Cleaning the inside!

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daves87rs

daves87rs

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I've been doing quite of bit of cleaning to my Cobalt. I wish the old owner of the car (family member) would have taken better care of it...

Anyways, the outside looks pretty good. The inside, on the other hand, needs more work. The biggest problem that I gave is cleaning the seats and carpet.

I've tried some OTC stuff, but to no avail.

I;ve considered getting it detailed, but I would rather do it myself if possible.

Hopefully I can find something that works....
 
Try Meguiars Quick Out spray foam

Spray the foam on the carpet/seats and with a clean damp rag rub the surface and watch the towel soak up all the grease and dirt, i did that with my accord and the seats look brand new.

It took me about 2 hours but im am very pleased with the results
 
You may just look into having the seats/carpets cleaned by a professional, especially if you don't have all of the tools and will be maintaining it from now on. I'd think you could get the carpets/seats done for around...$60?

Spots on the seats/carpets --> Meguiar's Quik Out
As for the entire seating area and carpets, you may just not want the hassle. For doing something like that without killing your arms, you are going to need an extractor, APC, brushes, etc.

In the end it is your call. Just saying if it were me and I didn't have the tools to do it, you may save yourself lots of soreness and possibly other things by just getting it done professionally. It is overall hard to judge without pictures though.
 
For me, interior cleaning is more difficult than exterior. You need a wide variety of specialized products to really do interiors well. Grease stains need a different cleaner than dirt stains which needs a different cleaner than food stains which need another cleaner than..........


An experienced pro detailer may be your best choice. Let them work to get the interior to a high level then you maintain it from there. If you want to keep at it, the process is going to be hit and miss WRT products and techniques.
 
Buy leather seats!!
grin2.gif
 
Try a bucket of Tide and a scrub brush, you'll be amazed how well the Tide pulls the dirt out of the seats and carpet. You can mix in a little Oxyclean too for even better results. If you have a powerful shop vac, you can then use that to pull the water out of the carpet and fabric.

I used this method on a used car that was supposedly already "reconditioned". I couldn't believe how much cleaner the interior looked, it was like new!
 
Try Folex on the carpet stains. Use full strength on the bad stains and 50/50 overall. Spray on, let it dwell for 4 or 5 minutes, agitate with a carpet brush and then extract with hot water.

If you do not have a dedicated carpet extractor, a Bissel little green machine with a heater can be had from places like Walley World for less than $80.00. They can be used for more than just your car and are very handy to have.

Folex can also be used on your seats (at a lessor strength) but before you use on either one, check for color fastness in a hidden area to make sure everything will be OK.

By the way, Folex can be found at Home Depot or Lowes in the cleaning section. It is a pro level cleaner that a LOT of detailers use.

If you have carpted floor mats, apply folex as above and pressure wash them, extract the water and let them set in the sun to finish drying.

EDIT: For the very hard to get out stains, try the options at proschoice.com. Their ink out and red relief are some of the best
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: GeorgiaHybrid
Try Folex on the carpet stains. Use full strength on the bad stains and 50/50 overall. Spray on, let it dwell for 4 or 5 minutes, agitate with a carpet brush and then extract with hot water.

If you do not have a dedicated carpet extractor, a Bissel little green machine with a heater can be had from places like Walley World for less than $80.00. They can be used for more than just your car and are very handy to have.

Folex can also be used on your seats (at a lessor strength) but before you use on either one, check for color fastness in a hidden area to make sure everything will be OK.

By the way, Folex can be found at Home Depot or Lowes in the cleaning section. It is a pro level cleaner that a LOT of detailers use.

If you have carpted floor mats, apply folex as above and pressure wash them, extract the water and let them set in the sun to finish drying.

EDIT: For the very hard to get out stains, try the options at proschoice.com. Their ink out and red relief are some of the best



Folex..I think I will check that out. I'm wondering how well that will work on thin seats...
 
Originally Posted By: dishdude
Try a bucket of Tide and a scrub brush, you'll be amazed how well the Tide pulls the dirt out of the seats and carpet. You can mix in a little Oxyclean too for even better results. If you have a powerful shop vac, you can then use that to pull the water out of the carpet and fabric.

I used this method on a used car that was supposedly already "reconditioned". I couldn't believe how much cleaner the interior looked, it was like new!




Tide? That really works?
 
Originally Posted By: duaneb9729
i have folex on my jettas seats and it worked wonders for me


How dirty were they?
 
I have used tide liguid in my steamer reduced to about 50/50 with water just ot thin it out. Worked amazing. Resolve is another great product to use with a steamer.
 
Quote:
Tide? That really works?


You'd be surprised.

When I was younger, my Mom's Impala had some dirt ground into one of the seats for years.

I mixed up some Spick 'n Span (powder) + water in a bucket and cleaned the seat with a brush. That seat looked so new, I had to clean the rest of the interior!

PS - Correct product name wouldn't make it past PC filter. Wow.
 
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We bought a $300 bissell floor cleaner (has the hose and all the attachments) from Wal-Mart and finally got around to using it on my truck last night. Yuck.. It's only three years old and 32k and one owner (myself). The water that came out of those seats was digusting, alot of dust where I live and travel to. Went over it 3 times and the water only started lightening up a little at the end. Make take 2-3 cleanings to get it all. Smells alot better at least. Going to do the Escape eventually.. that will be a job and half.
 
Wow got the Escape cleaned couple days ago. You don't realize how bad a car can start to smell till you get into a freshly cleaned one. Had to dump the dirty water 3 times.. we vacuum our cars regularly but that ground in dirt really starts to add up. Another mistake I made was using Chlorox wipes on the interior. Never again leaves white fur everywhere. Only using glass cleaner from now on.. never cared for armor-all.
 
Eric,

Be careful with using glass cleaners on plastic interior panels. The same chemicals that cut through grime and haze can dull or stain plastic trim.

I suggest using a dedicated interior cleaner formulated for automotive use. Meguiar's makes an interior detailer you can find at auto parts stores which works well. Finish off the interior with a protectant if you want.
 
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