How To Clean Car Carpets

Why Clean Your Car Carpets?

A dirty car interior can be physically dangerous or damaging to our health. Studies prove that cars can carry up to an incredible 1,700 times more bacteria than the average house!
A university study found 283 different types of bacteria per square centimetre, with the boot/truck carrying around 850 bacteria types.
Carpets get clogged full of dust and grime from skin and hair follicles, stuff we tread in from the outside (dog faeces, food, general dirt), and any food or drinks we may spill or drop. All this gets stirred up and blown around the cabin every time we shuffle our feet in the car, or turn on the air vents.
Clean carpets mean we aren't breathing all that bad bacteria and dust in, and it also means a much fresher-smelling car too.
If you're selling your car, getting rid of any stains on the carpets will increase its value.

A vacuum cleaner that can do both wet and dry vacuuming. You will not get a thoroughly clean carpet unless it has been shampooed first. If you don't own one, a friend or family member may have one you can borrow.
Good quality carpet shampoo. This can be in the form of one that the vacuum manufacturers sell which you dilute with warm water, or it can be a spray-on version sold in any good car detailing/valeting store.
A stain remover. We sell a superb version: Chipex Stain and Odour Buster, which will safely break down and remove messes resulting from: dog dirt, vomit, wine, ink, chocolate ketchup and more.

Clear out all of the old rubbish. Check under your car seats to make sure it's tidy under those too.
Empty the boot as that needs thoroughly cleaning as well.
Remove the car mats. If the boot carpet is removable, do that as it's easier to clean when out of the car.
Dry-vacuum the carpets and car mats to remove as much of the dry dust and dirt as possible. This will make it easier to clean at the wet-vac stage.
Spray the diluted carpet shampoo mixture or spray cleaner onto the carpets and mats. Do not over-saturate them, as this can cause staining and make it very time-consuming when drying them.
Leave the product to settle and work its way deep into the fibres. Around 5 to 10 minutes will do.
Use a soft brush to gently work in the product. This will aid in bringing the deeper dirt and grime to the surface of the carpet.
Vacuum up the excess moisture with the wet vac. Make sure to be thorough, and also take your time so you don't miss spots.
If you can't get all the way under the front seats, use a soft-bristle brush, work in the carpet cleaner product, leave it to settle before removing as much excess as you can with a dry microfibre cloth.
Dirty carpets and mats may need to have this process repeated a few times. Keep checking the water colour in the vacuum waste tub until it is clear.
Use the Chipex Stain and Odour Buster if there are any stubborn or deep stains that need to be removed.