How To Deep Clean Your Car's Carpets (And Banish Stains And Smells)

Very few people actually enjoy cleaning. If you are in the right mindset, the tasks can be soothing, but when you have to get on your hands and knees and scrub floors or get on a ladder to clean out your gutters, it can be a real pain. However, we know it is something we all have to do at some point and deal with it. We mostly think about this when it comes to our homes, but it is just as true for our vehicles. In some ways, this is an even more annoying task.

It is one thing to drive your car through the car wash down the street to get some dirt and pollen off its exterior. It is another to do a full detailing of your vehicle by cleaning the inside of the windows, getting between the seat cushions, and what is maybe the most dreaded part of the job: deep cleaning your car's carpets. This is where you encounter everything from the mud you brought into the car on a particularly ugly day to the coffee you accidentally spilled a few weeks back.

It's something we do so rarely, many people aren't entirely sure the best way to perform that deep clean on carpets, whether that be techniques or what products to use. Hopefully, this article will act as a handy guide to those inexperienced with cleaning, and if you're still lost by the end, the last tip will surely be helpful.

Before you actually start cleaning your car's carpets, you need to make sure that you have all of the equipment necessary to do a thorough job. The most obvious thing you need is a carpet cleaning shampoo. There are a wide variety of companies out there producing high quality carpet and upholstery cleaners, such as Adam's Polishes, Meguiar's, and Armor All, and these will typically come in a spray bottle or an aerosol can. Along with the cleaner, you will need a brush for scrubbing.

If it is stains you are worried about, you are going to need a stain remover. You can get these one of two ways. The first is to buy a spray from a company like Chemical Guys or Turtle Wax that are designed to specifically attack stains. These sprays could be all-purpose carpet stain cleaners, but car specific ones do get made as well. The other solution is to create your own spray. To do this, get yourself a spray bottle and fill it mostly with water, add one cup of white vinegar, and add a few drops of dish soap. Regular cleaner can be done with the same mixture, replacing water for club soda.

Last but not least, you will need a vacuum, one of the most important tools you need in your detailing arsenal. A shop vac or car vacuum will yield the best results, but if you don't own either, head over to a local car wash. 

Before you get down and start scrubbing, the first thing you need to do is figure out what parts of the carpet you want to clean. To be as thorough as possible, you may want to get out your toolbox and take out the seats from your car. This makes it incredibly easy to get to every single inch of your carpet. Of course, this can be a major hassle depending on the vehicle, so if you have the patience and know how to do it, that's the first step.

If you want to skip that step, then you start off by taking out your car's floor mats. Whether these are carpeted or all-weather mud guards, you just need to get these out of the way to clean them on their own while also being able to clean the carpet that is underneath them. Once you have everything prepped, you still are not getting out your sprays and rags quite yet. You need to get out that vacuum.

Getting rid of any crumbs, chunks of dirt, garbage, and anything else is paramount for a deep clean. If you just get to shampooing immediately, you are just going to push that stuff deeper and deeper into the carpet, making it counterproductive. Make sure you get every inch of the carpets inside your car, and don't forget the mats you have taken out as well. After vacuuming, then it's time for some solutions.

Do not move onto the carpet cleaner sprays or shampoos after vacuuming. For some, that will be okay, but if you have any stains that need to be treated, carpet cleaner is not going to deliver the results you want. Plus, once you use that cleaner, you are risking having those stains set in even more than they already were. So, this is where you need to get out your stain remover, either the one you purchased or made yourself. However, not every stain is the same. Some stains are deeper than others, and different substances need to be treated differently.

For most of them, the spray or solution of water, vinegar, and soap will work perfectly. Spray this on the stained area of your carpet and let it sit for a minute or so. If you are using the solution, make sure the water is hot while you use it. After letting it soak, spray the affected area once again and grab yourself a toothbrush to do some scrubbing on the stain to dislodge the substance from the carpet. 

Once you've done that, grab a rag or a towel to brush the remains away. You could also grab the vacuum again to pick up this stuff. If the stain isn't totally removed, repeat the process, and if you are still finding it difficult, it may be because of what the stain is from causing the trouble, which means you'll need to use another method.

The above method of stain removal works great for stains that are from things like mud, grease, or some coffee you may have spilled. However, those are not the only substances that could find their way into your carpets. This could be anything ranging from ink stains from a pen you dropped that busted open to blood from an inadvertent cut on your arm. For stains like these, special care needs to be taken into account.

For these kinds of stains, you will want to get yourself some cotton balls for some pinpoint accuracy on what you are working with. In the case of ink stains, you will want to use some rubbing alcohol by dabbing the cotton ball with it. The instinct will be to rub out the ink stain, but instead, blotting it is the far more effective method, letting the alcohol on the cotton ball absorb the ink. Depending on the severity of the stain, you may need a couple of cotton balls.

In the case of blood — or any colored stain for that matter — you will want to use a mixture of water and 3% hydrogen peroxide, where the amount of water doubles that of the hydrogen peroxide. Due to it being a strong substance, be sure to test out this mixture on a patch of carpet that can be easily covered such as where the floor mat will go because it may discolor the carpet. If it's okay, put it on the stain and let it sit for a few seconds before blotting it out with a towel.

Now that you have vacuumed and treated your stains, it is finally time to start washing the seats. In theory, this is the simplest part of the entire cleaning process, but in practice, it is one of the most physically demanding. You need to get out your carpet cleaning spray, but it is not a good idea to just start coating your entire carpet in the solution. The best practice is to avoid letting the carpet cleaner soak into the carpets, aiming to keep them as dry as possible. So, working in sections is the better method. It may be more time-consuming, but you will get the best result.

Spray down a section of the carpet and vigorously scrub away at it with a brush. Once you are satisfied with your scrubbing, grab a towel or rag and wipe away the cleaner and moisture until the carpet is dry again. To truly make sure that your carpet is dry after you've wiped it down, having a wet/dry vacuum handy is a great tool to have to get it as dry as possible. Afterward, you move onto the next section and repeat the process until all of your car's carpets are cleaned.

Time to go over to the floor mats you've taken out. If they are the same carpeted material as your interior, do the same process on these too. If they are rubber floor mats, you can use soap and water to clean those, and if you have the time, they can air dry.

Just because a space is clean does not necessarily mean that it is going to smell clean. If you are someone who frequently eats in your vehicle, travel with your pets, or are a smoker, there are some truly deep-seated smells in that car that even a thorough carpet shampooing will not necessarily get out. There are a variety of different ways to make your car smell better. For instance, you could get air fresheners to hang on your rearview mirror or insert into your air vents. You could also leave your windows open to allow for more air flow. For something a little more intensive, you can clean your whole air conditioning system along with the air vents or get a small ozone machine.

When it comes to the carpets, the best method to get those smells out is to get yourself a box of baking soda or Borax. Both of these are sodium-based compounds that are great at absorbing smells. After you have cleaned everything, generously pour either of these onto your carpets and seats and let it sit for a few hours. If you have the time, let it sit overnight. Once the time has passed, grab your vacuum and suck up all of the baking soda or Borax. This should help tremendously in getting rid of those smells. If it isn't completely satisfactory, repeat the process until those last traces of scent are gone.

While everything mentioned above should provide you with a thorough cleaning of your car's carpets, that does not necessarily mean everyone has the will or patience to go about doing it. Deep cleaning car carpets takes work, especially if you are dealing with stains that are really set in. Even with the right equipment and methods, you may not be entirely confident that you will be giving your carpets the proper cleaning they need and deserve. Luckily, there is another way to go about getting the cleaning done.

Not every place where you can get your car washed does this, but there are plenty of professional detailing businesses. This will obviously be the most costly option for deep cleaning your car's carpets, but if taken to the right place, they will make your car look like new. Of course, not every detail shop is created equal, so take some time to research to find a place that has a reputation for doing quality work.