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: Typical Kiwi Ute!!.

[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

x2

That stiff brush for your DA will be a life saver (it does save on the forearm). White Standard Carpet Brush

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

[allenk4]

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