Best way to clean carpets?

Last triumph

Last triumph

Well-known user
My '81 has original silver carpets in good condition, although they are dirty and need a really good clean. They look closer to dirty oyster now than silver and I'd like to really freshen them up.

I watch all sorts of valeting and detailing videos on Youtube and see endless varieties of cleaning methods from steamers, drill brushes, wet vacs, pump sprayers etc and some of the methods look very wearing on the carpet - especially the drill brush method, which I can't imagine 40 year old GM quality carpet enjoys?

What products and methods have you used to bring your original, pale but grubby carpets back?

I have access to a VAX and have plenty of G101 available, but am happy to invest in other tools or cleaning fluids/solvents etc to get the job done right without wearing out the carpets in the process. They look like they could do with a something VERY soapy.
 
richie500

richie500

CCCUK Member
The drill brushes worked for me on my jeep and corvette, you have to go easy slow rpm and not too much pressure. worked really well with stain remover etc.
I bought a set on ebay of £7 delivered.
 
A

Alben78

Well-known user
I’ve used the small detail brush on our Vac carpet cleaner on a number of vehicles with good results. I would strongly recommend that you use as powerful vacuum cleaner to remove as much loose dirt as possible before you even try the wet vac. Just adding moisture to ground in dirt seems to produce a wet sludge which is difficult to remove. You may need to repeat a couple of times for best results allowing the carpet to properly dry between each treatment. And make sure it’s all thoroughly dry once finished otherwise you may be storing up problems. If you can actually remove the carpets it makes the job easier and the drying out quicker.
 
Last triumph

Last triumph

Well-known user
I'm wet vac'ing all the carpets in the '81 with silver interior using a VAX machine - such a satisfying process watching all the brown dirty water rise up the clear extraction nozzle and I'm having 'mostly' good results.

I say mostly, in one or two areas, I just can't get them any cleaner - especially the drivers floor mat, which when I started was very dirty indeed, almost brown.

I'm using ValetPro carpet cleaner which gets rave reviews and to be fair, its VERY good, but after about the 4th attempt, no more dirty water is coming up the vac nozzle - just clean, white foam, which tells me all the dirt has been extracted.

By way of example, these floor mats have been jet washed with the pressure washer, scrubbed and scrubbed with a brush, soaked, drenched, vac'd and repeated and had every soap, chemical, stain remover and solvent I have in my arsenal thrown at them, and this is the result....

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Yes its a pair of matts that can be replaced, I get that - I'm more interested in the process and science of carpet cleaning - has the original grey colour simply worm away here, i.e there's no dirt OR grey pigment left, or is it stained beyond the point of recovery?

As I say, nothing I throw at it releases any colour or dirt whatsoever now - its 'clean', just not a uniform colour - why?

Just curious to see if that's it, or there's anything else I can do to bring back the silver and remove the discolouration?
 
Nassau65

Nassau65

CCCUK Member
That’s always a problem with light coloured mats, the drivers one shows badly even after a cleaning. With silver carpets, black mats or even a mat drivers side will always protect the carpet. Easily taken out for shows etc. Once too horrible it’s easily replaced.
 
Corvetteville

Corvetteville

CCCUK Member
As Barry says, you can get carpet paint, yes really, but I've only ever seen it in black. Great for reviving clean but faded mats.
My interior is Oyster & shows every mark. I usually hand spot clean first, using a nail brush & 1001 carpet cleaner. Then go over with the Vax.
 
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