how to clean carpet in car

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A neat and clean environment is very beneficial for the well-being of our mental health, be it in your home or inside your car. If you drive your car almost every day, it will get dirty. It will attract dirt, dust and even trashes. I think, many of us probably have this horrible experience of sitting in a car that practically looks like a junkyard.

"Yikes! How unhealthy the owner of this car is!" –our obvious reaction in such cases would have been something like this. On the other hand, keeping a clean, well maintained car will make huge difference on your physical and mental health, both. It will change your outlook and improve perception about you in your close circle.

Wait, let me recall a true story!

When I was at school, our principal used to roam around in an old fashioned car. Once, I was late and looking for a vehicle to reach my school.

At that time, our principal was heading to the school with her car. She noticed me on the road and stopped to give me a lift. When I went inside her car, it amazed me.

Her car was so well maintained, well cushioned and neat. It changed my previous perception about her old fashioned vehicle.

Later on my life, whenever I saw her car I knew it was the car of a classy person. See? How my perception changed just because of her neat and clean car!

How to Clean Your Car Carpet Effectively

Keeping the interior of your car is not a mammoth task. Contrary to popular belief, you do not need to spend a fortune for the purpose of cleaning.

But, you need to do the cleaning every so often in a cost effective method. In this article, we will provide you with an easy, step by step guide to clean your car effectively and efficiently.

A car's front seat with clean carpets

1. Prepare the Car for Cleaning

Take out any important tiny objects from car and put them in a safe place. If your car comes with a built-in compartment, you can keep important objects there.

Take out a trash bag and throw unimportant trashes in the bag. Your car should be vacant for the cleaning process.

2. Get Rid Of Dirt and Dusts

Remove debris and dust from the interior. Take out the floor mat and put it on outside in a dry place.

Shake all the dusts out from the mat. Use a vacuum to make sure the entire mat is free from dusts.

You can use vacuum to wipe debris near the seats, pedals or from other places inside the car. Just do it slowly as you do not want to damage anything.

3. Make a Cleaning Solution

There are plenty of cleaning sprays available in the market. Some sprays even costs higher than normal sprays. However, you can make your cleaning solution very easily with the help of your own garage tools and other equipment.

Take a bucket full of hot water and apply sufficient amount of dish detergent in it. You should also add one cup of white vinegar. This is the most common cleaning solution.

4. Clean the Carpet

Use a bottle spray to apply your cleaning solution in the carpet. You can use a soft and bristle brush to apply the solution in all over the carpet.

Let the solution sit in for an hour. Later, wipe it with dry towels. It will wipe most of the stains from carpet.

However, you might need to provide different treatments for other types of special stains in your carpet. We will discuss it later.

5. Rinse the Carpet

Use a soft mop and soak it in water to rinse the carpet. Swab it carefully. Make sure that there is no more cleaning solution left.

6. Let the Car Dry

Keep the doors open often. There should not be any moistures in your car. Give your car a sunbath.

You should wait for few hours. Check out if the carpet has completely dried up or not. If not, let the car out in sunlight for further period.

Thus, the process is complete.

A car's front seat with clean carpets

Cleaning Other Types of Stains from Car Carpets

There are other different stains that can stick to your car carpets. The above method may not work and you may have to approach these stains differently. Here are some common stains on car carpets and how to deal with them:

Dirt and Mud Stains

Dirt and mud stains are easy to remove as long as it hasn't set in for a long time (you should clean your car regularly). You won't even need special products for cleaning.

All you need is a bucket with a gallon of hot water added with one cup of white vinegar and a few drops of dish soap. Mix them well.

Use a cloth or sponge to soak the stain. Scrub the stain off using a stiff brush. Once the stains are removed, blot the area with cloth or paper towels to dry.

Beverage Spills

Stains from drinks are easy to remove. Just pour cold water on it to saturate the stain. Dry the area with paper towels or cloth. Hot water will only set the stain, so you should avoid using it.

Grease Stains

You only need to apply a small amount of paint thinner to a cotton cloth. Scrub off the stain in circular motions using the cotton cloth. It's essential that you blot out any excess paint thinner to avoid damage. Use paper towels to blot it out.

Paint thinner discolors your carpet or can fade it. Just to be safe, try the thinner in a small and unnoticeable area first before you apply it to the stain.

Ink Stains

Ink stains rarely occur. However, they are hard to remove once they've set in. There's a trick to that.

Use hair spray and spray it onto the ink-stained area. Sprinkle some small amount of table salt onto the stain. Rub the area in circular motions using a damp cloth to remove the ink stains. Once removed, dry the area with a towel.

Vomit Stains

Vomit stains are plain disgusting and you must remove them quickly if you don't want the smell to linger inside your car.

Use a can or bottle of regular club soda and pour it onto the stained area. Scrub the area using a damp cloth and in circular motions. The bubbles from the soda lift the stain and make it easier for you to clean. Dry it with a cloth once finished.

To ensure the odor is completely removed, create a paste with some water and baking soda. Mix them together with the same amount. Apply it to the vomit area and let it sit for 10 minutes. Baking soda is effective for absorbing odors. Afterward, scrub lightly with a cloth or brush and remove using a damp towel.

Tough Stains

Tough stains can be frustrating since they're so hard to remove. You will need a stronger solution to remove tough stains. You need to mix 3 percent hydrogen peroxide and non-gel toothpaste with equal amounts.

Hydrogen works effectively for breaking down stains on a molecular level. Make sure to mix them well until paste forms. Apply the paste onto the stain and let it sit for five minutes.

Using a rag or old cloth, rub the paste into the stain so it can penetrate further. Let it sit for a few minutes. Dab the paste using paper towels or a cloth to remove excess paste.

Blood Stains

Use laundry starch to effectively remove blood stains on your car carpet. Mix an equal amount of laundry starch and cold water in a bowl or small container. Mix it well until a paste is formed with a firm texture.

Cover the stain with the paste and let it sit for 30 minutes. The paste should do the work and soften up and absorb the blood on your car carpet. Afterward, scrub the area with a damp cloth and wipe away any excess bloodstains.

Pet Odor and Stains

For pet odors, people usually use Borax which is commonly used as a stain remover or pesticide. Simply sprinkle the whole carpet with a thin layer of borax. Let it sit for an hour so the Borax can absorb the stain and odor.

Vacuum the whole carpet and its surrounding area. Make sure every powder is removed. You can use a damp cloth to wipe off excess powder.

If you don't have borax at home, you can use baking soda as an alternative. Baking soda is also effective at removing bad odors and also removing stains.

Tips for Cleaning Other Types of Carpet Stains

However if your carpet develops other types of stain, you need to work little harder to wipe them out. We will now discuss about various types of stains in carpet and their easy removal method.

Grease Marks

If there are grease stains in your carpet, you can wipe it off using paint thinner. Use a cotton rag to apply some paint thinner in affected areas. Pour some cornmeal and salt over the stained area.

It will eat up the oil. Finally, vacuum the entire area and let it dry. Your grease mark is supposed to disappear.

Coffee Stains

If you accidentally spill coffee in your carpet, you should immediately soak the area with cold water. Never use hot water as hot water will make the stain permanent. Use a clean rag to swab the area and let it dry.

If the spot still remains after this process, spray some glass cleaner in that area. Glass cleaner is very effective for most of the stains.

After five minutes, the stain will come out. Dry up the area using a clean towel or vacuum.

Blood Stains

To deal with blood stains, you need to mix starch from laundry in cold water. Make a paste and apply it in the stain. Wait for half an hour and let the paste dry.

After that, wipe the stain with a rag and vacuum the area.

Spots From Vomit

When you are driving your car for long time, you may develop queasiness and end up vomiting on your carpet. Since stains from puke are acidic, use laundry detergent with hot water to remove such stain. You should swab the spot later with dry towels.

Ink Stains

If you find ink stains, sprinkle some hairspray. After some times, wipe it with a clean towel. It will withdraw the stain.

Gums

If you find bubble gum lying in your carpet, apply some ice cubes. It will freeze the gum and make it easy for withdrawal.

Pet Smells

If you occasionally travel with your pet, your car may attract pet smells. To shed the odor, spray some borax in the area. Wait for an hour and then vacuum the area.

A person cleaning the car's carpet

How to Remove Pet Hair From Car Carpet

Animal hair can be expelled from carpet by using different methods. We will only discuss about some of the simplest techniques.

This is the easiest trick. Blow up a balloon and rub it in the affected place. It will generate static electricity and attract all the animal hairs. You can later throw it in garbage.
Wear a rubber glove and soak it in a solution of water and fabric softener. Then spray the solution in the area of hair. You need to brush your hand over the area as your glove will attract all the pet hairs. Alternatively, you can use a rag to yield similar result.
Use a vacuum with soft bristle attached in the front. Vacuum the area to remove all the animal hairs.
Use a lint brush to roll it over in the carpet. It will catch all the hairs.

To keep animal hair from spreading, you should brush your pet hair before allowing it in your car.

Conclusion

See? How easy it is to keep your car clean! All you need is to run the maintenance regularly.

Remember, you use your car to move from place to place. And your hand may attract germs in the process. So, keeping your car clean is necessary to keep you healthy and keep the germs from spreading.

If you keep your car dirty for long time, you may develop allergic reactions leading to further complications. In our busy life, a car is like a second home to us. Just as we often clean our house, we need to do the same for our cars also.

Since these problems happen almost on a daily basis, maybe it is a good idea to consider for a carpet cleaning business focusing on car carpets!