Just wanted to get some opinions, about cleaning carpet and fabric seats. (not the cooper just yet). I need to clean the both of these areas and was planning on using an off the shelf fabric cleaner (maybe the kind with the attached brush on the bottle) and use the wet/dry to suck up the moisture. Any ideas on this? Any brands better than others or are there better ways of doing this?

 

I use this stuff called Blue Coral, you can get it a Wallmart and places like that. It is more of a dry cleaning solution that cleans well and drys fast.

 

If you are going to use a vac to suck up the water, just try water first.

I have cleaned up a few cars just using a bucket of water to soak the area and scrub with a brush. I did not use a vac, just some rags to soak up the water. The seats and carpet looked like new.

If you have an oil based stain, Mothers makes a very good cleaner which you can use before scrubing with water.

The nice thing about plain water is that there is no residue left over to attract dirt after the clean up, like soaps will do if not rinsed well.

 

I've used Griot's Interior Cleaner for years and have never been disappointed. Spritz onto the affected areas of upholstery or carpet, scrub if you must, and blot dry. Works great.

 

i sure need to clean my interior sometime. gotta moisturize the leather/ette? O.o
but so far i just blow all my dust out. open both doors and rear hatch then i use a pressurized air hoze? (uhhhh..i dunno wat it's called..)
but i just blow away all the dust. works real well..mm hmm
i will have to try wat you guys are mentioning tho. i need lots of shopping to do.

 

I think most agree that 303 Fabric Cleaner is the best at cleaning fabrics and removing stains.

 

Do you have any tips on using 303? I used it on my Jeep with great effect, but on BMW floor mats it barely made a dent. I used the same dilution and everything, and vaccumed it out after letting it sit for a few mins. Should I scrub it with a brush (what kind???) or a rag? Thanks alot!

 

so i removed my a/s floor mats out of the legacy and civic over the weekend
to find stains along the outer premeter where the matts were.

First i pulled out my shopvac to clean up the sand/pebbles, salt rocks.

Then, pulled out my Griot's Interior Cleaner and sprayed away... agitated
the stained carpet (around pedals, etc. too) with a small firm nylon bristle brush, then just wiped up with paper towels.

WOW, so easy, so fast, so clean!

pulled out my carpet floormats and laid them down. looks fanastic...
can't tell these cars were used through the winter.

 

Be careful how much water you use. If you use too much you can get the carpet padding wet and that's something you really don't want to do. You can create a harbor for mold and mildew and and musty smells. Not a good thing.

 

+1 on the 303. I use a stiff brush and then vac.

 

They may be too far gone. I use 303 scrub with a wide bristle brush, then throw the mats in the tub with laundry soap and hot water, scrub some more then rinse and hang to dry. Works like a charm. The tub looks like crap but hey, it cleans up.

 

water?

Interior Cleaner! it's not going to mold from just some sprayage
from cleaning. you're wiping up the cleaner and crap from the carpeting
with the paper towel...that's why it cleans up. it does not mysteriously
clean up by itself like bleach cleaners.

 

-2, i think Griot's is still better.

haven't tried the 303 cleaner.

 

aw, ignorance is still the better part of bliss so it seems.
Be sure not to try anything new, you might like it and then it would render your current products obsolete.

 

i still got a lot of Interior Cleaner left.

maybe next season.

 

Based on recommendations of this board, I bought two bottles of the Griot Interior cleaner. Finally got to use it today.....Major disappointment. Using a bucket of water would have left the same result. The mud and salt of the winter came off, but it hardly looks "beautiful". I could barely tell where I did and didn't swipe. For all the crap Armour-All gets from the detailing experts, I much prefer the shiny clean look it leaves. Armour-all is supposedly bad for the MINI's interior, but I doubt my pleather is gonna crack and fall apart from the sun as I garage my car.

 

Sorry to hear the Griot's didn't work for you. It worked a charm for me on my 35-year old Mercedes with light-colored carpet/seats etcetera.

As for the Armor-All, if you like the finish, then go for it. Don't worry about the stories claiming that AA will damage your vinyl/plastic over time. There was a time when AA reformulated their product because of damage concerns, but that was decades ago.

 

Since I have a whole bottle of Griot's interior left, it just might come in handy for removing the watermarks on my wife's fabric seats.

 

InteriorCleaner works great for me.

i also use vinegar + water to remove salt stained carpeting that InteriorCleaner can't get out.

 

How do you get the vinegar smell back out of your car tho kenchan?

 

i just eat more vinegar and salt potato chips so the smell does not bother me any longer.


i keep the car well ventilated for 2-3wks.

i have window visors on my dd so i can keep the windows cracked open all day long.