Best chemicals for cleaning carpets??

Do yourself a favor and check out the Autopia member Grouse. He is a wealth of knowledge related to carpet and upholstery cleaning. He has helped many a member here with his professional experience.
 
Folex if you are just spot cleaning by hand...



Prochem if you are using an extractor. I have never had such clean, soft carpeting since using ProChem and my Mytee extractor.
 
SR20det said:
Folex if you are just spot cleaning by hand...



Prochem if you are using an extractor. I have never had such clean, soft carpeting since using ProChem and my Mytee extractor.
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Right, Folex is for spot cleaning. I've never tried it for general cleaning.



Which ProChem products are you using? Which Mytee?



Speaking of soft carpeting, I don't own an extractor, but using Matrix All-Fiber Rinse really seems to help the removal of residues which results in soft carpet.:xyxthumbs
 
I am using the Prochem Ultrapac LVC (diluted as per label, in a pressurized chemical sprayer) to pretreat carpets. I brush it in and usually let it dwell for about 10-15 minutes. If the carpet is trashed, I use Prochem Dry Slurry in my Mytee, most of the time I just use the All Fiber Rinse to extract.



For seats and other cloth items I am using either Fine Fabric Shampoo (or Fine Fabric Detergent, forgot what I bought.. most likely it is the shampoo). I usually fill a 5gal bucket (halfway) with the shampoo diluted to the label, and use a grout sponge or horsehair brush on the cloth. With the grout sponge, I dip it in the bucket, wring out about 80% of the solution and lather up the sponge. Works Great. Then I go over the seats with the All Fiber Rinse in the Mytee. If it is a delicate item, I rinse by hand.



I have a local supplier for Prochem, the guy is super knowledgeable and set me up with what I needed. I bought a gallon of the Ultrapac, All Fiber Rinse and Fine Fabric Shampoo and 1lb of the Dry Slurry (I think I initially spent about $150). The products are SUPER concentrated and have been lasting me a long time. I use All Fiber Rinse the most, it helps remove the left behind chemicals and leave the carpet fluffy and soft. I then use a floor dryer blower fan to dry the carpet as fast as possible to prevent soil wicking.



I also bought 2 different deodorizers. I need to go pick up each of the; Red, Rust and Tanin Spotters, before I start my part-time detailing this year.



I am using a Mytee Lite II for an extractor, which has been working great for me, even though it is their low-end machine. If I would do it over again, I would have just got the HP60 for the larger tanks and 3-stage motor. With the Mytee Lite II, the 3 gal tanks are bit small. It is *perfect* for cars, but most MiniVans and SUVs I find myself refilling once. It isn't a big deal, but just something I have to do.



Hope this helps.
 
Sounds good, I have a JonDon storefront local for me. They are always very helpful. I have been using up some of my old carpet shampoos, but will be purchasing one of the Matrix/ProChem offerings soon.



In addition to the All Fiber Rinse, I picked up a horsehair brush I didn't think that it would be that much of an improvement over the various brushes and sponges that I have used in the past....wrong. I really like the action. I hate the smell which has lingered far longer than I thought it would.



The dry slurry product is a product I will be talking with them about on my next visit. I would like to try and incorporate that into my current carpet routing which is vac, spot treat, TLC/brush, general shampoo/brush, AFR/vac/extract, buff with cotton toweling.



One of these days a real extractor will be mine.
 
The dry slurry is my least favorite product to mix, as you have to stir it up to disolve the granules prior to dumping into the solution tank. It does a great job though! I will discuss liquid slurry products next time I am there, just because it will eliminate a whole minute of my time. A whole minute I could stare at the finished car!
 
I picked up spme Folex to try based upon comments mentioned here. I tried getting up a coffee stain (fairly recent one) and it did not "lift" it out. It just left a darker spot. I used it by hand using the blotting method. I used my regular product Resolve and it worked quickly.
 
That's interesting Bunky. Yesterday I was removing an old (who knows how old...months at least) cola stain. Sprayed (Folex) agitated and vac'ed. Re-sprayed, agitated, sprayed with Matrix AFR and vac-ed. Stain gone, no light or dark spots on the area.
 
just got me a Bissell LGM can't wait to try it out,i was going to today but it's been raining on and off and i don't have a garage
 
Mr. Clean said:
That's interesting Bunky. Yesterday I was removing an old (who knows how old...months at least) cola stain. Sprayed (Folex) agitated and vac'ed. Re-sprayed, agitated, sprayed with Matrix AFR and vac-ed. Stain gone, no light or dark spots on the area.
Click to expand...



It is....I do plan use it again soon. What is Matrix AFR?
 
EvoMRtunerIX said:
Anyone know the best product??
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Generally, my go to combo: for a prespray, I use a 2 gallon pump sprayer with the following mixture: Chemspec traffic lane cleaner and Matrix enzyme pre-spray. Water should be between 140 to 170 degrees. Agitate the bad areas with a brush and let sit for 5 mins. Extractor rinse with Matrix all fiber rinse. In a pinch, I will replace the Chemspec tlc with Zep carpet cleaner from home depot. Otherwise, I get all my stuff from a local Jon Don.



For machines, I'm using my Mytee Spyder or EZ Spot portable for away jobs. And my Century 400 Ninja when working out of my own garage.



Just a suggestion . . . there's no set rules as to what's the best product. Try a few different combinations and see what cleans the best and is most cost efficient for you. Autopia is a fantastic place to get recommendations from people with experience. I think it was mentioned earlier, Grouse is a good guy to check with too.
 
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