Using a extractor is easy and a great way to bring filthy fabric back to like new again. You do however have to be realistic with your expectations. Start the process by dry vacuming the fabric to remove any loose dirt or debris. Apply upholstery cleaner to one section of the fabric at a time with a foaming sprayer. Allow chemical to dwell for a few minutes but do not let it dry. Next use the drill brush to gently agitate the surface of the fabric to loosen stubborn stains and dirt. Be careful using the drill brush so that you do not damage the fabric. Fill the extractor with straight water and begin extracting the fabric. Use the sprayer on the extractor tool to apply water as you vacuum. Spray the right amount of water to lift the dirt as you vacuum. This skill will come with practice. Too much water and you flood the fabric. Not enough and you cannot remove the dirt and chemical. Keep making passes until the water looks clean coming thru the extractor tool. If there are no more suds from the chemical coming through the tool but the fabric is still dirty repeating the above process may be necessary. After you have reached the desired level of cleanliness continue to spray water and extract until there is no more chemical left in the fabric. Water coming through the extractor tool should be clean with no suds present. After there are no suds present continue to make dry passes over the fabric to attempt to remove as much water from the fabric as possible. Again the skill of getting this perfect will be improved upon each time you do it. Have fun and get it done!! Watch any of the extracting videos or playlist linked below to see these tools and products in action.
***As with any detailing product or technique, practice in an inconspicuous area until you understand how these products and processes work to avoid damage to the fabric.
Learn More About Extractors
My entire process step by step
Build your own extractor with a shop vac
Sop Vac vs. Bissell Spot Clean Pro
Extractors:
SEMI PRO (My Goto Kit)
DIY Shop Vac Extractor Build Video Playlist
Build it yourself and get pro results. This kit is awesome. My go to medium budget extractor. Its a Rigid Portable Vac shop vac with a garden hose water attachment and a commercial extractor head. This kit will give you pro results on a budget. Most detailers already have a shop vac making this conversion a very reasonable option. Suction is great. I searched all over and these parts are the best quality and price I could find. These parts fit together perfectly and are very high quality. There are other options out there but I have found them to be lower quality and the durability questionable. This kit is very easy to build and you will like it a lot.
Parts List:
#1- Rigid Portable Vac A small powerful compact wet / dry vacuum that is perfect for this conversion. Small footprint when stored.
#2- Detailing hose kit for Rigid Portable Vac Hose kit designed specifically for the rigid portable vac. Great flexibility and will not kink.
#3- 1/4” quick disconnect Used to connect the upholstery tool to the water hose.
#4- Vacuum hose cuff Fits on the detailing hose and slides right over the upholstery tool. A perfect fit.
#5- Mytee Professional upholstery tool Top quality extractor head from a professional extractor. Great viewing window and overall A+ build quality. Don’t get a cheap one of these as they get beat up with hard use. This one will last for sure.
#6- 3/8” hose with 1/4” MNPT fittings This hose is good quality and makes for a great kit. Get the length that works for you 25’ or 50’.
#7- Garden hose 1/4” FNPT adapter Great quality adapter to connect your garden hose to the water hose on this kit.
Velcro Straps Use these to secure the water hose to the vacuum hose.
Wet Vac Filter Good quality filters last longer. This is a Ridgid filter that is good quality.
Dry Vac Filter. Good quality filters last longer. This is a Ridgid filter that is good quality.
DIY Shop Vac extractor All the links in one spot.
Shop Vac Extractor Tip: Start the process with the dry filter and vacuum hose installed. Fully vacuum the vehicle removing all loose dirt & debris. Swap to the wet filter, hook up the extractor conversion hose and attach it to a nearby garden hose water source. You now have a full blown carpet ans upholstery extractor. For improved cleaning attach to a hot water source if its available. After the extraction is complete, rinse the shop vac clean and allow to dry while you are on your way to the next detail. Easy.
Homeowner / Hobbyist / Detailing Enthusiast
Bissell Little Green Hydrosteam Pet
My newest addition to my detailing arsenal. After using this machine repeatedly I have really come to like it. Its a great value for the price and my first choice for compact spot cleaners / extractors. I have enjoyed using it and it has worked really well. TIP: When the water tank is almost empty (1’ or less)the steam quantity tends to be reduced. This was easily resolved by keeping at least 1” of water in the tank. This is a light duty but good quality machine suited for a detailing enthusiast or homeowner.
Dirtiest seat I have ever cleaned Youtube video Almost 2million views. BISSELL SPOTCLEAN PRO tested to the max.
This is old faithful. A great all around portable extractor / spot cleaner. This was my favorite portable extractor right up until the steam version listed above was released. If you do not want steam this is your machine. These machines come in different color ways but they are the same machine under the hood. This is a light duty but good quality machine suited for a detailing enthusiast or homeowner.
Bissell Spotclean Pro Replacement Parts if you happen to break something
3” suction tool Replacement extractor Head.
Professional
If you are a pro detailer extracting non stop this is your machine. You will pay up front but will save time and money in the end. Very powerful motor, heated water and produces top notch results. Bummer is the price and the amount of floor space a machine like this takes. It is also a single task machine and only used for extracting. You still need a vacuum.
Mytee - Compact Amazon
Mytee - Fullsize Amazon
The Extracting Process
Here are the products and tools that you will need to properly extract your carpet or upholstery. Use this 3 step process for heavily soiled and or stinky fabrics. For lighter routine clean ups or if you want to keep it simple just use Step 2 only. The upholstery cleaner stand alone works great. Step 1 & 3 are for those that want to do the full proper process like a pro.
STEP 1: Pre-Treat
Spot, Stain & Enzyme Remover
16oz Smaller bottle with a trigger sprayer
Gallon Gallon size. Great economy and perfect for refills.
Use to pre-treat spots and stains on carpet and upholstery prior to shampooing. Cleans and deodorizes in one application.
Directions: Apply directly onto the stain or spot. Allow a dwell time of 3 minutes. Continue with step #2
STEP 2: Apply The Cleaner
Upholstery Cleaner Provides a safe, natural solution to vehicle heavy duty cleaning and degreasing. May be used full strength on tough applications, or easily diluted with water for lighter cleaning applications.
16 oz Smaller bottle with a trigger sprayer
Gallon Gallon size. Great economy and perfect for refills.
Dilution ratios:
Light Cleaning - 8/1 Water/Cleaner
Medium Cleaning - 5/1 Water/Cleaner
Heavily Soiled - 100% Cleaner (Its safe at 100% but test in an inconspicuous spot to make sure it will not affect the fabric)
Directions: Apply a light coat onto the fabric. Agitate with a drill brush or hand brush. Allow 3 minutes to break down grime. Extract fabric until 100% of chemical and dirt is removed. Water coming through the extractor head window should be clear. After clear and clean continue to step #3 or if only doing a 1 step process finish up by allowing fabric to dry in a well ventilated area.
STEP 3: Finishing Treatment
Finishing treatment Breaks down odor causing chemicals, eliminates any residual organic stains and slightly sterilizes the surface. Leaves no chemical residue.
Gallon Gallon size. Great economy and perfect for refills.
Directions: After Step 1 & 2 spray a light mist onto freshly cleaned fabric. Let dry. Removal of product is not required. Do not saturate fabric. A light mist is all that is needed. Allow fabric to completely dry in a well ventilated area.
Step 4: Dry
Typical dry time: 3 hrs. Open the windows to the vehicle on a warm sunny day. Its important to plan this process on a day when drying the interior is possible and practical. Other methods can be used such as using fans and heaters but that would be less than ideal. Over soaking the fabric during the cleaning process will extend these times. With a small amount of practice this will all come together nicely.
Tools Needed:
Measuring Cup High quality easy to read measuring cup. I use it for all my detailing needs.
Pump Sprayer Pro grade pump sprayer. Pump it up and it will spray for a good amount of time. Trigger sprayer is too much work for this job.
Drill Brush (White Soft Version) This is the secret to ajitating the dirt and grime from the fabric. Its important to get the right one so you don’t tear up your fabric. This version is soft enough to be used on seats and tough enough to be used on carpets.
Battery Operated Drill Online Store or Amazon Always get the best tools you can afford. They will last and not let you down when you need them the most.
Microfiber Towels Very high quality general use microfiber towels. There are many options out there but usually the quality is just not there. These can be washed and reused many of times if you take care of them.
Please let me know if you have any questions or if any of these links are not working properly Jeremy@HawaiiDetailing.com
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