washing cockpit carpets

S

scoflaw

Well-Known Member
Aug 10, 2011
6,395
cape cod mass, cape coral fl
Boat Info
1999 Powerquest legend 260 sx 502 mag
2005 Baja 242 islander 496
Engines
502 mpi Bravo 1
496 mag B1
Anyone had any luck putting these in a commercial washer? Hows that rubber backing hold up?
 
scoflaw said:
Anyone had any luck putting these in a commercial washer? Hows that rubber backing hold up?
Click to expand...

This is eerie. While I may have missed it, I, personally, have never seen this question on this forum before. At the store, I have never been asked this question by a customer. Before yesterday. Yesterday, a customer of mine called with the exact same question. Weird.

I wouldn't put them in the washer - too much bending/flopping, etc. It might survive once or twice, but I think it will definitely take it's toll on it. The way I do it is to lay them on my driveway (hose the driveway off well, first) and then use a hose on them. After I've rinsed them out good, I come back with soap and a brush. Use a light solution of soap - otherwise it's going to take a long time to get all the soap out. With a sloping driveway, start rinsing at the high side and work the soap out. I still use a regular garden hose for this (with the nozzle on "hard stream") but a pressure washer can be safely used. With a PW, keep it on the "fan" setting and don't get too close. The only reason I don't use a PW at home is I don't feel like pulling it out of the shed and the garden hose does a good enough job.
 
I'm with Dennis on this one. Besides the fact that I can't imagine a commercial washing machine big enough to be able to hold & adjitate the large stiff carpets. My older carpet is one piece. So no way is it happening for me. Just go VERY easy on the soap, or it will take forever to rinse.
 
If you do a search you will find this topic has come up numerous times. The majority of people seem to recommend pressure washing them.
 
I pressure wash mine works great.
 
I brought mine home and used my pressure washer with very good results.....
 
I would think that Dawn would be great for cleaning them with the hose. It is a mild miracle cleaner for so many things as it is an excellent degreaser.

MM
 
i use a drill brush to loosen the dirt that has settled deep down into the pile of the carpet....then vacuum good and repeat the brushing process untill the brush does not loosen any more deeply embedded dirt....then i take a pole brush with medium stiff bristles and apply soapy water made with Dawn dish washing soap....i let it sit for a while (usually 10 -15 mins) and then scrub the carpet with the pole brush and more soapy water....then i use a power washer (with care) to rinse out the soap from the carpet....then leave it on the driveway to dry....brushing the carpet really helps to raise any of the pile that has become matted down over time....i usually do this deep cleaning twice per year...once at the start of the season and again somewhere around mid-season...



the drill brush also works well to losen deeply embedded dirt in the cabin carpet and raise the matted down pile.....

cliff
 
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I lay my carpet on the basement floor and use my carpet cleaning machine. Works great (use a little resolve on the bad spots).
 
dpvandy01 said:
One of the tips for my pressure washer spins rather than being a fixed angle like 0, 15, 25 or 40 degree tips.
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just a word of warning for those that may read this and are unaware of the various tips for a pressure washer...the 'spinning' nozzle is called a rotary nozzel...it is one of the most powerful of all of the nozzels...this nozzle concentrates the pressurized water from the washer into a fine powerful jet and then rotates this water jet at a very high rate of speed....the concentrated water jet is very powerful (according to the size of power washer) and can do some real damage to materials real fast if you are not careful.....a stationary water jet does not cover very much area so it would take a very long time to pressure wash anything with some size to it when using a nozzle that produces a stationary water jet....that is why the nozzle spins on a rotary nozzle...with the spinning action the concentrated water jet will cover a much larger area and allow a much reduced time for cleaning larger spaces or items with the powerful concentrated water jet...

my point being that you should be very careful when using this nozzle...i have a rotatry nozzle and when i use it on my 3000 psi pressure washer it will chip up concrete if i am not careful (ask me how i know :wow:)...i can imagine what it would do to carpet if it were held too close...

personnaly i use the yellow or green tip that has a 'fan' spray pattern when using the pressure washer to clean my carpet....

cliff
 
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I use a soapy brush while laying on my driveway, then hang them on the deck railing and rinse with garden hose. We have a lot of pressure so it works well and but not risk damaging the fibers.
 
Lazy Daze said:
This is eerie. While I may have missed it, I, personally, have never seen this question on this forum before. At the store, I have never been asked this question by a customer. Before yesterday. Yesterday, a customer of mine called with the exact same question. Weird.

I wouldn't put them in the washer - too much bending/flopping, etc. It might survive once or twice, but I think it will definitely take it's toll on it. The way I do it is to lay them on my driveway (hose the driveway off well, first) and then use a hose on them. After I've rinsed them out good, I come back with soap and a brush. Use a light solution of soap - otherwise it's going to take a long time to get all the soap out. With a sloping driveway, start rinsing at the high side and work the soap out. I still use a regular garden hose for this (with the nozzle on "hard stream") but a pressure washer can be safely used. With a PW, keep it on the "fan" setting and don't get too close. The only reason I don't use a PW at home is I don't feel like pulling it out of the shed and the garden hose does a good enough job.
Click to expand...

This is exactly what I do too!!

Woody said:
I take mine to the car wash.
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Woody,
What do you do, strap them to your roof or are you talking about the self-serve car wash with the wand?
 
tdschafer said:
Woody,
What do you do, strap them to your roof or are you talking about the self-serve car wash with the wand?
Click to expand...

Duct tape them all over the car... Top, sides, hood, trunk...:smt001
 
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