, I am really digging all the stuff I got from autogeek in my first order. Per my other thread, the foamgun rocks. I'm now testing the carpet brush attachment for the PC.

I was wondering what everyone's carpet cleaning technique is?

I'm practicing on the dirty old removable driver's mat first. I have some heavy duty carpet cleaning foam and also some very diluted Simple Green. I've used the foam and Simple Green with good success on some interior entry rugs.

Do you vacuum up the cleaner after you're done scrubbing?
Do you spray clean water to act as a rinse first?


My plan was to:

* Vacuum thoroughly with a shopvac.
* Spray cleaner, let it soak.
* Scrub with the PC and scrub brush attachment and/or Meguiar's interior brush (for spots where the PC won't fit.)
* Vacuum cleaner with a Hoover steam vac and hose.
* Spray some clean water to "rinse"
* Vacuum cleaner with a Hoover steam vac again.
* Blot dry carpet with a clean towel.

I'm concerned with mold and/or mildew forming in the car if I use too much liquid and the carpet doesn't dry adequately. Are auto carpets resistant to this stuff? Is there anything to worry about here?

[MaxImage]

Your plan of attack should work fine. However, automotive carpets are not immune to mold/mildew build-up as the pile tends to be tightly wound and along with the dirt particles embedded into it serves as a substrate for bacterial growth. You won't be able to get every particle of dirt out, so that is why I mention dirt particles. There are ways to counteract this problem though. Many automotive carpet extraction fluids and odor eliminators/air fresheners contain anti-mildew agents. Google these types of products. You have a couple of options: the first, you can either extract your carpets with the steam cleaner and once clean, leave them out until COMPLETELY dry, or steam clean them, then treat them with an automotive air freshener/Odor Eliminator before hanging them out to COMPLETELY dry.

"Do you vacuum up the cleaner after you're done scrubbing?"
Yes, I do. The foaming action caused by the agitation of the carpet fibers helps to lift out the stain/dirt. You can see the particles in the foam as a discoloration of normally white foam. You want to remove the foam as quickly as possible to prevent the foam from diminishing and causing the suspended dirt particles from being redeposited onto or into your carpeting. Many automotive extraction fluids and all purpose cleaners will foam when the carpet is scrubbed, so it is fairly easy to find a product that will get the job done.

Do you spray clean water to act as a rinse first?
No, I do not. I simply spray more cleaner--trying not to saturate the carpet as much as possible--as it is diluted to remove any remaining dirt left behind. In my experience it is not problematic to leave behind the chemical residue as it does not smell bad nor does it deteriorate the carpet fibers over time.

As a general rule of thumb, you want to prevent saturation of the carpet as much as possible, but with some stains, saturation is inevitable. More liquid in the pile means longer drying times and for different people around the country, sunshine intensity and duration differs greatly. I've never tried throwing carpeting in the dryer, but maybe those who have can elaborate more on this. For a good deep cleaning, it may very well be necessary to use a lot of extraction fluid.