#1 Way to Make Car Carpet Look Like New
No matter how careful you are, it seems the carpeting of your car or truck eventually gets a permanent stain or two (or three, or four…). This car enthusiast finds it truly bothersome. My eyes keep getting drawn to that stain down on the floor. Cursing and muttering ensue. You might be particular about this as well. If so, here is how to remove stains and if necessary, hide carpet stains, to make car carpet look like new.
First, Try Removing the Stain
Obviously, the first step in carpet stain repair is to see if you can remove the stain by cleaning. Hopefully, this works, and peace and harmony are restored in Autoland. Here are some tips on doing so.
Vacuum
Begin by thoroughly vacuuming the carpet to remove dirt, sand, and other debris. You want to be sure the debris is sucked out from where the carpet loops or tufts meet the carpet backing. That way it won’t create a mess when it comes in contact with moist cleaners.
Car Carpet Stain Removal Methods
There are all purpose carpet cleaners that remove most stains and make the carpet look better; however, you might need to use specialized cleaners for stubborn stains.
Spray Carpet Cleaners
Spray carpet cleaners are of the afore mentioned all-purpose carpet cleaner type. These are the cleaners you can find on grocery store shelves, places like Wallyworld, or your favorite auto parts store. Typical application involves spraying the cleaner onto the stain and scrubbing with a soft bristled brush in a circular motion. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for best results.
Removing Pesky Stubborn Carpet Stains
If you have particularly stubborn stains that all-purpose carpet cleaners are having a hard time removing, you can try pretreating the stains before use of the all-purpose cleaner.
Glass Cleaner
In this case, glass cleaner isn’t just for glass. Try spraying the glass cleaner onto the stain and wait about five minutes. Then blot it dry with a paper towel. A great thing about glass cleaner is it doesn’t leave a soapy residue or smell after it dries.
Laundry Starch
Heaven forbid how they got there, but if you’re tasked with cleaning blood stains from car carpet, laundry starch just might do the trick. Make a paste using water and the starch and apply it to the stain. Let the paste sit for one or two hours and wipe off with a damp cloth. Be sure to use cold water when making the paste as warm water will set the stain!
Hairspray
Ink stains can often be removed from car carpet with hair spray. Saturate the stain and wait for it to begin to fade. Then rinse with cold water and blot dry with a paper towel or clean dry white cloth. Makes one wonder how safe hairspray is for its actual intended use…
What do if Stains Can’t Be Removed from Car Carpet
If stains remain in the carpeting after cleaning you can just live with them, replace the car carpeting, or make the carpeting look better by hiding the stains. This can be done by dyeing the car carpet or painting the carpet.
ColorBond LVP can be used to make car carpet look like new. This is a paint designed for use on leather, vinyl, and plastic, so it will adhere to nylon carpeting. It is recommended to scrub the carpet down with ColorBond Prep Cleaner to be sure any residue is removed. This includes those from previously used cleaners, which can interfere with paint bonding. ColorBond has many OEM correct hues, so there’s an excellent chance there’s a color to match your carpeting.
Painting Carpets with ColorBond
Check out these examples of ColorBond LVP used on car carpets.
Gilbert L. says: “This was a great experience for me using ColorBond products. I started off painting the carpet in my 1988 Chevrolet 1500 but as I got started, I got more creative ideas that lead me to painting the door panels, door latches and handles, steering wheel, a/c vents, driver side airbag, fuse box cover, etc. P.S I would definitely recommend this product to anyone who wants to use it.”
Daniel R. used ColorBond LVP to fix bleached carpet: He says: “I used one can of Carpet Refinisher to change the color of my 1998 Lexus ES300’s trunk mat, which was a dark gray color. I turned it black because of bleach stains & other stains. I really liked that it doesn’t make the carpet hard. I definitely recommend this product. My trunk mat looks brand new.”
Ed Iverson used five cans of ColorBond LVP to paint his carpet from tan to black. Of note, he also used ColorBond LVP in BMW Cinnamon to change the color of the seats and other tan interior trim.
Chris Parmar decided ColorBond LVP was what he needed for his 2002 Saturn SL2. Even after cleaning the carpet, he found the stains wouldn’t go away. So, he decided to paint the carpet black. ColorBond LVP did the trick.
Don’t let permanent stains on your carpet bum you out. Hide them with ColorBond LVP and make your car carpet look like new.
