Read Rob's carpet cleaning adventure using Napisan, started me Googling around for sources and substitutes. Apparently the main ingredient is Sodium Percarbonate, which in water turns into hydrogen peroxide and sodium carbonate. Its the active ingredient in pretty much all the stuff with oxy in the name and goes in all kind of cleaning stuff, but usually fairly low concentration (like 10%). Napisan and some other "Booster" type products have more like 25%.

So far while many do like Napisan, not seeing the special in it vs similar products for cleaning carpet or laundry. Three that look good are:

20 Mule Borax around $3
Shout Oxy carpet
Oxy Tide.

 

The 1 kg size of Napisan was stupid expensive with shipping (nearly $30) and is 32% sodium percarbonate by weight. Looking at the various chemical supply houses I have access to through work, 500 g of sodium percarbonate with 13-14% active oxygen is ~$20, so I guess that $18 wasn't too crazy, and the $12 shipping that meant I didn't have to drive to Ohio to pick it up seems semi-reasonable too.

 

Wow! The importer has a healthy mark up. Here's the current retail at my local supermarket (AU$6.00 = US$4.76). I normally buy the 2kg for about AU$16.

 

I've seen a 1kg for about $13 shipped from the UK, but other sources for the pure stuff or 75% turned up looking better so I wandered down that path a bit, OxiClean is one option.

www.soapgoods.com sells the basics cheap for all sorts of cleaning items.

2000 Lbs ($0.95 per lb) $ 1897.50
1000 Lbs ($1.02 per lb) $ 1024.65
50 Lbs ($1.28 per lb) $ 63.75
24 Lbs ($1.54 per lb) $ 37.00
6 Lbs ($1.77 per lb) $ 10.60
1 Lb ($3.06 per lb) $ 3.06

Seems like this stuff may be bulky, as 6lbs they say takes a large flat rate box at like $18.

Which leads me back to reading the labels of a whatever is on the shelf at Walmart.

 

Seems the way to go, and in fact is worth researching on lots of other products (like sealants and cleaners you have over there, that we don't have here, that I've found equivalents for) ... I'll bet that there is something over there that also has Sodium Percarbonate.

Active ingredient, as Rob has already stated, is 300g/1kg = about 2/3 lb per 1kg container.... 6lbs would be equivalent to 10 x 1kg containers of active ingredient.

 

Sold under the brand name 'Resolve' in North America...
http://www.powerofresolve.ca/product...y-oa-iw-sr.php

Though both Vanish Oxi Action (what was napisan in Oz) and Resolve Oxi Action are produced by Reckitt Benckiser.

 

Resolve sounds like the deal in the USA, maybe a combination of there products.

Something to keep in mind with all bleach type "cleaners" is that that they are not cleaners, the dirt or whatever isn't removed, its color is so you have white dirt that looks clean. The disinfecting and action on mold etc. is great, but best results might come from using strict cleaners first while you can still see the dirt.

Rob have you tried any carpet bits in Greg's ultrasonic cleaner?

AFAIK the big gun commercial carpet cleaners use is still Citrisolve in concentrations not safe for home use (dissolves the container in a few months).

 

Trust Billy-

 

Ron I didn't want to talk about just this on your thread - I pulled the carpets from the 30k 86.5 and wanted to do what you accomplished - but what about the dried grass backing? Doesn't that get destroyed?

 

Not sure how the backing would hold up, but I have to imagine if you run them in a washing machine on cold cycle with a low speed spin and then line dry them in the sun they'd be fine. Do the experiment on the least visible small piece in the set?

There's no real backing on any of the carpets in the '91, besides the footwell floor carpets which have ~3/4" of molded closed cell foam: (the foam here is focally crispy, this pic is from a 1991 'small' burn car getting refurbed at Gregs, the rear 'U' hose split IIRC)

 

So they did go to foam eventually.

 

Only on the 5 pieces that touch the floorboards and rear deck. Molded on the bottom to fit into the 'ribs' in the floorboard metal. Heavy as hell, I should get a weight on the rear cargo mat, it's ridiculous.