Cleaning carpets

[Tooth Pix]

What's a way to clean the fixed carpets in a car with out the use of a water based vacuum cleaner / and or / carpet cleaner ?

Specifically dried mud.

[allenk4]

#1 Get as much of the dirt out of the carpet BEFORE you get anything wet
This is best accomplished by vigorously brushing the carpet with a stiff brush and vacuuming thoroughly

#2 Don't use products (APC) with surfactants that can cause the carpet to re-soil quickly. I prefer Folex, which is available at Home Depot and many grocery stores

If you have a DA and are planning on cleaning more that just the carpet in your own car; I suggest purchasing a 4" carpet brush for your DA. Great tool. Expedites the process and give better results

Brush

Vacuum

Brush

Vacuum

Spot treat with Folex

Blot spot treated areas with a white cotton towel

Spray rest of carpet with Folex and allow to dwell 2 minutes
Brush

Scrub with white cotton towel, flipping to a clean side often

Vacuum

[CDot]

How to clean up dried mud without any cleaner???

Vacuum/sweep it out as much as you possibly can, then brush the carpet and vacuum again. Repeat as necessary to try to get as much debris out of the carpet before you'll eventually have to use a cleaner to get the rest out. That's the best I can do...the pros should jump in anytime and lend higher level advice.

And ask Aaryn what he did with this vehicle, cause he worked some kind of black magic on it: http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/show-n-shine/85611-typical-kiwi-ute.html.

[jamesboyy]

No not really cause even if you can vacuum up most of the dirt/mud the contamination that's left behind will either be smeared around as you clean or just pushed further into the fibers , therefore it's best to rent an extractor, and buy some folex from lowes/home depot, and extract the carpets

[expdetailing]

Remember, you can only do so much when the carpets are fixed.
Recently, I cleaned my father-in-law's floor mats in my basement sink with the hot water hose, and I had to spray and scrub with laundry detergent multiple times. I spent 20 minutes, or more, on the driver's mat. Although I removed about 90% of the dirt, It still could have been cleaner.
So, manage your expectations carefully.

[allenk4]

No not really cause even if you can vacuum up most of the dirt/mud the contamination that's left behind will either be smeared around as you clean or just pushed further into the fibers , therefore it's best to rent an extractor, and buy some folex from lowes/home depot, and extract the carpets

Yes, extractor can be more thorough, but the OP specifically said:

"What's a way to clean the fixed carpets in a car with out the use of a water based vacuum cleaner / and or / carpet cleaner ?"

[Kengo123]

#1 Get as much of the dirt out of the carpet BEFORE you get anything wet
This is best accomplished by vigorously brushing the carpet with a stiff brush and vacuuming thoroughly

#2 Don't use products (APC) with surfactants that can cause the carpet to re-soil quickly. I prefer Folex, which is available at Home Depot and many grocery stores

If you have a DA and are planning on cleaning more that just the carpet in your own car; I suggest purchasing a 4" carpet brush for your DA. Great tool. Expedites the process and give better results

Brush

Vacuum

Brush

Vacuum

Spot treat with Folex

Blot spot treated areas with a white cotton towel

Spray rest of carpet with Folex and allow to dwell 2 minutes
Brush

Scrub with white cotton towel, flipping to a clean side often

Vacuum

Good advice. Definitely spend a lot more time dry brushing and vacuuming if you dont have a wet vac. Also, maybe consider a foam carpet cleaner

[Tooth Pix]

Thanks for the tips and instructions.

[Dr_Pain]

#1 Get as much of the dirt out of the carpet BEFORE you get anything wet
This is best accomplished by vigorously brushing the carpet with a stiff brush and vacuuming thoroughly

#2 Don't use products (APC) with surfactants that can cause the carpet to re-soil quickly. I prefer Folex, which is available at Home Depot and many grocery stores

If you have a DA and are planning on cleaning more that just the carpet in your own car; I suggest purchasing a 4" carpet brush for your DA. Great tool. Expedites the process and give better results

Brush

Vacuum

Brush

Vacuum

Spot treat with Folex

Blot spot treated areas with a white cotton towel

Spray rest of carpet with Folex and allow to dwell 2 minutes
Brush

Scrub with white cotton towel, flipping to a clean side often

Vacuum

:whs: x2

That stiff brush for your DA will be a life saver (it does save on the forearm). White Standard Carpet Brush (http://www.autogeek.net/whstcabr1.html)

The issues with using APC is that the residue left behind will reactivate as soon as it gets wet, so imagine getting in to your car with wet shoe. The APC reactivates and starts working on "cleaning" the bottom of your shoes (which has anything from motor oil residue and God knows what...). If you do end up using APC then you need to neutralize it through rinsing (and rinsing and rinsing), or with an acidic pH counterpart (in the right dilution, like vinegar). Hot water extraction would neutralize but it would take a few SLOW passes (and most people just love to do a quicky).

Folex (as explained) will be your go-to friend :iagree:

[allenk4]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HweQSpYdhRs]Carpet and Upholstery Stain Removal with Jason Rose at Meguiar's - YouTube[/video]

[Glen Romus]

Take a gallon of hot water, a generous amount of dish detergent, and add a cup of white vinegar. You will need a hard bristle brush to work the mixture thoroughly into the carpet fibers. Let sit for 30 minutes. Blot until dry with towels or thick absorbent rags.

[Dr_Pain]

Take a gallon of hot water, a generous amount of dish detergent, and add a cup of white vinegar. You will need a hard bristle brush to work the mixture thoroughly into the carpet fibers. Let sit for 30 minutes. Blot until dry with towels or thick absorbent rags.

I hate to be raining on your comment but....

Your recommendation bares some potential but I think it may be doomed from the onset and here is why:

1) You are mixing an alkaline dish detergent (ph 7-9) with an acidic distilled white vinegar (pH 2.5-3) and diluting the resultant solution in water, further neutralizing your solution
2) You are FLOODING the carpet and insulation (making sure to let it sit), agitating it and then blotting it dry. There is no way for you to remove all the moisture from the carpet and insulation that way, so you will be breeding mold and mildew in no time no to mention creating surface rust which may permeate through the layers to stain the carpet.
3) Even if you are successful with removing the dirt and stain, and end up placing a dehumidifier in the car, what do you do to remove all of the residual soap surfactants?

[allenk4]

+1^

[Larry A]

He said nothing about flooding the carpet.

[toycar18]

But dr pain is absolutely right about 1 and 3.

To add.... soap in the carpet attracts dirt causing rapid resoiling. It also drys stiff and when someone who cleans it correctly using hot water extraction they will have to spend a ton of time rinsing the soapy mess and use a ton of defoamer.

Vinegar and dish soap neutralize each other. You should be cleaning on the alkaline side.

Additionally dish soap has a ton of wetting agents which will cause super slow drying.

-matt
Professional carpet and upholstery cleaner
12 years experience
IICRC certified