Fwd: Carpet cleaning and tar removal...(OT-GTI, long)

[mr.utility at highstream.net (David Utley)]

(This did not appear to make it through the first time I sent it...)


Okay,
  First, I removed the front seats, then the E-Brake cover, then the center 
console and shifter boot.  Next, I disconnected the hose for the drain for the 
AC box.  Then I carefully went around the perimeter of the carpet to remove 
the various fasteners.  Having them removed, the carpet came out pretty easy, 
I had wondered if I was going to have to remove the AC/Heater box, but not in 
this case.  :-)  So I started to remove all the broken crappy sounds deandener 
in the rear floorboards, and the tar/jute pieces up front...  I decided to do 
this at just the right time, I found a rust hole in the passenger side where I 
did have a consistent leak...  (banghead)  Anyways, removing the broken tar 
pieces underneath the seat is easy enough (with the carpet removed), however, 
the sticky crap they use for carpet adhesive is another matter...  Again, one 
of my favorite cleaners is the 3M adhesive remover (in a liter can, about 
12.00).  Squirt it on the adhesive, let it set a few seconds, and srape or 
wipe it off (depending on the thickness of the adhesive).  

  My plans are to replace all the sound-deadening tar with Dynamat Xtreme 
(Don't you just love the mis-spelling of extreme?),and put an automotive grade 
foam on top of that...  On the rusty quarter of the floor, I will wait and 
treat it with POR-15, and a fella in the body shop will weld up the hole for 
me later today (hopefully)...

  The reason why I posted this is more for this than the previous stuff...  
Carpet cleaning...  I had the carpet out and on my floor, and I decided to 
clean it.  It was very dirty in the front sections, even had some tarry-stuff 
that had kernel-ized the carpet a bit (sick looking)...  So, I got some Tide 
liquid in a spray bottle, added hot water (and got lots of bubbles, but 
eventually...) and got a very effective cleaning solution...  I sprayed it on 
liberally, and scrubbed hard, esp. on the kernel bits...  The kernels did not 
move much, so I decided to use creme-type hand cleaner...  Something like Go-
Jo, or Joes, but not fast orange...  Anything without grit in it is actually 
good, as it is designed to remove grease, so what better cleaning stuff to use 
than that?  

  I let it sit on the offending stains a bit, and then scrubbed it, then did 
it again...  A lot of it cam out, but the material deep in the carpet was 
still there...  SO, I took the carpet to the carwash...  I vacuumed it out 
first (something I should have done first, yes), then I put presoak liberally 
all-over it...  Then I used the soappy solution there...  This took almost an 
hour of washing by itself...  I was soaked!  I had the spray nozzle closer and 
closer until there was no material discoloring the water at all...  I rinsed, 
then re-vacuumed the water off...  BTW, carpet is VERY heavy when wet...  It 
actually came out very nice!  There are a few spots that need to be repaired, 
but MAN does it look so much nicer!

  I highly recommend this approach for cleaning carpet, esp if it is nasty...  
I would have taken/posted pics, but I do not have a camera myself...

HTH someone...

David Utley


David Utley
-----------
Cable Volkswagen
405-470-3129

----- End forwarded message -----



David Utley
-----------
Cable Volkswagen
405-470-3129
1-800-522-6793