I remembered reading about the stains on the 04+ seats were somewhat taken out by spraying the entire seat with a mist of water before vaccuuming or shampooing the stain. Is that the most effective way for the seats, or has someone found something better?

As far as the carpets, I've got some pretty decent coffee/grease/dirt stains. Has anyone found one product better than another, or a certain process better than another?

I've tried the can of shampoo/brush which worked ok, but i'm not impressed, and I had even at one point hi-jacked my mothers carpet cleaner/vacuum, but the results were ok at best.

 

Hmm. I've always had good success with a household carpet cleaner. Have you tried Tuff Stuff? I'd test it in a inconspicuous spot before doing it to the whole floor though. . maybe let the Tuff Stuff soak and than hit it with the carpet cleaner.

 

i'll have to look into it. my carpet looks like it came out of a fleet truck it looks so bad.

 

Try hand cleaner for tough stains like grease. Careful though, they can be abrasive.

 

that's not a bad idea. maybe I'll try Gojo, it seems to be mostly a gel base. maybe scrubbing that with a carpet brush and then using the upholstery vacumm may work.

 

When I have the time from my performance business I have several regular customers that I detail for. I have yet to find a vehicles seats or carpets that I can not get clean with "Tuff Stuff" and the proper stiffness brush.
Sometimes it takes a little work but if you keep at it you will suceed. I find that an air compressor for standing up the pile of the carpet is a very valuable asset when doing so.
There is also a product called Citrus Cleaner that I buy from Home Depot that can be used in moderation if necessary.

 

thanks, that helps a lot. I'm hopin to tackle this one tonight. whats a "proper stiffness brush" that would be ideal?

 

Black carpet and Leather seats FTW.

 

I agree with the Tuff Stuff crowd. It works great, especially on the tan carpet!

 

For the seats I've used Simple Green, 409 and some Hoover Spot & Stain cleaner from Lowe's. They all work well. You can't soak the spots though, you'll wind up with big water spots if you do. Spray a little, scrub with a clean towel, let it dry. Repeat as needed. Get some Scotchguard for the seats when they get cleaned. It works.

For the carpet I use Simple green and a stiff brush.

 

The brush is as equally important as the cleaner.

 

A friend of mine who owns his own steam cleaning business, told me that those household rug cleaners, as well as the automotive ones, leave a sticky residue behind.

The best way to get out stains is by using heated steam. He proved it on my previous SUV. He told me to get it as dirty as I could, and he assured me that it would come back like it never even happened. Well... I got dirt, coffee, soda, ice cream, and a whole bunch else all over the seats and floor... within a month. I told him to clean it... he did, and I seriously crapped my pants because I seriously could not believe it. It was clean... cleaner than new probably.

 

So what kind of steamer could you use for personal use that did cost an arm and a leg?