Restoring original carpet?

Mandalore88

now that the weather is getting nicer, I am going to take out the carpet (carpet, not floor mats) and try to restore it.

Should I:

A) Rent a carpet cleaner ($25 + $20 for the soap)

Take the carpet to an industrial laundry mat ($5 i dunno?)


I would of course rather just wash it at a laundry mat but I'd be worried it would get damaged? If I washed it in hot water or put it in the dryer? If I were to put it in the dryer it would only be on light/tumble not high heat. Renting a carpet cleaner is a second choice because it is so incredibly saturated in dust/dirt/clay, I would be afraid the carpet cleaner wouldn't be able to handle it.

EDIT: Oh yeah, I am going to dye it after it dries. I was planning on this. Anyone had success with this product?

http://www.joann.com/joann/catalog/prod ... D=prd11794

ragenasian

You should just do it by hand (soap, water, and a hard bristle brush) on a sunny day and let it sit out to dry.

Mandalore88

Cool thanks. I just had a brainstorm: what about a pressure washer on the lowest setting? This dirt is really caked into the fabric.

bam-bam

A pressure washer will work, too. Just be careful of damaging the carpet. My friend Hoss did his and it came out nice.

leWolf

yes to the pressure washer, no to the dye! Dye is meant for organic fabrics and your carpets wold hold the dye.

SiWagon

Back to basics.Some of the best way is the simplest,but requires time.
Lay the carpet on the ground.
Hose off as much dirt,etc. as possible.If you can use one of those high pressure nozzles that you see normally on a garden hose(looks like a fire hose or squirt gun).This helps 'cuz it pre-soaks it.
Mix liquid detergent or dish washing liquid in a bucket of water and pour it all over the carpet.
Scrub the stubborn stains to loosen & work the soap into.
Go away & return at least 1 hour later.This is probably the most important step.Most spots just need time to soften.
Now just hose the whole carpet off.If you're not happy with this you can still power wash it.
Hang to air dry.I probably wouldn't recommend a dryer 'cuz it may deform the carpet( remember it's molded.).

Mandalore88

cool thanks guys, i like the idea of letting it soak in detergent. maybe ill soak it in a garbage can w/ detergent.

dr.gts

i use spray cans for cleaning upholestry from walmart.

works great!! (like scotch, ...etc)

jpciii

I like your soaking it in a trash can (or similar)... you'll still need to get on your hands and knees and scrub it with a brush though.

Here's an old thread (I should probably update it) about cleaning up my daily driver... it has some carpet cleaning before/after pics.
http://ef-honda.com/main/viewtopic.php?t=35335

Eagle Beagle

to dry...
you can you use the car and turn the vent and heat up high...
engine running...
for at least an hour...
leave a small opening(windows?) for the moist to get out...
you get the idea...

dont forget your towel...
(sauna)

helps everytime...

Mandalore88

Here's an update on what I've done so far

1) Pressure washed for approx 1 hour

2) Submerged in a huge garbage can with laundry detergent and a bottle of totally awesome degreaser for 3 days

3) Pressure washed again, thinking I'd just have to rinse the soap out. After pressure washing for 20 min or so more dirt started coming out. Continued pressure washing in sections for about 2 hours. I would wash one quarter of it at a time until the water ran %100 clear, after about 20-30 minutes I could wash that area again and more dirt would come out.

4) Finally the water ran clear from pressure washing, I put it back in the garbage can with more detergent and degreaser. It has been soaking for 24 hours and hopefully I'll have time tomorrow night to pressure wash it again and see if I can get more dirt out.

I bought a can of spray paint for vinyl and carpet, I will test it and get more if it works out.

leWolf

Now you got me wondering what new carpet would cost or even where I would order it.

hondaracer72

i used this and it worked perfectly.

hondaracer72

after about 5 dollars at the local car wash spraying off all of the dog and cat piss.

leWolf

hondaracer72 wrote:

after about 5 dollars at the local car wash spraying off all of the dog and cat piss.

What are you talking about?

Mandalore88

lol i don't even know....

That duplicolor is what I have too. I might test the rustoleum version too....

hondapartscheap.com has carpet but its approx $350. If I could afford $350 dollar carpet I probably wouldn't be driving a wagon...

Or more likely I'd have a wagon and another car lol.

vtecn8ive

I took my floormats up to self wash car spot and just used the pressure washer and brush there

leWolf

Mandalore88 wrote:

lol i don't even know....

That duplicolor is what I have too. I might test the rustoleum version too....

hondapartscheap.com has carpet but its approx $350. If I could afford $350 dollar carpet I probably wouldn't be driving a wagon...

Or more likely I'd have a wagon and another car lol.

$350? ouch :x

Mandalore88

Update so far:

Pressure washed
soaked for 3 days
pressure washed
soaked for 3 more days
pressure washed a third time

Carpet looks great now. After the second soaking and during the third pressure washing no dirt came out after the laundry detergent was washed away. It is really amazing, it went from poofing clouds of dirt when touched to a totally different color and clean.

I have a couple dyes I'm gonna test on the rear floor mats

$9
http://www.vhtpaint.com/vinyldye.html

$6
http://www.autozone.com/autozone/catalo ... Rust-Oleum

civicking1990

Hey bro here's a link that i'd think it would help you out. . .
http://civic-eg.com/viewtopic.php?t=5256