How to Clean Carpet Mats

[D]

First off, dont use Woolite, it has no place in detailing. Use a dedicated carpet cleaner. The same thing goes for leather, do not use Woolite, use a product designed for leather.

You want to thoroughly vacuum the carpet. Then treat stains with a spotting agent. Then spray on your carpet cleaner and extract. Allow to air dry.

[klumzypinoy]

Nice write up! I haven't cleaned matts ever, well except with folex.

[Reddwarf]

Very nice write up. Thanks for the details. Good tip on removing the filter. I've forgotten to do that before and it sure makes a mess of the filter.

That brush attachment for the PC is cool. Where would I find one?

[D]

Its a must have for detailers IMO. I use the brush on all the carpet. Cant find it anywhere else, Interior cleaning and conditioning guide: everything from upholstery seats to vinyl protection. odor remover, vinyl cleaner, vinyl protectant, carpet (http://www.autogeek.net/interior.html)

[BLCWGUY]

I get excellent results with a dry surfactant foam and brushing. Its nice b/c you can do it quickly and drying time after vac is nil.

[RTexasF]

Boy that makes me feel like a lazy bum. I spray them down with a little water, spray them with amazing roll off cut 50/50, blast em with the power washer, and clamp them to the fence to dry in the sun. That's for our cars, paying folks get better treatment.

[D]

It only takes about 10- 15 min and they were dry after 1 pass with the vac. I could understand using the foam on a carpet mat, but never on interior carpet. A lot of those foams will leave the carpet sticky and gross. You could actually use that foam, then pressure wash the mat months later and soap will flow out. The foam is impossible to remove without using an extractor or pressure washer. This method gets all of the soap out and leaves the carpet smelling good and soft. Woolite is also very cheap, especially when diluting it to 8:1.

Maybe the foam stuff you're talking about is something different? Im talking about the stuff that is sold by Turtle Wax, Blue Coral, etc.

For the inside carpet I use DP total interior cleaner with the brush. Same method, just no rinsing. The DP dries up VERY nicely without leaving any residue. No need to spray it with water or anything.

[Reddwarf]

Thanks Dan. After I clicked on the link I recalled that I had seen the brush before. Man it sucks to get old. You know your memory is the second thing to go when you get older. I'd tell ya what the first thing is, but I can't remember. LOL!

I will add a brush or two to my next AG order.

[D]

Thanks Dan. After I clicked on the link I recalled that I had seen the brush before. Man it sucks to get old. You know your memory is the second thing to go when you get older. I'd tell ya what the first thing is, but I can't remember. LOL!

I will add a brush or two to my next AG order.

Hahahaha, good one.

[Jimmie]

Thanks for sharing Dan. Something else that we do almost identical but I've been using a 6:1 dilution and brushing by hand. I'm changing to your technique 8:1 and PC brush. You made it look easier and better.

[D]

Thanks for sharing Dan. Something else that we do almost identical but I've been using a 6:1 dilution and brushing by hand. I'm changing to your technique 8:1 and PC brush. You made it look easier and better.

No problem, glad you enjoyed it. The PC brush makes it so much faster and easier. Its also much more affective at getting rid of the dirt. The only downside to the PC brush is you cant get to some areas with the interior carpet. But I just use my small brush by hand.

[AL417]

Very nice write up. Thanks for sharing your techniques.:applause:

[PhaRO]

I use the PC brushes and have pressure washed mats before. While it has it's place, some caution needs to be used. Judging from the pictures the mat was mainly dirty on the one side and in the picture near the end where it is being vacuumed the dirt is gone and carpet is clean. The color of the mat appears much lighter in the last picture. This may very well be just lighting and camera angle and therefore not a problem. The woolite isn't very harsh but the pressure washing and vigorious agitation is and this is where I see a problem. This is going to disrupt the pile of the carpet and in many cases lighten the color. Carpet extractors are not moving the volume of water or operating at the PSI of a pressure washer. The white brush is the most aggressive brush for interiors and the 3rd most agressive out of the 4 brushes offered. I have it and the grey brush, preferring the grey brush which is far less aggressive. In the brush photo the speed appears to be 5 or 6. Saturating the carpet with a pressure washer and then using a white brush at a high speed followed with more pressure washing is going to disrupt the pile of the carpet. This can be seen in the last photo. As with polishing start with the least aggressive method. This is not meant as an attack just my 2 cents from experience.

[D]

I use the PC brushes and have pressure washed mats before. While it has it's place, some caution needs to be used. Judging from the pictures the mat was mainly dirty on the one side and in the picture where it is being vacuumed the dirt is gone. The color of the mat appears much lighter in the last picture. This may very well be just lighting and camera angle and therefore not a problem. The white brush is probably because of the change in lighting and camera angle. The woolite isn't very harsh but the pressure washing and vigorious agitation is which is where I see a problem. This is going to disrupt the pile of the carpet and in many cases lighten the color. Carpet extractors are not moving the volume of water or operating at the PSI of a pressure washer. The white brush is the most aggressive brush for interiors and the 3rd most agressive out of the 4 brushes offered. I have it and the grey brush, preferring the grey brush which is far less aggressive. In the action photo the brush looks to be on 5 or 6. Saturating the carpet with a pressure washer and then using a white brush at a high setting followed with more pressure washing is going to disrupt the pile of the carpet. This can be seen in the last photo. As with polishing start with the least aggressive method. This is not meant as an attack just my 2 cents from experience.

A lot of your post is confusing me, but Ill try to address your concerns.

"Judging from the pictures the mat was mainly dirty on the one side and in the picture where it is being vacuumed the dirt is gone. "

What are you trying to say here?

"The color of the mat appears much lighter in the last picture. This may very well be just lighting and camera angle and therefore not a problem."

The direction in which you vacuum will change the color of the mat. I do this on purpose because it gives a sense of cleanliness. Now if you're comparing the two dark lines to the color of the original mat, then you need to realize the first picture was taken with the mat in the shade, the last was taken in direct sunlight. So yes, it might seem slightly lighter. However, there was no difference in person, except for the fact that it was a lot cleaner.

"The white brush is probably because of the change in lighting and camera angle."

You lost me.

"The woolite isn't very harsh but the pressure washing and vigorious agitation is which is where I see a problem. This is going to disrupt the pile of the carpet and in many cases lighten the color."

The pressure washing does disrupt the pile of carpet. But then again, so does everything else. The good thing about it is its not permanent. This is also the reason I said to move the nozzle further away from the carpet to get rid of the water lines. Then you vacuum it with the design of your choice. You can do what you see in the last picture, you can make the entire mat lighter, or you can make the entire mat darker. You can even do a checker board pattern if youd like. All of this is disrupting the the pile, but is easily changed. It does NOT change the color of the mat though. If it does, then youve probably just removed a lot of dirt that was making the mat appear darker.

"The white brush is the most aggressive brush for interiors and the 3rd most agressive out of the 4 brushes offered. I have it and the grey brush, preferring the grey brush which is far less aggressive."

Yes, you're correct, but I think you're over exaggerating slightly. The white brush is not that aggressive/ stiff. The gray brush is VERY soft and doesnt have near the cleaning power that the white brush has. Ive never had a problem using the white brush on any carpet. But if you do, then go ahead and step down to the gray or aqua brush.

"In the action photo the brush looks to be on 5 or 6. Saturating the carpet with a pressure washer and then using a white brush at a high setting followed with more pressure washing is going to disrupt the pile of the carpet. This can be seen in the last photo. As with polishing start with the least aggressive method."

Yes, the PC is on speed 6. I already addressed the disruption. But I surly dont see any evidence of it in the last picture.

Justin has been using pressure washers on carpet mats for years and he recommends it whenever someone posts about cleaning mats. Because of that, I assume hes never had an issue either. Ive been using this method for some time and havent had an issue either.

[PhaRO]

I edited my post and hopefully clarified a few things. Pressure washing and PC high speed scrubbing with a stiff brush is overkill for many carpets in my opinion. I base my opinion on my experience using the same methods and tools.

The mat as shown in the first photo has some dirt but the physical wear doesn't look bad. In the next to last photo the wear is noticeable to me. In the last photo the mat looks badly worn.

I have seen Justins posts and he mentions pressure washing mats in some of them. At a safe distance the wear is virtually non existant and the benefit of removing a ton of dirt and chemicals is a big plus. I am not sure if he aggressively machine brushes in addition to that. With proper pretreating, sufficient dwell time and pressure washing the machine brushing is unecessary. To brush on top of that will create noticeable wear with little or no added benefit. With some stains it could set the stain.

If you and your customer are happy then that is what is most important.