Matts Carpets Fabric and Upholstery

Mats, Carpet, Fabric, Upholstery, Etc.

Vacuuming - This is the longest and most tiring step, it helps that its first because it can take forever.

I like using just the end of the hose for the carpet, no attachment.  Working in a back and forth motion and an up and down motion, like a farmer working a field.  If I come to an area I can't fit my hose in I just leave it and keep moving, these spots get hit later.

Start on the drivers side under the dash and work your way back.  When you come to a seat go over it the same way, and back to the carpet when you've finished the seat.  Keep working in small sections and you're more likely not to miss anything.  When you get to the back seat hit the rear deck under the rear window, move to the passenger side and work your way forward.

Now reverse the hose so it blows air and add the pincher tip to the hose and start blowing everything from the headliner down.  Blow out each crevice, vent, opening, seam, under the dash, under the seats, into the door and hatch jambs, every where possible.  The more you blow the more dirt you can expose and the cleaner a detail you will achieve.

Now remove the pincher attachment and with the end of the vacuum hose flat against the carpet, start blowing the carpet out, follow the same pattern you used when vacuuming.  Also blow any cloth on seats if they are a fabric material, if leather or vinyl, just blow out the seams and where the seat hinges on itself.  If you hit a patch where dust blows into the air keep on it until the air is clear, this will prevent the carpet cleaner turning into mud when you are cleaning.

Now, switch the hose back to vacuum mode and go over everything for the third time.  This time use the pincher attachment when needed, make sure to get the top of the dash and any surface that is flat.

On a normal passenger car this step can take as long as two hours! But do not rush it, the more thorough you are on this step the better results you will get from the next steps.

I use a mix of cleaners for my carpet and fabric cleaning.  I've tried alot of products and found a recipe that very few stains can stand up to.  Basically, any cleaner with oxygen in it will work, the more costly the product is not always the more effective one and some oxygen cleaners can start to burn your skin, so use caution.  For heavy stains and old sticky stains such as grease, oil, syrup, food, candy, soda, juice, and such, I pre-spray with full strength degreaser.

Some stains will not come out.  Such as bleach or ink, these will have to be dyed or replaced.

The object here is to mimic an extractor.  An extractor is a large machine with a hose and handle that sprays hot cleaner while sucking at the same time. I spray, than scrub, than allow the oxygen in my product to lift the dirt from the fabric fibers as they dry.  Then I remove the dirt later with the final vacuuming.

I like the long handled scrub brush because it has a long reach for under seats or other areas that are hard to reach.  You want your brush to have medium stiff bristles, too stiff will rip fabric and too soft will be ineffective. Some stains must be scrubbed than sucked at the same time.  Some sucked, blown, and scrubbed at the same time.  Some stains go into the padding and will rise as the carpet dries.  If a stain keeps reappearing, take a clean cloth with fabric cleaner sprayed on it and wipe the stain, keep turning the cloth and applying cleaner than wiping until the cloth stays clean when you wipe with it.  If the stain continues to reappear than the padding must be replaced.

For spills such as milk, orange juice, or anything that produces an odor when it spoils, you must pull out the carpet and replace the pad.  If replacing the padding is your only solution than remember to keep the old pad in the best condition possible because it will be your template for cutting out new padding.  You may only need to remove the padding from the area the stain is in, but make sure to replace padding with the same thickness as the existing padding or the carpet will wrinkle and bunch up in spots. 

Just as with vacuuming, I spray a 1' by 1' section at a time, than scrub back and forth.  If you don't see foam producing around the brush while you scrub, than you need more cleaner or your allowing too much time between spraying and scrubbing. Spray while you scrub to ensure the carpet is getting saturated.  You need to get the carpet or fabric as saturated as possible for the oxygen to be effective. 

Remember, the oxygen in the cleaner is only effective for a few seconds, so don't spray to big of an area before you scrub it.  For the headliner, spray cleaner into a cloth and wipe the headliner along with the visors and sunroof slider if it's covered in fabric.  If you were to scrub the headliner in the same manner as the carpet or seats you may rip the headliner or in most cases, pull the fabric from it's backing which causes sagging and is nearly impossible to repair.  For heavy stains on the headliner you need to use a soft brush and very gentle scrubbing.

While the carpet (or fabric) is damp, take a hand brush and "comb" the carpet (or fabric) so that all the fibers are in an upright position.  I like to first comb the carpet (or fabric) in the opposite direction, this should make the carpet (or fabric) appear a lighter shade.  Than I comb it the opposite way which should give it a darker shade and eliminate any back and forth patterns from scrubbing.  This will help to dry the carpet (or fabric) quicker and allow dirt to release easier when we do the final vacuuming.

Here are some before and after examples of my carpet and fabric cleaning method and the results it produces :                    

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