How to Shampoo the Carpet in a Car

Pets, children and the accidents of daily life can make a car's carpet look old and worn out, even if it isn't. This dated look can be avoided by taking the time to shampoo the carpet in your car every now and then. If you clean it often, you'll also help retain the value of your car.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Wet/Dry vac
• General cleaner
• General degreaser
• Carpet shampoo
• Spray bottle
• Apron
• Stiff tire brush

1. Put on an apron to protect your clothes from getting dirty. You also have the option to change and put on old clothes.

2. Vacuum the interior carpet thoroughly. Remove everything that's not attached to the car, such as floor mats.

3. Spray the mat carpet with a degreaser. Scrub the mats, then rinse them. Vacuum them and then put them someplace out of the way to dry. Be sure to hang them vertically.

4. Clean any stubborn stains with an all purpose cleaner. Then mix some concentrated carpet cleaner with water to create a foam. The foam is what you'll use to shampoo the carpet in a car.

5. Apply the foam to the interior of the car beginning at the driver's side floor. Move up to the seats, then work your way around the inside of the car.

6. Scrub the foam into the carpet using a stiff tire brush. You might only need to scrub the really dirty areas because the foam will clean any light surface dirt on its own.

7. Vacuum to foam off thoroughly. As you vacuum, you'll remove the foam and any dirt the foam and scrubbing loosened.

Tips & Warnings

• General carpet cleaners and degreasers can be bought at carpet stores.
• You can use a carpet steam cleaner to remove shampoo foam from the interior of a car if the car carpet is extremely dirty. It may take a few rounds of steaming to get it completely clean.

[sebailey]

on 12/26/2008 vinegar or baking soda, they both naturally absorb smell. I bought a car that had a wet dog smell. I placed several(maybe two) bowls of vinegar in my car overnight and they next morning the wet dog smell was gone. The vinegar odor remained for an hour or two, but driving with the windows down really helps. Shampoo carpet as well to get rid of any remaining urine.

[Davidgal]

on 12/9/2008 My daughter has recetently purchased a 6 year old car that has obviously been carrying dogs. We have tried all sorts of sprays etc. What is the best method to remove the smell