Cleaning the inside of my car (need recommendations)
Within the next few weeks after my car is all fixed up I plan to clean the inside from top to bottom. My question is twofold.
1. Is it more efficient to go and get steam cleaning done professionally or just purchase a unit for home use. I'm not an extremelly messy guy and I don't really spill things so I'm wondering if a one time steam clean done by a pro makes more sense.
2. What recommendations do you have either for steam cleaning units to purchase or places in or around Mississauga that do a good job at a reasonable price.
Right now the seats have a few spill marks and some dirt on them and although their isn't any odor present I'd still like everything to be clean from top to bottom.
Take the car to a detail shop and have it done professionally instead of wasting money renting equipment that you haven't ever used before. You'll thank yourself in the long run.
I would just buy a portable steam cleaning unit, all it's doing is just loosening any dirt that is embedded so you can scrub it clean. I have a basic Shark unit and it does the job well. It's not that expensive and for the price of one detailing service, I would rather have a tool on hand for future clean up jobs.
Before you go out and drop big bucks on a detailing service, why not run to your local Canadian Tire and pick up a can of Turtle Wax Power Out Foaming Upholstery and Carpet cleaner and goto work with a little bit of elbow grease?
I think I'm going to give the steam cleaner a try. Worst case scenario it will be handy around the house for other jobs and I go professional for the car if it doesn't work. I'll give it a try and see how well it works. Can't go wrong for the price.
I'm still up for hearing recommendations from people as I won't be buying anything for another week or so.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PhatRoyale
I would just buy a portable steam cleaning unit, all it's doing is just loosening any dirt that is embedded so you can scrub it clean. I have a basic Shark unit and it does the job well. It's not that expensive and for the price of one detailing service, I would rather have a tool on hand for future clean up jobs.
Before you go out and drop big bucks on a detailing service, why not run to your local Canadian Tire and pick up a can of Turtle Wax Power Out Foaming Upholstery and Carpet cleaner and goto work with a little bit of elbow grease?
I would recommend just taking the whole carpet out and washing it with carpet cleaner in your backyard...or buy new carpet for the car.... and as for the seats just get any foam cleaner that's sold everywhere with the brush on top and start scrubbing ! Let dry and put back in the car. Will be good as new!
So I've read some negative reviews on the Turtle Wax stuff but have heard that Tuff Stuff is decent. Any opinions? I mean the seats aren't horrendous or anything but I want to remove the light stains on them and at least have them look a bit more presentable. I'm not expecting miracles, I just want different persepectives on doing it yourself and if that doesn't work I'll go pro.
If you want to detail it yourself, I use Simple Green concentrate (in the spray bottle) to remove tough dirt and grime on interior plastics and vinyl. For actual polishing/shining I use Stoner's Trim Cleaner, and use Stoner Carpet Cleaner on interior fabrics. Beware though as mentioned, it won't get tough stains out, but if you spray on a thick coating and wait a few minutes, along with using some elbow grease, it will get some stuff out. Can't comment on steam cleaning though.
simple green works well, granitize offers some strong degreasers too that work well...
i stiff bristled brush makes hard work easier...
as for carpet, if its really bad, take it out and pressure wash it after soaking with degreaser, that should take almost everything out, then leave outside in the sun for a few days to dry.
How long would a steam clean take to dry on average if I do a once over, maybe sticking on heavy stains a little longer? I plan on doing this in my driveway but definitely wouldn't be a fan of replacing a few stains with mouldy seats.
I would wait until spring or summer to attempt this if you don't want mold to develop from the seats and carpets staying wet. That is, unless you have a heat gun to dry the surface with afterwards.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TURBO Das Automagazin
A BRZ, a curvy mountain road makes one liter of happiness hormones.
Mold wont be the real problem.... All that moisture that doesnt evaporate combines with a bit of alkalinity in the detergent will rust all the metal beneath the carpeting.
So me clearly being the product of my parents dropping me on my head as a child, spilled an entire bottle of windex on my back seat by accident at some point last night. I realized it just as I got to work about 12 hours later and then had to wait another 8 hours or so before I could do anything about the mess.
I'm going to attempt to vacuum/paper towel/use a portable heater to dry it out but at this point I'm thinking of just going pro and letting a detailing company clean my seats and interior. I was recommended a place called Fine Details by a coworker. For about $160 I get the seats shampoo'd, the whole 9 yards. Anyone had any positive/negative expereiences with them?
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