Kevin in Atlanta

My 87 has had its brake booster replaced some time recently in its past. I know this from the beck arnley (I think) part sticker on the brake booster and the left over brake fluid in the carpet in the cabin :-(. The carpet on the firewall near the clutch pedal assembly is folded over and I will need to re-glue it after I get it cleaned.

The carpets are in really good shape otherwise. I believe they are replacements from the nap of the carpet.

What is the best way to get the carpets cleaned?

Kevin

Mrmerlin

with a shop vac get some brake cleaner and spray it into the stain,
then vacuum it out,
work in a well ventilated area,
spray it suck it,
work fast the stains will come out and the carpet will be dry.
follow with a carpet shampoo

NOTE make sure the cleaner isnt flammable

Gary Knox

Since brake fluid and water are miscible, LOTS of water should be OK as well.

Gary

Kevin in Atlanta

Miscible... I will look that up - but thanks.

Mrmerlin

the brake fluid spray works pretty well on grease stains too ,
dont let it soak as it can loosen the adhesive on the carpet

GlenL

I'd go laundry soap and water. Replace any soaked foam rubber.

dcrasta

You can try spot carpet cleaner (Spray on scrub dry vacuum.. ).

Dean_Fuller

Easier to clean out of the car. I have always used a pressure washer for carpets. Let dry in the sun.

dr bob

I also take stuff like that completely out of the car. Wash the carpet itself in a regular washing machine after pre-washing in a bucket with a little Liquid Tide to get as much brake fluid out as possible -before- you put it into the washing machine. Remember that brake fluid will damage paint finishes even if it does fall out of carpet vs a dribble from a bottle. Be careful!

With the carpet out, you can assess the damage done to padding and sound-deadening. Water and a shop-vac to start with, followed by detergent and water, then vacuum again to get that stuff out. Repeat until it's all clean again. Let it dry COMPLETELY before putting stuff back in. You may want to restore damaged paint if the fluid has been soaking in for a while. I the sound deadening is soaked, your only real choice is replacement; you just can't get it all out of the rubber junk.

depami

I would remove carpet, discard sound deadening/padding, saturate carpet with Dawn dish soap and scrub with brush, hose down with high pressure wand at car wash. Continue hosing until rinse is clear of soap. Repeat as required. Vacuum up as much water as possible and let air dry before reinstalling. The sound deadening/padding cannot be cleaned of the brake fluid and must be replaced.

Podguy

Brake clean might discolor the carpet. I would start with alcohol. it is pretty much non toxic and cheap. You can flood on a lot of alcohol and not do any damage.

I have a Bisel - it is useless on the house carpet but I put in some Zep carpet cleaner in it full strength and it seems to work great on Porsche carpet. Some closed cell foam would make a great replacement for the padding.

When I put in the brake booster I used some windshield sealer between the chassis and the booster. Even if the brake master is leaking the fluid should not come inside the car.

kevinlieb

I would say brake cleaner is ALWAYS flammable. I wouldn't suck it up with a sparky vacuum.

Bill Ball

Also, brake cleaner formulations include acetone (Gunk is up to 40% acetone), which might dissolve some of the glues and backing material that hold the carpet together.

depami

Wonder how long that will last? No where near as long, when you don't copy it to a new post.......... G

Did you try any cleaning method yet?