cleaning the carpet

[ChevyHank]

In my 98 ss I couldnt take the smell of the wet carpet anymore (ttops leak fixed now)so i ripped it out. It also smelled like a hamster cage in the car. A chipmunk or mice had lived in the car for about 4 years. I am still finding acorns and little turds in every corner of the car. Well now that i have the carpet hanging on my fence any suggestions on cleaning or getting a new one somewhere?

[Rich189]

You can get a new one... but unless yours is really stained up i would not as its a real pain to get to fit right even though its pre molded.

As far as stains and the smell there are a few things you can do. If you really want it done right you can have someone steam clean/shampoo it.

If not i would suggest plenty of resolve and diluted woolite scrub in throughly and pat dry with clean towels. Then use some baking soda and let it sit there and vac. it off.

[ChevyHank]

Ok do you do u do steam cleaning because i scrubbed today it dried and it still smells like mold

[Rich189]

Ok do you do u do steam cleaning because i scrubbed today it dried and it still smells like mold

yes i do both.... the only time i havent been able to get the smell out is when mold is growing in the padding... ive never had the carpet out of a 4th gen so im not sure how much padding there is but you may have to tear off the felt padding on the back to get it to stop smelling.

[ChevyHank]

Ya i was thinking about ripping out the padding i guess i will try that next

[Rich189]

Thats what i would do since if you bring it to me i would probably have to do it anyway. If you rip it out and it still stinks put it back in the car bolt the drivers seat down and leave everything else out and pm me and we'll work something out.

[ChevyHank]

Ok thankyou

[JL8Jeff]

On one of my old 4Runners I had to remove the seat covers and run them through the washing machine a couple of times to get them clean and the smell out. I pulled the carpet and used a rinse n vac on it several times and a lot of Febreez and left the truck open for days and it eventually went away. But that carpet did not have the padding on the back so that may make a big difference. Just do like the hippies and light up some incense in your car! :mrgreen:

http://www.thefifthsense.com/images/black_white_smoke.jpg

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[V]

if you toss the padding, just first try taking pics so u can remember size and location on the padded sections. then once removed if the smell goes away, you can buy a roll of new padding with heat reflective backing at an auto parts store and cut and glue sections back to help cut down on road noise and heat transferred through the floor.

or buy a used carpet off ebay or similar, a used one will be easier to fit than new.

[Rich189]

if you toss the padding, just first try taking pics so u can remember size and location on the padded sections. then once removed if the smell goes away, you can buy a roll of new padding with heat reflective backing at an auto parts store and cut and glue sections back to help cut down on road noise and heat transferred through the floor.

or buy a used carpet off ebay or similar, a used one will be easier to fit than new.

yep thats why i suggested trying everything to fix his first the aftermarket carpet is a real bitch to fit

[ChevyHank]

Well i bought dynamat. I am going to put that down and only remove the smelly stuff. It is only bad where you put your feet. If this stuff is as good as they say i will put it in the vert too. That car sounds like a tincan with the top up.

[tokmik]

for your carpet problems you may look for some guide and tips in the link below:

[NJSPEEDER]

I have always just used the cheap little hand held steam cleaner I have to get carpets clean. Just make sure it is all the way dry before you reinstall, mildew starts in the padding in very short order.