I have a Hoover Steam/Vac that I have used to clean all the upholstery/carpeting in our 84 Westy, as well as upholstery/carpeting in my husband's Explorer. The first time I used it on the van I was shocked - there is actually a pattern in that upholstery! And the pretty disgusting-looking carpet looked a lot better after the cleaning. Having 2 dogs makes it necessary to clean not only the house carpet regularly but also the vehicles. I have found that although the initial cleaning makes a positive impact - the upholstery/carpet seems to get dirtier faster. My solution is this: I use half the recommended amount of Hoover Detergent and add a small amount of Oxy-Clean. This tends to brighten up the areas without leaving a lot of detergent in the fabric, which I believe is the culprit to the dinginess that happens to freshly cleaned areas. And although it is a pain, I let the area dry and then clean one more time with only warm water and no detergent. It is amazing how much dirt and suds is in the machine after this extra step. Bottom line (IMHO): residual soap left on upholstery/carpet attracts more dirt - make sure that all soap (to the degree that it is possible) is removed. M Holm 84 Westy --- [This E-mail Scanned for viruses by Onlinemac.com] |
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