Cleaning the interior

Hi Ceace,

Sounds like your carpet is heading toward being black with you kicking and screaming the whole way. I think you need to set some new ground rules because your car is loosing value quickly. My interior is black on black and yes you see a lot of dust etc. but will always look original after vacuuming. My personal theory is to always start with the method which is least abrassive when cleaning. I start with soap and water and if the stain(s) doesn't come out, then go to the more abrassive cleaners. For the carpet, I like the one with the built in scrubber (sorry can't remember the brand name). For the leather seats, I recently bought the Maguire's product with keeps the leather soft. I noticed that they have a separate product for cleaning stains out of leather which may help you. With the leather softner I can say it is really worth the money (it was the most expensive vs. other competitors) and does a great job without leaving the leather feeling greasy or slippery. Cleaning the stains right away is also helpful as opposed to letting them accumulate, specifically the carpet, then you are left with a stain on top of a stain. After you clean everything, try putting on Scotch Guard (or similar product) and will help get the stains out faster.

Maybe you can post some pictures for us for more help.

Good luck

take the carpet out if its that bad. if worse comes to worse--you can always pressure wash it---replace the backing which can be bought at any auto store. Just remember to make yourself a diagram of where the backing came off----cut the new to fit the same way and use 3m adhesive glue to put it back on your carpet once it has completely dried. Do NOT put water from a steam cleaner in your floorboard----you will never be able to get it out of the jute backing on the carpet. It will mildew and ruin your interior. If you plan to try and clean the carpets while in the vehicle take the seats out where you can work. I'll give you a little detailers trick about carpets called dry cleaning. Go to the parts store and get you some "wash" thinner---yes laquer thinner---put a small amount on the towel and hit the bad stains with it. You will have to scrub (50/50 simple green-water in a spray bottle and a good stiff brush and towel dry each time with a white towel so you can see how much dirt is coming up)) and repeat to make the stain go away. This will be work. This will pull the stains to the top and will also promote drying of any moisture. Keep the thinner away from all plastic parts and check a little carpet under the seat to see if it will wash the color out before you do any other parts. Pay here car lots brought us "dogs" by the dozens at my detail shop. This is the only way to do it right.