Salanis
Salanis SuperDork
12/19/09 5:30 p.m.

So, for Christmas I am going to totally clean out my girlfriend's car. I'm thinking it could really stand to have all the upholstery cleaned. I figure I could rent an upholstery cleaner and take care of it, and then use it to clean out the van I just bought.

Any suggestions on systems for cleaning out car upholstery and carpet? I was thinking I'd probably just rent a Rug Doctor or something from nearby.

wherethefmi
wherethefmi Dork
12/19/09 5:56 p.m.

Going the steam cleaner route should work just let it air out real good some of those carpet cleaners have a weird smell, that and it'll have to dry out good or I bet I'd get musty in there.

noodle
noodle New Reader
12/19/09 6:11 p.m.

Lots of good advice over on the Vortex......

http://forums.vwvortex.com/zeroforum?id=24

mad_machine
mad_machine SuperDork
12/19/09 11:37 p.m.

people clean their cars? I shovel mine out every couple of weeks..

gamby
gamby SuperDork
12/20/09 12:44 a.m.

I'm a huge fan of Blue Coral upholstery cleaner. They have one w/ a odor killer that works great. Pulls out some serious stains, too. Spray foam on, let sit, scrub w/ brush, blot off w/ towel. A can is 5 bucks.

I'm going to start following it up w/ the Bissel Green Machine (I think that's what it's called) that I bought. It's an extractor that pulls all sorts of crap out of carpets. I've been using it in my basement and it works pretty well.

mad_machine wrote: people clean their cars? I just light mine on fire every couple of weeks..

Fixed for 'ya!

MitchellC
MitchellC HalfDork
12/20/09 1:24 a.m.

A method mentioned on here before is take all of the carpet out, pressure wash it, and let it air dry.

Salanis
Salanis SuperDork
12/20/09 1:59 a.m.
gamby wrote: I'm a huge fan of Blue Coral upholstery cleaner. They have one w/ a odor killer that works great. Pulls out some serious stains, too. Spray foam on, let sit, scrub w/ brush, blot off w/ towel. A can is 5 bucks. I'm going to start following it up w/ the Bissel Green Machine (I think that's what it's called) that I bought. It's an extractor that pulls all sorts of crap out of carpets. I've been using it in my basement and it works pretty well.

Where do you pick up that upholstery cleaner?

Actually, it appears that my girlfriend has a Bissell Little Green Proheat. I should get some more formula for that while I'm at it.

Lesley
Lesley SuperDork
12/20/09 9:21 a.m.

Speaking of smells -- I've found that Meguiar's vinyl conditioner is really nice with a car that's going to be stored awhile. My truck and MX3 don't move from November til May, and the truck smells really fresh when I open the doors. It's not a strong smell, just clean. The MX3 not so much. I'm still working on it - bought it from a smoker 6 months ago and it still stinks a bit when it's damp.

dean1484
dean1484 Dork
12/20/09 9:48 a.m.

Pulling in to get gas and pondering if you can use the squeegee to clean the inside of your windows.. . . Yes some of that cars I have had were really that bad!!!

The best thing i got to keep my cars clean was a paved driveway.

Gearheadotaku
Gearheadotaku HalfDork
12/20/09 9:51 a.m.
dean1484 wrote: Pulling in to get gas and pondering if you can use the squeegee to clean the inside of your windows.. . . Yes some of that cars I have had were really that bad!!!

did that to a car I borrowed once. Couldn't see out, drastic measures were required...

mad_machine
mad_machine SuperDork
12/20/09 8:06 p.m.
dean1484 wrote: The best thing i got to keep my cars clean was a paved driveway.

yea, this place has a rock driveway.. so I am always picking rocks out of the car.. where I used to work, managment parked on pavement.. the rest of us parked on dirt... great fun when it rained

gamby
gamby SuperDork
12/20/09 9:11 p.m.
Salanis wrote:
gamby wrote: I'm a huge fan of Blue Coral upholstery cleaner. They have one w/ a odor killer that works great. Pulls out some serious stains, too. Spray foam on, let sit, scrub w/ brush, blot off w/ towel. A can is 5 bucks. I'm going to start following it up w/ the Bissel Green Machine (I think that's what it's called) that I bought. It's an extractor that pulls all sorts of crap out of carpets. I've been using it in my basement and it works pretty well.
Where do you pick up that upholstery cleaner?

Target, WalMart, auto parts store--very common stuff.

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