I'm having some problems cleaning really really bad carpets

**davidc11291** · 05-23-2012, 11:01 AM

I've really got 2 separate questions about cleaning carpets. I considered starting 2 different threads, but since they're related I decided to just post one thread and not add extra clutter to the board. Please try to help out with both questions.

1) Here's a description of the kind of dirty carpet I'm talking about. Not just isolated stains, but carpets/seats that have been neglected for years and the whole carpet is darker than the original color due to grime and dirt. My first problem is that I just can't get them clean enough, IMO. Here's my process- Vaccuum. Spray liberally with Meg's APC+ 10:1. Scrub. Let dwell for 2 or 3 minutes. Vaccuum (pulling the filth up, but not spraying water with the extractor. I don't want the water to push the filth deeper into the carpet and seats, plus pulling up the APC dry first means that there's less APC to get diluted and be hard to completely remove when I extract). After I've vaccuumed, I use the extractor, spraying clean water as I go. Repeat the whole process a couple of times. Even with all this, I just don't feel like I'm getting everything as clean as it should be. If I pull a trim piece up, the carpet under the trim piece will be that nice, brand new color and look a lot better than the rest of the carpet. Is there anything I should be doing differently, or are my expectations just too high? Is there a product that's better suited for cleaning fabrics? I love the results of Folex, but I'll typically spray a gallon of product when doing 4 seats and the carpet, so spending $18 on a gallon of Folex per car is out of the question. The customers are always amazed, but where they look and see amazing, I just see flaws.

2) I'm having a problem getting all the APC out of the fabric. I've got a commercial extractor, but no matter how many times I go over the carpet with just water, I'll still have some APC foaming up when I extract. I'm spraying down enough APC so that when I scrub it foams just a little. I think I'm spraying a little on the heavy side, but while it's dwelling I definitely don't want it to dry. Plus, I'm talking about carpets that aren't just dirty on the top ends of the fibers, but the fibers are dirty all the way down, so I have to spray enough to get everything wetted down. Still though, when I'm at the extracting stage, I'll literally go over everything 5 times and still have soapy bubbles coming up and a slightly sticky feeling when the fabric dries.

I'm spending 20 hrs per car (no correction work) and 4-6 hrs just cleaning seats and carpets, and I've got to get my time per car down. Any advice?

**RZJZA80** · 05-23-2012, 11:22 AM

Are you using APC or APC+? The APC+ doesn't foam up, which might help. Also, look into getting some Folex. It's works great and easy to wipe off.

**Dugdug** · 05-23-2012, 11:29 AM

I'm posting in this thread so I can follow it lol I'd like to see some answers. I have the same problem sometimes too. When I come across a carpet like that I have a talk with the customer about expectations lol I have never had a customer complain about it but I would still like to do a better job.

Question for you however. Have you thought about pulling the carpet/seats out and going to town on them? I would charge more

**davidc11291** · 05-23-2012, 11:30 AM

APC+

I love Folex for isolated stains, but to use it for a deep cleaning of all the carpets and seats would take 1 gallon per car, so at $18 per gallon, that's too much cost to add to each detail.

**davidc11291** · 05-23-2012, 11:32 AM

I usually pull the seats out because it makes the job easier for me. After the horrible car I just finished, I'm thinking about pulling the carpet next time I get 1 that bad.

**longsdetailing** · 05-23-2012, 11:34 AM

20 hours per car with no correction? Those are very long run times with no heavy hitting processes. Maybe being more efficient in your methods can cut down on times, but heavily soiled interiors can be a killer and sometimes you just have to accept the end result as it is. You can't expect brand new looking from years of accumulated dirt.

**Dugdug** · 05-23-2012, 11:35 AM

Originally Posted by davidc11291

I usually pull the seats out because it makes the job easier for me. After the horrible car I just finished, I'm thinking about pulling the carpet next time I get 1 that bad.

I'm thinking pull the carpet out, lay it out on the driveway, get a power washer, degreaser and a good scrub brush lol

That way you don't even need to worry about the water getting any deeper

**davidc11291** · 05-23-2012, 11:52 AM

Originally Posted by longsdetailing

20 hours per car with no correction? ........... Maybe being more efficient in your methods can cut down on times

Yeah, right now I'm asking questions on the board that are focused on increasing my efficiency and cutting down my times. I'm at the level where I provide excellent results, but it's taking me waaaay to long to get those results.

**Ohio Detailing** · 05-31-2012, 01:07 AM

Originally Posted by davidc11291

APC+

I love Folex for isolated stains, but to use it for a deep cleaning of all the carpets and seats would take 1 gallon per car, so at $18 per gallon, that's too much cost to add to each detail.

Hi David, so Folex is only intended for spot treatment, like a pre-treater? I should still keep something like Hoover Deep Extract gallons of carpet shampoo around, or does All Purpose Cleaner (plus?) work best on vehicle interior carpets in my carpet machine? Thanks!