# Not confident wet vacuuming/extracting interior seats/carpet



## johnnyguitar (Mar 24, 2010)

Guys - tell me about wet vacuuming. I've read through a load of threads about the equipment (and the differences between the George and the 6131 for example) and I'm still thinking about buying a wet vac to do some stuff in the car and around the house.

What do I need to know? 
Do I just make up an APC mix at 1:10 (or stronger if necessary), spray it on, scrub it in with a brush of some description and then switch the wet vac on and hey presto, Robert is your mother's brother?

It sounds simple but what can go wrong? Is there a technique? Do both the Vax and the George spray clean water to help remove the dirty stuff?

HOW DO THEY WORK?!?! 

All advice and assistance greatfully received.

If someone wants to bring theirs around to my house and show me how to use it (just show me that again, etc :lol you'd be more than welcome (I'm joking, you don't have to really!).


----------



## Eddy (Apr 13, 2008)

Also very interested in this.


----------



## big ben (Aug 25, 2009)

is there no videos on youtube :lol:

basically the hoover just sucks up wet and dry particles. So you can use different wash solutions on your carpet and seats and then you aggitate it with a brush, then suck up all the crap...

they do work really well, and even if your carpet looks clean you will still be amazed what dirt comes out


----------



## johnnyguitar (Mar 24, 2010)

big ben said:


> is there no videos on youtube :lol:


Probably thousands Ben but they're no substitute for real life opinon and experience and I imagine everybody has a different way of doing it.

Especially as I'm interested to know what the consequences of not getting it right are, the difference between a spray wet vac and a straight extractor and which vacs fit into those categories insofar as what's the difference between George, Vax 6131, the Kärcher one that's on offer at the moment and the other Numatic brand with a male name that just sucks the water out.


----------



## big ben (Aug 25, 2009)

i didnt think you could get it wrong to be honest, you scrub the carpet, vac it up and done... obviously if you poured a bucket of water in the footwell you could be in trouble :lol:


----------



## johnnyguitar (Mar 24, 2010)

That's what I thought, although I read one post in a thread that said that post clean, the carpets felt stiff to touch, rather than the softer pile they were assumed to have had.

I also still don't really know the differences between the vacs. Is the Vax 6131 essentially identical in its function to the George vac, albeit more for domestic use (and presumably of slightly lesser quality)?


----------



## Owensy (Jul 27, 2010)

Good thread, I was keen to know this aswell for cleaning the carpets come winter time!


----------



## chrisc (Jun 15, 2008)

Get a george and a pump sprayer from mark at autobrite the 1.5 litre version in brite yellow.great combo and never fails me.going to do van soon so ill post a mini guide up.done lots there easy just right tackle needed.on phone took me ages to write this so dont exspect quick reply


----------



## Beancounter (Aug 31, 2006)

My 2p, re the difference between the George and Vax 6131, I'd say in essence they do the same job, but if it were for my business, I'd get a George, for home use I'd get the Vax, as from what I've seen the George is better built.

That said, I've only got the entry level Vax 020 for home/house use (already had a Henry so didn't need a combined wet/dry vac) and use the following process:
1. Fill the Wet Vac up with slightly warm water, that's it, nothing else, no solutions, just warm water.
2. I use either an APC solution (10:1 roughly) or the Vax AAA carpet solution (that came in the box) mixed in a spray bottle.
3. Spray the fabric (seat, carpet etc) with the solution and brush gently with an upholstery brush (I use one of these, but anything suitable will do). It will foam slightly and bring out start to lift the dirt.
4. Then, switch on the pump and extractor on your wet vac and start extracting the dirt/APC solution/water. Once the water being extracted is clear, switch off the pump and do a few more passes with the suction only, this will get the fabric as dry as possible.

Leave to dry, job done! 

I'm sure others have different methods, but that works for me.

HTH


----------



## big ben (Aug 25, 2009)

the carpets will be soft/stiff depending on what you clean them with, there is many different shampoo APC solutions you can use


----------



## johnnyguitar (Mar 24, 2010)

Beancounter said:


> My 2p, re the difference between the George and Vax 6131, I'd say in essence they do the same job, but if it were for my business, I'd get a George, for home use I'd get the Vax, as from what I've seen the George is better built.
> 
> That said, I've only got the entry level Vax 020 for home/house use (already had a Henry so didn't need a combined wet/dry vac) and use the following process:
> 1. Fill the Wet Vac up with slightly warm water, that's it, nothing else, no solutions, just warm water.
> ...


Top man - that's a great help cheers.


----------



## beany_bot (Oct 6, 2008)

Pah.. Wet and dry vacs... I have used a Henry (the landloving brother of the "wet" ones) for years sucking up damp and water. Just don't take the **** and he works dandy!


----------



## Daniel C (Jul 17, 2010)

Beancounter said:


> My 2p, re the difference between the George and Vax 6131, I'd say in essence they do the same job, but if it were for my business, I'd get a George, for home use I'd get the Vax, as from what I've seen the George is better built.
> 
> That said, I've only got the entry level Vax 020 for home/house use (already had a Henry so didn't need a combined wet/dry vac) and use the following process:
> 1. Fill the Wet Vac up with slightly warm water, that's it, nothing else, no solutions, just warm water.
> ...


Cheers for that mate :thumb:

Ive been looking at wet/dry vacs but thats cleared alot up.


----------



## Beancounter (Aug 31, 2006)

beany_bot said:


> Pah.. Wet and dry vacs... I have used a Henry (the landloving brother of the "wet" ones) for years sucking up damp and water. Just don't take the **** and he works dandy!


If it works for you thats great,.........but I wouldn't use Henry for an interior myself, the paper collection bag and water are asking for trouble.....and then theres the electrics 

Another downside of Henry for wet vacing (sp?) is that he cannot dispense any water, so your not able to flush out the cleaning solutions from the fabric/carpets.


----------



## johnnyguitar (Mar 24, 2010)

Beancounter said:


> so your not able to flush out the cleaning solutions from the fabric/carpets.


Which is presumably what the Vax can do then?


----------



## Beancounter (Aug 31, 2006)

johnnyguitar said:


> Which is presumably what the Vax can do then?


Yes, the Vax (and George for that matter) have a water tank and can deliver water to the cleaning head attachment which is then sucked back up, so in effect washing out the soaps/dirt.

Here's the user manual for the one I have, explains how they work in detail.


----------



## VA03LET (Jul 4, 2010)

had loads of henrys and georges over the years, best advice is to get them serviced, then you can treat them how you like within reason,

as for using a george, i dont use the pumps anymore, i take all that junk off and apply the cleaner by hand via a trigger or small pump bottle, much easier to use and control, and not only that you dont have all the extra pipe getting caught up on everything when your clambering about


----------



## pete5570 (Jun 11, 2010)

You want the George or the wet vac (charles?). First i would give it a good hoover and get it as clean as possible. Then i would pre treat it with a mixture of whatever APC you are using (stardrops for me) and leave it to do the business. You can attack it with the extractor using a 1:10 APC to water, you'll see the crap coming up through the clear nozzle on the George, use the strong nozzle to agitate any stubborn marks if need (don't do this with a vax or you'll break the flimsy nozzle). When you are happy turn of the pump and give it another vaccum to help get it even drier. I also have a spray bottle with a higher concentration of APC to spot clean where needed.


----------



## CJA Valeting (Dec 7, 2006)

Ok first off don't be put off from shampoo cleaning your interior, nothing is going to go wrong unless you start soaking all the switches in cleaning solution and not cleaning up afterwards.

Even when cleaning electric seats your unlikely to encounter any problems.

1) Ok so you have your wet vac, fill the water tank with warm water and add some cleaning solution (You may want to measure the water so that you can get the recommended water/cleaning solution ratio)

When cleaning the interiors I do so in the following stages:


Front seats
Front carpets
Front door cards (if fabric)
Rear seats
Rear carpets
Rear door cards (again if fabric)
Boot space
Removeable mats

2) Connect up the hose and extraction nozle and switch on the machine, spray the area to be cleaned and use an upholstery brush and gently work in the cleaning solution and extract, re-spray the fabric and extract until the water runs clear and/or there is no moisture being picked up.

When working near the centre console or near window switches on the doors you can place a cloth over the area so that you don't wet the electrics, this also stops the cleaning solution from leaving any lines on the plastics when not wiped off.

Once you have worked your way through the car rinse out the dirty water from the machine and you may want to empty out the cleaning solution if you're not planning on using the machine for a while.

Also leave out the interior mats so that it gives the carpets to fully dry.

Hope that helps.


----------



## johnnyguitar (Mar 24, 2010)

Excellent tips thanks guys.
Picked up a 6131 from Makro today for £60 +VAT so will give it a go in the coming days.


----------



## Matt. (Aug 26, 2007)

Johnny, which Makro did you go to?


----------



## johnnyguitar (Mar 24, 2010)

Went to Leicester Matt. Had 3 or 4 on an aisle end nearest the vacuums section.


----------



## Matt. (Aug 26, 2007)

Thought it may of been Nottingham. Tried ringing but no answer, its a far way to travel aswell. 

How big is the box?


----------



## johnnyguitar (Mar 24, 2010)

Big enough!


----------



## Matt. (Aug 26, 2007)

I'm wondering if it would fit in the back on the knees of two passengers?


----------



## johnnyguitar (Mar 24, 2010)

It's not _that_ big! I'd be surprised if it didn't go in the boot of an Astra - it's just a bit bigger than a normal cylinder vac.


----------



## GoldCoast (Dec 7, 2008)

Just to add how i clean carpets, as some have posted similar.

Depending on how dirty they are, light soiling, i will use a spray extraction machine, karcher puzzi 100, bit basic but does the job, fill the clean water tank with the upholstery fluid at the recommended ratio with warm water, spray carpet agitate with with brush then suck it up go over it a few times and job done.

On really dirty, oily carpets or anything else i will spray with either G101 or BH surfex degreaser then scrub away, then repeat the above process, if it is a really sandy carpet the tornador air tool will come out or the big commercial hot water carpet extractor as it has a twin motor and reaches 90 degrees leaves it virually dry to the touch.

Now most carpets on modern cars you can get quite wet as they are fire rated, not that you want too as it could find its way underneath, then it will end up smelling like a wet dog! :wall:

Now for those without a machine a good old fashion bucket of warm soapy water, brushes and lots of towels, it work for one of my customers :thumb:

Hope this helps some of you.


----------



## saint1d (Jul 18, 2010)

You cant go wrong with a car carpet (other than over wetting and not drying it properly, but you can go very wrong on a house carpet.

If it is synthetic then there isnt too much to worry about, but a wool carpet can shrink depending on the backing (never do a Belgian Wilton, and be very careful with a Wilton or an Axminster). Generally it's not too bad if you dont over-wet them. I would not recommend taking to a house carpet with a regular brush as it will quite often burst the pile (the twisty bits that make up the carpet). Best bet would be a tampico brush which is more gentle. Brush in straight lines, not in a circular motion.

I dont clean the carpet then try and rinse it using the machine, I always have the correct amount of soution in the machine, then just go straight for the carpet holding down the spray trigger whilst pulling the wand towards me, which extracts the water straight off. Let go of the trigger and push the wand back up the same section of carpet to get up more water. Move the wand to the side and repeat, over lapping the wand on the previous section of carpet by about 20% of the width (hope that makes sense). For a tough area hold the spray trigger and move the wand back and forth then let go of the trigger and spend ages getting up as much water as possible.

I would definately say that the best results in carpet cleaning come from the chemicals used and the power of the machine, but a decent machine is around £2k new. I have a cheap £150 wet vac type and its not bad, but nowhere near as good as something with a bit more pressure. For chemicals I would always recommend Chemspec. Always stick to the correct quantity, or if anything, slightly less. If you use too much then it wont be rinsed off the upholstrey and will leave it feeling sticky and a bit stiffer than normal (as has been previously mentioned).

Basic chemicals needed: a cleaning solution, a de-foamer for the waste tank, an odour additive (I have a lush one atm called natural cotton, I dont like lemon or mint they smell a bit toilety) and I would totally recomment an enzyme based pre-cleaner - the stuff is amazing.

There are loads of other specialised chemicals that you can use for stains like tea, coffee, red wine and oil based stains.

Quick Youtube search...






Note how he attached 2 hoses to the wand, the big one is the vacuum which is the large flat end of the wand, the small hose attaches to the spray trigger, the nozzil sprays just in front of the vacumm so is extracted up as he pulls the wand back.

Also as mentioned by someone on the Youtube page, he should definately leave the pre-cleaner on longer so that it actually has time to work (10 mins). Agitating it with a brush after 5 mins would help too, that traffic mark would have come straight off without going over and over the same section. The guy is wrong to say he should have done the whole room though, you dont want pre-cleaner to dry, so you only do enough carpet that will take 15minutes to finish.

Sorry if gone on, had try and be concise, I'm a bit of a nerd when it comes to carpet cleaning.


----------



## ferrariman1957 (Sep 27, 2006)

*Carpet Stains*

What chemicals are recommended, I have tried nearly everything but still have rust like stains on a grey carpet in my Honda

Thanks
JJB


----------



## saint1d (Jul 18, 2010)

Rust stains are actually pretty easy to remove from a synthetic carpet. http://www.chemspecdirect.co.uk/ search "rust" on that site (it wont let me post a link for some reason)

Ofc thats assuming it is actually rust, it is possible that it could be discoloured due to a bleaching effect from the sun, or from using something like "Vanish". NB. I would NEVER use Vanish or something similar.


----------



## saint1d (Jul 18, 2010)

Chemical wise I use Chemspec Prekleen & Formula 90.


----------



## alexandjen (Feb 24, 2008)

http://www.chemspecdirect.co.uk/erol.html#6446X6977


----------

