Carpet Cleaning

[C_Garcia5.0]

I was wondering if you more experienced detailers could help me out with this. What do you think is the best way for cleaning the carpets in the car along with the seats (cloth seats), and what product do you use? I was thinking about getting a small portable steam vac kind of like this one



Is that the best way to go? Or am i way off target on this one? Any help is appreciated.

[C_Garcia5.0]

Re: Carpet Cleaning

Oh come on guys 55 views and no answer? Any help is appreciated. What about you stoops? Any advice?

[fe91]

Re: Carpet Cleaning

That isn't a steam vac
it just heats the water

most people just use APC,
scrub,
then use that to rinse/**** out the solution
although, they aren't too good at getting it all out

it'll work though

[C_Garcia5.0]

Re: Carpet Cleaning

Hehe. Thx for the advice, ill keep that I'm mind.

[tecka]

Re: Carpet Cleaning

I also hear if your not careful thoes little machines will drench what your using it on.

[xantonin]

Re: Carpet Cleaning

Does anyone have any experience with these that heat the water, the kind that don't heat the water, as well as a real steamer and can they provide any input on the effectiveness of the heated water?

[maximus20895]

Re: Carpet Cleaning

This is pretty much the same as the LGM (little green machine) except this one heats the water and maybe one or two other differences.

The LGM works very nicely so I would see no reason why this one would not at all. It should take carpet cleaning to a whole new level.

I would recommend it.

[CSI K-9]

Re: Carpet Cleaning

Does anyone have any experience with these that heat the water, the kind that don't heat the water, as well as a real steamer and can they provide any input on the effectiveness of the heated water?

FWIW..

I've had home carpet shampooers with and without the heated water feature. I must say the shampooers that heat the water definitely do a much better job at cleaning. I have used them both on my carpets at home as well as in my vehicles. I've had two Hoover Steam Cleaners (unheated) and two Bissell ProHeat X2 machines (heats 25 degrees hotter than the water in the tank). Of course, there are variables with type/style of brushes for home carpets and the different shampoos you use (say regular carpet shampoo vs. oxy carpet shampoo).

I have had no experience with the real steam machines.

[MrCLRider]

Re: Carpet Cleaning

Those types of machines will help but your process up to that point needs to be done properly. Using a brush on the carpet to bring any embedded **** to the top and vacuuming multiple times will help tremendiously.

I would also have to recommend Folex for cleaning nasty spots on the carpet. Spray on your spot you want to clean, let dwell for about 10 min, come back and brush the area, blot with a microfiber or terry towel.

[J. A. Michaels]

Re: Carpet Cleaning

I have the lgm heated model. I think they are fine for the weekend warrior. However, I do not think they will hold up long term for the professional.

I have noticed on my unit, I still have to go back over with a shop vac to extract more water.

[Greg W]

Re: Carpet Cleaning

The only machine I have ever been really satisfied with is a rented rug doctor unit with furniture attachments. The consumer line of carpet cleaners just dont have oomph to get the dirt or the water out. The lgm or other small machines work ok for a lightly soiled seat, but our carpets here in michigan get trashed in winter time. I always resort to brushing by hand and shop vac to get the water out.

[Mary S]

Re: Carpet Cleaning

Here's the description from Amazon. Since Bissell makes the little green machine with heat that several people here use, I would expect it is similar. A more powerful hot water extractor and/or dry vapor steamer would probably be a goal if going pro, but they are quite expensive. Something like this might be a good place to start. Maybe a wet/dry shop vac could help afterwards to get out any remaining water.

________________________________________________________________________

A powerful mini steam-vac, this compact multi-purpose deep cleaner uses hot water and a cleaning agent to eliminate both deep-down dirt and surface spills. Designed especially for cleaning vehicle interiors, it also works great on carpeting, stairs, and upholstery in the home. The unit's built-in hot-water heater raises the temperature of tap water by 25 degrees F for enhanced results, while its strong spray and suction remove tough spots and stains, plus help dry, all in one step. The machine provides a 5-foot upholstery hose and two handy attachments: a 3-inch tough-stain brush and a two-in-one spraying crevice tool. Clean, soapy water stores in a solution tank on one side, and used, dirty water gets recovered into a separate collection tank on the other side. The tanks remove for easy filling, and the machine can be stored ready to use. Other details include a 9 amp motor, a 3- to 5-inch cleaning path, PCV-free parts, a 15-foot power cord, and quick-release cord-storage hooks. An 8-ounce bottle of Little Green cleaning solution comes included. The multi-purpose deep cleaner measures 8-1/5 by 17-1/5 by 12-1/2 inches and carries a one-year limited warranty.

[Mary S]

Re: Carpet Cleaning

Making a quick comparison with the description for the Little Green Proheat "a 15-foot power cord" kind of stands out as what is mentioned in this one and not in the LGM. So it may have a longer power cord to make it more convenient for the car.

[Tuck91]

Re: Carpet Cleaning

Vacumming, dry brushing, then re vacumming will make carpet look about 70% better.

[somarr]

Re: Carpet Cleaning

I agree that dry brushing and vaccuuming do an OK job. I also had the opportunity to borrow a friend's Little Green Machine. It does a bit better job.

Has anyone tried a true portable steam cleaner? I would not want to do an entire vehicle but only spot clean with it. If I get a chance I'll give it a try and report results. I do the the one I have holds a very, very small amount of water.