Vacuuming Problems

[M Porter]

Due to living in a very rural area, I am faced with largeamounts of gravel on the vehicle floors. After vacuuming there are alwaysgreat quantities of sand still left deep within the carpet. At present I vacuum (6 HP) thecarpet numerous times using both a brush (agitate carpet) and rubber mallet. Onmost vehicles I easily spend at least ½ hour just doing the driver’s side. Ihave also used Metro’s air attachment with only a slight improvement. Anysuggestions to make the process more effective would be greatly appreciated.

[GSKR]

There's a gentlemen on the forum that geos by the name sizzle chest.He had a great idea for embedded dirt in carpet.If I'm not mistaken he used a vibrating da which made all the dirt come up in the carpet.maybe he will see this and give you a defenetive tool he used.

[Cliffnopus]

If it was me and I had to continuously drive in those conditions I'd buy Weather Tech plastic type mats and let them carry the gravel and dirt. Then if your going out and want to look nice, just remove them; out them back when you need them. Save a lotta work.

[Coopers ST]

We have an old Dyson vacuum for the house. One of the tools that came with it was a rotating brush that you connect to the hose. It spins with just air pressure. The vacuum really isn't powerful enough to run it as you don't need to press hard and it stops. Things are different with my shop vac. You can't stop it, and it works well agitating the carpet and getting the little grit out. I am linking something, I hope it's ok as it doesn't compete with AG.

https://www.dyson.com/tools/m/mini-t...rbinehead.aspx

[AutowerxDetailing]

Look into the Tornador vacuum attachment. EPIC for sand removal. It looks like AG carries a different version from the one I have but I assume it would work just as well.

Found it... looks like it might be discontinued though. http://www.autogeek.net/tornador-bla...ttachment.html

[sweatthedetails]

The tornador vac attachment does not seem to work for me. The air blaster works but makes a dust cloud in the car. This is what I do now.
https://youtu.be/MpJc8hc4ydo

[Eldorado2k]

That Dyson brush looks pretty good, but man that's expensive for that little brush.. I wonder if similar brushes I've seen work just as good.
I agree with the Tornador attachment not being so great. I've used it side by side with my vacuum and it does blow sand in the air as you're using it.

@OP. Instead of using a brush in 1 hand and the vacuum in the other, get yourself something like this.

http://www.autogeek.net/shop-vac-firm-brush.html

[ShopVacTim]

Due to living in a very rural area, I am faced with largeamounts of gravel on the vehicle floors. After vacuuming there are alwaysgreat quantities of sand still left deep within the carpet. At present I vacuum (6 HP) thecarpet numerous times using both a brush (agitate carpet) and rubber mallet. Onmost vehicles I easily spend at least ½ hour just doing the driver’s side. Ihave also used Metro’s air attachment with only a slight improvement. Anysuggestions to make the process more effective would be greatly appreciated.

So not to get carried away on an answer but high HP vacs typically represent a single stage vacuum (uses one fan to move air) the result in this system is high cfm which is great for picking up light dirt and debris. When you start to talk about applications like pulling water out of a carpet or that sand deep in the carpet as your frustration indicates you are now talking about a vac that needs to have more suction force or "lift". These types of units are our two-stage motors which also represent the commercial/professional end of our product line. Great news together with Autogeek we prepared a unit for professional detailers just for these types of applications, please check out the McKee's 37 vacuum with two-stage motor. Another benefit of this unit is a longer life compared to other vacuums found at your traditional retail stores.

[AuroraDetailing]

A drill brush is probably the cheapest next step to try. I've had good results, but can't always get in the corners.

[expdetailing]

Classic 7 Amp Bagless Handheld Vacuum

This is what I use for my minivan. It seems to beat the carpet while it vacuums causing the dirt to jump out of the carpet. It is also the best tool I've found for pet hair. It does such an excellent job that I find it actually leads to extra convenience even though it's an extra tool to own, store, and maintain. I've been touting this tool for years on the forum, but I don't think I've convinced anyone yet.
If you could magically remove the vehicle's carpet and take it into your house to vacuum it, would you? This tool gives you the same effect. It's also great for agitation of carpet and seat fibers after you spray some liquid spot cleaner when your trying to remove stains.
It also has a very powerful motor. You can't stop the rotating brush.