Date:         Thu, 14 Aug 2003 08:40:54 -0700
Reply-To:     Marcia Holm <mholm@ONLINEMAC.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Marcia Holm <mholm@ONLINEMAC.COM>
Subject:      Re: cleaning carpets/rugs/seats
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

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

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