Offbrand Carpet Shampoo/Cleaner.
 

Hey guys, well tomorrow morning I plan on giving the GS a real good cleaning all around. Interior and out. This time though I want to shampoo/clean the carpets. My GS has been through 5 previous owners that DID not take very good care of the interior. I have a must smell every time I step into the car and I just can't take it anymore, so I want to shampoo/clean all the carpet and try my best to get rid of the smell. I don't think right now I want to order all the top notch stuff from the professionals, but will suffice with a few items from AutoZone..

So the main question is.. What is the best carpet cleaner/shampoo to use that will do it's job, but also give a good fresh smelling scent to the carpet that I can pick up from AutoZone? I see they have Turtle Wax, Bestop, Blue Coral, Blue Magic, Tuff Stuff.... So what would be best to go with?

Thanks in advance,

-D

I have had great results with Tuff Stuff, making sure to follow the directions, but might I suggest seeing what a carpet cleaning service might charge? I would bet you could get them to use their professional equipment on your car if you tell them the situation for less than $ 50-60, and that is well worth it, IMO.

Big Mack

I would honestly do that, but at the moment I am having to put money into other places. Not saying I can't spend ANY on the GS, but $50-60 is quite a bit for the moment. Plus I would love to do it myself. I like to clean and take care of my car myself, so I favor going that direction more.

Thank you for your info though man. I appreciate it. :)

Yeah I have had surprisingly great success with Tuff Stuff. I just bought some when I was bored. It's not as good as any of my pro products, but it'll get the job done. Also look for "Spot Shot" at Walmart, in the home cleaning products area.

Also, don't waste your time with anything Turtle Wax lol.

Thanks for the info Mega! I went with Tuff Stuff.. Man I was impressed! It sure did get the job done and made the GS look 100x better. Even my girlfriend was like 'It looks so clean and new!' It sure did get the job done, lol. Very very happy with the outcome. :)

i found that spreading baking soda everywhere on the carpet and vacumming it the next day gets rid of bad smells :thumbup:

Hrm.. I have never heard of TuffStuff, I am going to have to try it out and the baking soda trick. They never discuss this stuff in any of the other detailing forums I've visited. Usually just the name brand, $$$$ stuff.

So what would you recommend from the pro lines? I've always had excellent results with tough stuff, and while it's certainly not as good as my extractor, it does a great job for $5 a bottle. As it's been some time since I've done any disgusting interiors, what are the latest?

As for TW, they are working on some better things, but their offerings at most stores are rather...offputting. Their chrome polish, however, is fantastic. I've used many different brands and for the $$, it is just as good and lasts a good long time.

Big Mack

Well. For a amateur enthusiast I really don't think that it's necessary to have professional products. But if you are like myself and do a dozen cars or so a week than it's easier to buy everything by the gallon and dilute accordingly. I love Meguiar's APC and APC+. Meguiar's Quik Out is a nice consumer product that I would also recommend to everyone.

For chrome polish Mother's does a decent job... Haven't tried any other consumer brands in that regard.

How'd it turn out?

Ahem...

;)

Agreed that having any expensive cleaners are kind of overkill for those without the other tools, but good to know APC is still a go to. I keep a couple gallons around for doing the cars up. I don't do nearly as many as I did before, but it's nice to know it's there ;).

Big Mack

baking soda is cheap (literally 1.00-2.00 max for a small box) and cant hurt either.

try it out, let me know :D

for more crazy stains, etc. ur going to defintely need some shampoo/cleaner . baking soda is defintely only for smells

Wow I didn't know that this thread was going to get anymore attention, lol, but yeah the interior turned out amazing Parker. Like it was such a difference before and after that I wished I had taken pictures. It was just that much of a uplift to the inside of the car.

I'll try that baking soda idea also. Can't hurt to try. :thumbup: