TOGWT

To hand clean carpet and upholstery:
A heated carpet extractor is going to work much better than a shop wet-vac. You should be able to find a place in your area that rents these machines by the day. Cleaning interiors by hand is a labour intensive and time-consuming process.
Methodology
•Use a rubber bristle brush go over the carpet material to raise the fibres
•Vacuum area very thoroughly (Metro Vac N' Blo®) to lift all the loose dirt from the carpet
•Remove any stains with a ‘spot’ remover (303™ Spot Remover & Cleaner)
•Spot treat really bad stains (303TM Cleaner & Spot Remover or Woolite® Heavy Traffic Carpet Foam)
•Use a pre-cleaner solution, 10:1 distilled hot water/ P21S Total Auto Wash, let solution dwell for 5-10 minutes to enable cleaners to react
•After sufficient dwell time agitate pre cleaner solution with an upholstery brush to ‘friction scrub’ surfaces
•Mist spray surfaces with hot water
•Brush the carpet to raise the nap and loosen ground in dirt
•Remove the excess moisture, using a Wet/Dry vacuum (preferably a carpet extractor system) and allow carpets / mats to thoroughly dry before use
•Once fabric is dry apply a fabric protection (303TM High Tech Fabric Guard)

Note: Use the hottest water available it also helps to pre-spray the carpet with hot water when hand cleaning carpets / mats

I’m repeatedly asked which product is the best interior cleaner. There is no one-product answer, as the so-called all purpose cleaners (APC) do not remove every stain, different stains require different solvents to remove them.
Between these four cleaners you should be able to remove 99% of stains occurring in the interior of a vehicle and around the home –
(a) 303™ Rug / Upholstery Cleaner & Spot Remover
(b) P21S Total Auto Wash (a citrus-based all purpose cleaner (APC)
(c) Woolite® Heavy Traffic Carpet Foam or Hoover Deep Cleansing Carpet/Upholstery Detergent
(d) Folex Instant Carpet Spot Remover

Classifying stains-
a) Organic stains- these include proteins and fats, body oils, mould yeast, bacteria, bugs and carbohydrates. Most of the stains found in the vehicle interior are of an organic nature and require an alkaline type cleaner. Some organic stains (i.e. blood, vomit, urine) should be removed with an enzyme type cleaner and a disinfectant applied to the area - Protein Stain Remover HT-67 – http//:www.topoftheline.com will remove blood, urine pet, and food stains,

b) Non-Organic stains- mostly found on the exterior of the vehicle, hard water scale (calcium) lime deposits, Road tar, grease and oil film, and require an acidic type cleaner.

c) Petroleum soils - substances that do not contain water, nor are they miscible, these soil types include, motor oils, and crease and road tar, and require a solvent type cleaner.

Stain Types-a) Water Soluble Stains- These stains can be dissolved in cool water or loosened with water based cleaner, coffee; soft drinks, cocoa and chocolate are good examples.

b) Oil soluble stains- These are stains that are comprised of oily or greasy substances, which include cooking, oil from fried foods and suntan oil.

c) Combination Stains- These stains contain both water based and oil-soluble properties. Cleaning these stains require treatment with a petroleum solvent followed by water based cleaning solution.

d) Unidentifiable Stains- Sometimes stains cannot be identified. Treat these stains like a combination stain. Clean with a petroleum solvent followed by water based cleaner.

Different cleaning methods to remove two different types of contaminants
1. Hot water and liquid soap to remove water-soluble contaminants:
Dirt, Mud
Road Salt

2. Wax and Grease Remover to remove solvent soluble contaminants:
Grease and Oil (Stoner’s Tarminator)
Road Tar ditto
Tree Sap ditto
Bird Droppings ditto
Wax and Polishes (DuPont Prepsol)
Silicone ditto

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