Cleaning your Carpet.

This is how I have been doing it. I have some tips and I also need some advice.

1. Take out all the interior of the boat.
2. Take an airline and and a air blower and blow the compressed air into the carpet this blasts out the dirt and dust in the carpet. It also fluff's the matted carpet up. It also blasts your interior with all the dirt that’s hidden down in your carpet so thats why I said to take out all your interior, you can also get to all the nooks and crannys
3.Vacume the carpet in a way that stands the matted carpet as up right as you can. It also gets the surface dust that you just blasted out.

IMO 1/2 the battle is getting the dirt that’s deep in the carpet out, only then you can really clean the carpet. You have seen the wastewater in the steam cleaner after you have steam cleaned the carpet its the dirt thats deep in your carpet. It seems that if you don’t do the compressed air to the carpet trick the dirt deep down in the carpet mixes with the water in the steam cleaner and makes mud. So it looks like you sucked that outa your carpet but you just mixed dirt and water and made mud.

I’m looking for some suggestions on a steam cleaner and some carpet cleaning solution and or any tools like scrub brushes and or tools that help fluff up the carpet. It seems like when you add water to the carpet it mats down and makes it hard to get it real clean. Any advice would be great thanks

(Message edited by grant_west on November 19, 2006)

Grant,

I took a 3" round palm scrubber, popped the top off, drilled a hole in the middle and inserted a 1/4" x 2" bolt so I could insert it to my cordless drill. I typically spray down the interior, then use carpet shampoo and the power scrubber inch by inch, rinse down again with hose, then suck up the rest of the water with the upholstery attachment of my carpet steamer. I have had pretty good results.

Shawn

I used to use a stiff hand brush, water, soap and alot of elbow grease. Wet/dry shop vac it after to get the dirt up. Carpet looked like new when I sold it (12yo Sport Nauti). Now I take it out shampoo it with the house carpet unit and snap back in when dry. IMHO, snap out carpet was the best thing CC did.

Im looking for this brush that I have (its lost right now )its used to clean off the compound from the polisher. It looks like a comb but it has hard metal bristles. I wanna give that a try for fluffing up the carpet. Shawn I dont understand the handsander and drill thing your talking about? what is it again

It is a round medium density bristle scrub brush. I picked it up from Kragen Auto parts and is designed to fit in the palm of your hand. I cracked the handle part off then drilled a hole and put a bolt though it to create a shaft to act as a drill bit. Slap it on my 18V Dewalt cordless, slop down some shampoo, and instant power scrubber. Does a pretty good job of fluffing in the process.

http://www.partsamerica.com/ProductDetail.aspx?categorycode=3298W&mfrcode=CND& mfrpartnumber=92042

Shawn

Ahhhhh You crafty guy. Thats great idea. Instant power scrubber

I don't let dirty people in the boat. Not that kind of dirty anyway.

Kevin: I dont know where all the dirt comes from??? Its like just sitting outside dirt gets in the boat and then it gets wet and then its in your carpet. The carpet in your Bu is much thicker (and better IMO) then what is on the floor of my Nautique. Plus my carpet is 5 years old and the amount of partys my carpet has seen Im not complaining its in pretty good shape. But I would love to have the carpet you have in your boat.

My other trick is to fill the front ballast tank and wait until someone in the bow makes a comment on the "proper way to drive a boat." That is followed by a quick power turn into my own wake, then drop the throttle just as I get to it, and someone gets a 50 gallon shower. After that I just pull the trap door by the drivers seat and use it as a scraper to wipe the excess water out of the carpet. I only use this system if I have plenty of time to let it dry out afterwards.

Seems like yankin' the carpet out, putting in brand new would be more "Bling" style!

I just yanked my center floor section as part of winterize cleanup and it's insane how dirty that carpet is. All our dirt comes from our local water. Can't really get around it unless peeps wash their feet off with CLEAN water every time they get back in the boat, and that ain't gonna happen.

I know they have carpet brushes that will bring back some "fluff" to yoru carpet. Easiest most effective way I've found is pre-treat any stains with cleaner then go at the whole carpet with a power washer and wet vac the dirt/water up. I found this to work much better than any carpet cleaning machine.

Adam: Power washer? How does this work? I can see water going everywhere?
Joe: Yes I was thinking about re-doing all the carpet but My'n is not that bad. Plus I’m right in the middle of Re-doing the bass in my boat and didn’t want another huge project to take up my time. Maybe next year Ill take out the carpet and replace it.
Kevin: Super Swamp, I guess that’s a benefit of having a boat not full of electronic equipment. All my equipment is mounted out of waters way but I do has some stuff as close a 3 inches from the floor. I would NEVER try a super swamp on purpous. That’s got to scare the crap outa some one in the front of the boat, LOL

(Message edited by grant_west on November 20, 2006)

Yeah, I almost drowned the amps a couple times. I would have still thought it was worth it if I had. New amp = $400. The look on their faces was priceless. However, I plan on mounting them in a better location over the winter.

I use a pressure washer on my carpets/floor. I also use a small amount of soap with a broom style scrub brush. The soap is mainly to get rid of any fermenting smells, the washer pretty much blasts all the bad stuff out anyway. I do this when the boat can sit out in the sun all day afterwards to dry. You do have to be a little careful with using this method, my pressure washer has an adjustable spray width. I do not go any where near my amps/electronics. I use a bucket of water, hose and scrub brush in and around those areas so there no "splash" issues.