I'm having trouble getting some stains out of a beige automotive carpet. I don't know what they were from, but it looks like coffee or hot chocolate (courtesy of the prior owner). I've been pretty successful with Tuff Stuff foaming cleaner on the rest of the carpet, but there's two spots that are being really stubborn (I've foamed and scrubbed multiple times). I'm not a professional detailer, so I don't have an extractor vacuum. Are there any products out there that might be better than what I'm using?
Need Help Cleaning Car Carpet
- Thread starter rcbk00
- Start date
RAYJAY
Well-known member
get really good carpet shampoo hot water and a wet shop vac, you can even try some APC on the stains ( do try a test spot undr seat or wera it can not be seen first) i persomal will soak the spot get it really wet and then scrub with a good stiff crubbing brush
stonesfan68
Well-known member
I rented a carpet cleaner from HD a couple of years ago when I had a similar situation. The hot water really helped to lift the stains out of the carpet.
dfiler2
Well-known member
I have had the best luck using just very hot water, keep in mind carpets are just small strands of plastic.
BillK
Well-known member
I have a friend who has done carpet his entire life. He turned us on to "Spot Shot" years a go. It works great for all sorts of small spots. Follow the directions !!!
Spot Shot Instant Carpet Stain Remover and Odor Eliminator: Official Site
Welcome to the official site for Spot Shot Instant Carpet Stain and Odor Eliminator.
www.spotshot.com
captaindiode
Well-known member
Anyone with a pet or child should have a carpet spot cleaner. Perfect for cars, carpet or rugs. Mine saved our rug from a hot chocalate spill most recently.
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Old Man Roger
Well-known member
I read somewhere on this forum that Gumout starter fluid cleans fabric really well. Haven’t tried it myself yet.
I'm sure it does. WD40 does a great job too but good luck getting the smell out with either. That would be one of those how bad do I want this stain out questions.
Old Man Roger
Well-known member
Back when I used to work on trash trucks, winter time meant we used ether like it was water. The smell dissipates reasonably fast, but I didn't go around sniffing air cleaners either..lol So you may be right.
Been there. Tuff Stuff is pretty good. The Blue Coral product is too. If you ca't get the stain out or it keeps coming back it is likely that whatever it is is soaked thoroughly in. The best idea is what's been posted, pull the carpet and pressure wash it.
Bretny
Well-known member
I recently cleaned a well neglected smoker's car that I bought for very cheap. I used a carpet cleaner hand wand but it be honest a shop vac would work just the same. I used "spray nine" and a drill brush. It did take many runs at it but I highly doubt this car was cleaned in 20yrs.
Even the headliner needed to be cleaned.
Even the headliner needed to be cleaned.
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engineer2
Well-known member
Another fan of Spot Shot.
When the kids were little we used it all the time.
Home Depot and Lowes sells it.
When the kids were little we used it all the time.
Home Depot and Lowes sells it.
Has anyone tried this Spot Shot on headliners? Previous owner of my Tahoe must have had a family of 5 living in it and the interior was disgusting. Even a hot power washer and Oxy Clean wouldn't touch the carpet so I ended up dying it black 
Got everything cleaned up good but the headliner still needs some work.
Got everything cleaned up good but the headliner still needs some work.tinmanwpk
Well-known member
Some of these chemicals should be spot tested in inconspicuous places in case they do something nasty to your fabric.
scottmoyer
Well-known member
Depends on the vehicle, but it may be a better choice, and less hassle, to just replace the carpet. You get a fresh interior, new car smell and you don't need to worry about what that stain was. I've seen some carpets for as low as $200.
This is potentially a lot of work. Even compared to removal and powerwashing.
scottmoyer
Well-known member
How so? If you're removing it and power washing it, wouldn't it be easier to install the new carpet instead of reinstalling the old washed carpet?
Have you installed many new carpets? Especially the cheapest possible carpets?
It is common for the aftermarket ones to require some fitting and cutting of holes. Some of them are better molded than others. Some cars and carpet designs will be easier than others.
It could be a 10 minute job but it could also be a lot harder.
4xdog
Well-known member
I've had great luck with Blue Coral. The stuff's amazing.
Pressure washing indeed works beautifully. There's all kinds of dirt in an automotive carpet that will come out that way. Wash it on a sloping part of your drive and it'll self-drain pretty efficently.
scottmoyer
Well-known member
And yes, I have installed automotive carpets before. It's not a big deal.
Old thread, but the best carpet cleaner I've seen by far is Folex (https://www.homedepot.com/p/Folex-3...MWEu8z1VTdejEg9YqWhoC42YQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds).
It's cheap, available off the shelf from Home Depot, and (unlike Blue Coral and everything else) it has no smell at all -- but it's a highly effective carpet cleaner. I can't recommend Folex more highly -- I don't know how it cleans so well without the smell of chemicals, but it gets the job done.
It's cheap, available off the shelf from Home Depot, and (unlike Blue Coral and everything else) it has no smell at all -- but it's a highly effective carpet cleaner. I can't recommend Folex more highly -- I don't know how it cleans so well without the smell of chemicals, but it gets the job done.
Metal-Marc
Well-known member
This.
Using a carpet extractor or at least a wet vac works great on getting stuff out. Spray on wipe off doesn't do much for heavier stains.
Depending on how old the car is taking it out and pressure hosing it down can be a bad idea. Depending on what kind of car it is a lot of newer cars have thick molded foam on the back instead of having under padding like cars used to and that stuff can take days to dry out.
Depending on how old the car is taking it out and pressure hosing it down can be a bad idea. Depending on what kind of car it is a lot of newer cars have thick molded foam on the back instead of having under padding like cars used to and that stuff can take days to dry out.