One reason people seem to get ‘car fever’ is a simple one. The car they drive is dirty.

Fortunately, we can fix this rather easily; a great clean! It is amazing what a deep clean can do to make you feel good about your old car.

But fighting car fever isn’t the only reason to clean it up.

I recently purchased a new (to me) vehicle. A 2007 Honda Odyssey.

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It was quite dirty, but I didn’t mind. It allowed me to negotiate a much lower price to purchase it. Their lack of interior cleanliness saved me hundreds of dollars!

Also, if you are planning to sell your car for top dollar it should be very clean. For the exact reason I just listed.

If your car carpet is stained or just plain dirty, here is how you can clean it up easily for under $10!

Here is what you need:

I had laundry spot stain remover as my wife bought a bunch a year ago or so on sale and with a coupon, making them cost around $1.50 or so. I figured it was about the same as carpet stain removal.

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$4 High traffic carpet cleaner
Some options (You can find cheaper prices at your local store):

 

• Woolite Heavy Traffic Carpet Foam + Protection Cleaner, 22 fl oz
• Resolve Carpet High Traffic Foam, 22 Ounce
• Spot Shot 009869 Aerosol Instant Carpet Stain Remover 14 oz (Pack of 1)

 

$4 Spot stain remover

 

• Resolve Carpet Cleaner with Triple Oxi Action Advanced Carpet Stain Remover, 16 oz

 

$1 Medium/Stiff bristle brush (I got one at the dollar store)

Bucket (of water)

(Recommended) Rubber Gloves

Wet/Dry Shop Vac

 

• This one has good reviews: Shop-Vac 5895200 2.5-Peak Horsepower AllAround EZ Series Wet/Dry Vacuum, 2.5-Gallon

Here is a list of other items that could help you.

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If you don’t have a shop vac, ask your neighbors or friends to borrow theirs. Purchase one from craigslist, or buy one (they are useful!).

I also think you can get away with not having a wet/dry vac but you would need towels you don’t care about or large sponges to suck up the carpet soap. You could wring them out and reuse them as much as necessary.

Clean the carpets in sections. You don’t want the cleaning agents to dry before you suction them up. I find that an individual seating area is a perfect size to clean at a time. So that means drivers seating area carpet, then driver’s side rear passenger, and so on.

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STEP 1: VACUUM THE AREA

You want to really suck up all the loose dirt before you start.

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STEP 2: SPOT SPRAY THE STAINS

Use your spot stain remover to completely cover any stains in the area.

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STEP 3: SPRAY THE CARPET CLEANING FOAM OVER THE ENTIRE WORKING SECTION

Follow the instructions on the can. Cover the section you are cleaning.

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STEP 4: SCRUB

Scrub the whole section, spending more effort where the stains are. You want to scrub from all angles – scrub in circles, as well as in straight lines. If you think you need more spot spray, use it.

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STEP 5: RINSE

Using your bucket of water, dunk the scrub brush in and wet the carpet. Using your brush, brush/scrape the cleaning agent for vacuuming with the shop vac.

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STEP 6: SHOP VAC

Using your wet/dry shop vac, suction up as much soap/suds as you can.

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You will have to perform steps 5 and 6 at least three times, but possibly more. Change the water in your bucket if/when it becomes too soapy, as you don’t want to just keep bringing the soap back to the carpet. It is important to remove the soap as it will attract and hold dirt if it remains.

Allow it to dry overnight. If your vehicle is parked in a secure area, it is best to leave the windows rolled down while it dries.

That’s how you do it, now do it to the rest of the vehicle and enjoy your freshly cleaned carpets!

A little bit of money and a little bit of work will make your car look 10X better!

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