Ask Oppo...shampooing car carpets

"thebigbossyboss" (thebigbossyboss) 03/31/2014 at 07:21 • Filed to: None

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Spring should be here....someday.

My drivers side has some pretty bad salt stains. What automotive product would you use to get them out???

Svend > thebigbossyboss 03/31/2014 at 07:33

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Any car interior shampoo or all purpose clean with a stiff nylon brush to agitate and loosen any ingrained debris and a wet vacuum should do the trick.

I use Valet Pro Enzyme Odour Eater as it removes stains, kills bacteria and leaves a nice fresh smell and other than an all purpose cleaner is the only product I need.

N/A POWAAAHH > thebigbossyboss 03/31/2014 at 08:05

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Honestly, I use light water and a vacuum. And I mean pour water on it, scrub it, then aggressively vacuum.

The Compromiser > Svend 03/31/2014 at 08:14

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I'd listen to him. after all what does he do all day?

A plastic bristled scrub brush and some mildly soapy water should do a decent job. Maks sure you have a wet/dry vac to clean up after.

thebigbossyboss > The Compromiser 03/31/2014 at 08:29

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Right will do. First though we must wait for the weather to get a bit better.

The Compromiser > thebigbossyboss 03/31/2014 at 09:00

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Yes. Its April Tomorrow and Im still on snow tires. SW Ontario, still sucks ass... NO more snow!

thebigbossyboss > The Compromiser 03/31/2014 at 09:31

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Lol Eastern Ontario is not any better. Believe me. Sunny and 7 today though. Nicest day of 2014 so far.

Svend > The Compromiser 03/31/2014 at 09:40

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Lol. Maybe not quite all day. Just eight hours some days, but depends on the car. May take two hours, may take 20 hours (I hate BMW black sapphire paint now).

thebigbossyboss > Svend 03/31/2014 at 09:55

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Gonna take 20 hours to get the salt stains out of my driverside carpet, that's for sure. That'll be one hell of a saturday! lol.

Svend > thebigbossyboss 03/31/2014 at 10:38

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Be patient and vacuum any heavy debris, then apply your cleaning solution (not too much, you don't want to saturate the floor just wet it enough to work with) and agitate gently at first applying extra pressure where needed. For more stubborn areas agitate, then leave for a couple of minutes or so and go to another area and come back once its had time to soak and soften the stain and vacuum up. Its best to work small areas at a time and periodically vacuum the whole area to see where your at and where needs further attention. Not to mention it will help stop the floor absorbing too much moisture which may take a while to thoroughly dry out.

A caravan dehumidifier box that usually retails at Walmart etc... for a few dollars will come in handy to absorb any excess moisture if the weather isn't all that warm. Leave the window slightly ajar during the day to help dry out and ventilate the car.

I did a mates Fiesta ST the other day after a passenger had trowled some clay into the passenger footwell. It looked horrendous at first but came up in no time.

thebigbossyboss > Svend 03/31/2014 at 10:40

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Right on thanks for the tip!! Hopefully should be good enough weather to get at this next weekend!

The Compromiser > thebigbossyboss 03/31/2014 at 10:45

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We had a good one a couple of months ago it was 11 and sunny. It lasted like an hour before the blizzards returned.

ThanksHARPER (?)

The Compromiser > Svend 03/31/2014 at 10:47

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I have a Dark Titanium Benz (OK, its a Dodge but they were basically the same at the time Right??). I have spent the day waxing before. and there are flat black stickers that react poorly to any cleaners or waxes, so i have to stop before I get to them and detail as close as I dare.... they are still white on the edges of some 2 years later from the first time I did it....

The Compromiser > thebigbossyboss 03/31/2014 at 10:49

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I bought Rubber Mats from The Car Brand so they fit perfectly. I haven't had a salt stain issue for the last 2 winters. This year, I dragged my feet (See what I did there??) and didn't put them in until January, so we will see what damage I hath wrought...

Meatcoma > The Compromiser 03/31/2014 at 10:55

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Kansas... still got my winter set on as well......

thebigbossyboss > The Compromiser 03/31/2014 at 11:11

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How to your mats fit under your clutch? This is the largest problem I face. I have the mats, but if I put them under the clutch I can't shift properly, or depress the neutral safety switch enough to get the car to start.

Svend > The Compromiser 03/31/2014 at 11:19

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I'm a 'sealer', I love sealants. The water beads and durability coupled with ease of use make them ideal for me.
If the stickers aren't straight lined stickers where you can use automotive masking tape (3M blue tape is a great low tack tape and leaves no pesky adhesive residue behind, yet is quite waterproof for any use around the car when cleaning), lightly damd cotton buds run along the edges can really help shift some of that build up and follow behind with a good microfibre cloth to buff anything left away.

The Compromiser > thebigbossyboss 03/31/2014 at 12:55

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I have Factory Branded ones and they are really flat. I also knock the snow off before I get in so I don't need the Pant Savers. In My Old car the clutch was far enough over I didn't have an issue. Your best bet is to trim out the top area that it hits. the upper section under the pedals only catches junk, it doesn't retain anything that I've seen. Unless your floor is flat.

The Compromiser > Svend 03/31/2014 at 12:58

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I've used everything I could. I used to be a professional detailer. These things absorb it in ways that normal badges don't. The stickers are flat black multi segmented so there is alot of real estate that is showing that is paint. The hood is better as it is a giant blackout sticker. I have to take it off though as it has started peeling away from the adhesive.

Svend > The Compromiser 03/31/2014 at 15:17

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Ouch. Sorry to hear that.
At least you know what your doing.
I was asked to look at a silver VW Lupo. The previous owner had covered it in stickers litterally everywhere and the new owner had just grabbed the edges and pulled. Thankfully the car had only faded round the stickers marginally and most that was left behind was adhesive but one or two showed clear coat damage.

The Compromiser > Svend 03/31/2014 at 16:00

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Yes. Ive had that. Im not looking forward to the buffing that is required to make the paint match on the hood. I may just get the replacement sticker and hide it again, after I clean it of course.

Svend > The Compromiser 03/31/2014 at 16:58

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That sounds like a good plan.

Before I head off to work. Here's one to make you laugh. A guy got in touch with me the other month. He wanted advice on wheel sealants. He had thoroughly cleaned his wheels and even removed the wheel weights and applied the ceramic sealant. Didn't wipe off the residue and put them back on the car and drove around for six hours and then wondered where he went wrong. Lol.

The Compromiser > Svend 03/31/2014 at 18:37

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stuck everywhere or baked on?

Svend > The Compromiser 03/31/2014 at 18:55

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Well because he hadn't wiped off the excess residue and gently buffed it it would crystalise rough on the wheel, also as he hadn't let it cure it would be prone to contaminants imbedding as it was curing not to mention he touched one of the wheels and found it was tacky leaving a smudge.

The Compromiser > Svend 03/31/2014 at 20:11

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so baSically it was as messy As bear Fur after A dUmp wiThout a rabbit in sight

Svend > The Compromiser 03/31/2014 at 21:45

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I was initally shocked that he had removed the wheel weights, then shocked he had not removed the excess, then shocked he didn't allow it to cure then put them straight back on the car and drove on them. The whole thing was a fiasco.

I hope I set him straight on it.

The Compromiser > Svend 03/31/2014 at 21:53

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That IS beyond anal. And to do it Wrong As well... I at least make sure I know the hows and whys before I start

Svend > The Compromiser 03/31/2014 at 23:38

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That's the thing, the website that sells the coating has very informative videos on how to apply and even you only need to Youtube the product to know how to use it. He's on the right forum now to learn properly and to ask any questions.

thebigbossyboss > Svend 04/04/2014 at 07:41

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So I did this yesterday. I didn`t have much in the way of cleaning solutions, so I just used water and a stiff brush. I worked on it for about an hour and a half. Anyways I was able to get about 80-90% of the stains out. Sadly, (because I suck) this was about 4 years of stains so it was tough going. I stopped when it started getting dark. I used a wet vac to suck up as much water as possible. Still did take a lot of dirt out, even without shampoo judging by the vaccuum.

Svend > thebigbossyboss 04/04/2014 at 08:12

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Nice one fella. It can take a while but it will come right. Leave it a while to dry out and give it another blast when you've time to. Its all about patience and being methodical.

thebigbossyboss > Svend 04/04/2014 at 08:24

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Thanks! It looks a lot better already. Since it`s supposed to rain tonight and tomorrow, I was thinking I`ll leave the carpets for now, and simply take some armour all to the dash and things. I figure if I do a little bit of detailing everyday, I will be able to slowly restore my car to it`s former glory.

Well, as much glory as 11 year old economy car can have.

Svend > thebigbossyboss 04/04/2014 at 10:30

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You'll get there fella. Just do it a bit at a time.

Again an all purpose cleaner a soft bristle brush, an old tooth brush (for tight gaps crevices) and plenty of microfibre cloths. Spray on a small area (being careful around electrical components), agitate the rough textured surface in small circular motions with the soft bristle brush and wipe off with a microfibre cloth, and move onto another area. Once completed apply any sheen or protectant to a cloth and wipe over (on dash top its not great to have a too shiny surface as you'll get a lot of glare reflected from the sun, so gently wipe over the top with a slightly damp cloth to reduce the sheen a little).

Just be careful this detailing lark can get expensive, I've just spent $250 this morning on decon sprays, bottles, cloths, QDs, sealants and fingers mitts for wheel cleaning. :)

thebigbossyboss > Svend 04/04/2014 at 11:22

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Thanks for the tips man!

Svend > thebigbossyboss 04/04/2014 at 11:37

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No worries fella. Anytime.

If you have any detailing questions check out detailingworld.co.uk its a detailing based forum with nearly 71,000 members who can help with almost any question you might have. Though its a U.K. based forum its members cover the entire globe.