Carpets

[massacre]

I have a 94 XLT and I will be removing the front seats to install some audio stuff.
My cargo area and back seat area carpet is actually in really good shape.
But the front seat carpet is kinda crappy
Looking to replace my carpet, it is grey in color
Not sure which part of the VIN gives the interior color code.

Can anyone recommend a good source for a new grey carpet?
Looking for quality and ease of install if possible.

Thanks in advance!

 

[BrooklynBay]

Take out the old carpet, get a remnant, use the original carpet as a template, then cut to size.

 

[massacre]

What is a remnant?
Sorry

 

[BKennedy]

A piece of leftover carpet is a remnant.
Or this
91-01 Ford Explorer Carpet 4 Door, Passenger Area Only

LMC Truck makes great replacement parts for the 1991-1994 Explorers
Molded Carpet ... Fits and Looks Like Original

 

[massacre]

Thank you!
I saw that LMC sold carpets, wasn’t sure of the quality so thanks for the heads up

 

[410Fortune]

what does kinda crappy mean?
The carpet kits from the factory are extremely high quality carpet, most dirt stains can be removed and the kit can look like new with a good de grease and power wash
If its worn down at heel or burned or ripped then that is a different story
What we usually try to do is find a sport trac with a rubber floor kit and install that in our 4 door explorers
they work awesome!

 

[massacre]

Looks like LMC doesn’t sell my color so i’ll have to go with the carpet in your first link, thanks for the link!

 

[974X4BLACKSPORT]

stockinteriors is where I got my replacement carpet from. You will want to reuse the original padding on the back of the old carpet, and transfer it over to the new. the carpet fit great, but you do have to trim,and make holes for seat belt bolts and other things that need holes.

 

[BKennedy]

When I rebuilt the Explorer after the dash melted, I used the carpet out of the donor Explorer. It was a little dirty, but showed hardly any wear and was in better shape than my original carpet. I pulled it, then sprayed it down with Simple Green and water, and scrubbed it with a push broom. I did that a few times and it looks like new.

Disclaimer: I have not purchased carpet from either source I listed. LMC is known for quality and fit, but I just found the other link with a simple search.

 

[CDW6212R]

As Jamie asked, how "crappy" is your carpet? have you tied to clean it yet, out of the truck? First do that, on a sunny day clean it well with a pressure washer, or a hose can work often too.

If that doesn't work well enough, where are you located? I have the old 93 Limited carpets from 2005 when I stopped using it(parted it out). It didn't fit the 99 floor as well in the front as the 99 carpet did, so I still have it as spare parts.

An aftermarket carpet is hit or miss on the fitment, the area around the console, trans hump, is where they will fit or not.

 

[massacre]

Well to be honest, it's not a complete pile of crap but it is definitely discolored/faded in many areas. I haven't removed the carpet yet, just pulled the pass front seat.
There’s rust spots where the seats bolt up, and it’s gray carpet that looks like 7 different shades of gray and brown.
I’m not opposed to trying to clean it. so I would need a pressure washer?
I need to get one anyways

Thanks

 

[BKennedy]

Remove seats and center console. remove carpet. Lay it out flat and hose it down with clean water. Spray it down with your favorite cleaner, I have had good results with Simple Green. Scrub it with a push broom of stiff bristle brush. Hose with more water and let it sit for 10 or so minutes. Repeat until its clean enough. The rust stains might not come out, but they are probably on every 1st Gen Explorer carpet under the seat mounts. Power washer not needed.

 

[BrooklynBay]

I know that it might sound crazy, but since the carpet could be taken out, go into a cleaners, and ask them what they would charge to clean it. They might refuse since it's not clothing, but then it doesn't hurt to ask. Another option is to contact a carpet steaming company. They have their equipment built into their work trucks, so maybe they would do it while it's in the vehicle instead of removing it.

 

[410Fortune]

its too easy to clean!
You guys my wife has been selling carpet for like 30 years
the stock carpet kits are nylon I believe and just about any stain can be removed
Some of the toughest carpet you can buy

You can take them to the car wash and hang them on the wall using the matt clips....it will likely fall down when it gets too wet so its nice to have help.
Or you can lay it flat on the ground
power wash the crap out of it, get it soaked using warm water and soap.
Then hit it with simple green or purple power or whatever, use a scrub brush to dig out the deep dirt and stains
Rinse it with power washer and soak it good....get all the dirt off
hang it up to dry in the sun or near a wood stove, let it drip
Can take 12 hours or 3 days to dry just depends on where you do it
It will probably look like new
The rust spots will still be there, just a light orange...but the seats cover them up anyways

I use the flatbed of my truck to hang them off the side, clean one side at a time, then hang it off the side to drip dry in the sun

NOT VERY MANY aftermarket carpet kits will fit like the stock one does.....

I never thought of using a pushbroom! LOL I always use a hand brush like you would use to scrub tires

Harbor freight electric power washers are good bang for the $$$$
They are clones of the AR Blueclean which is what I use, can find them on Amazon
or just use the local car wash! That is what we do in the winter

I have flipped many many trucks, we always remove and clean the stock carpet this way
for stubborn stains try using a quick shot carpet cleaner on those spots

 

[Turdle]

As 410Fortune says, the carpet is very tough. Think of it this way, it's trash now and you cannot hurt it. Now, get real mad.



I use my sloped driveway, dawn dish soap mixed with a little windex and water in a bottle for dispensing through the power washer, heavy bristle push broom for scrubbing and CLR for spot cleaning rust.
Hot sunny day. 2 large sawhorses and a few helpers to get the wet carpet on them, ( it'll weigh a lot ) with a fan blowing underneath for as long as it takes. Might have to camp out overnight if you want to keep the fan----

 

[CDW6212R]

As said, most stains will come out. But it is a bulky thing and doing it on a sunny days is the biggest thing to plan for. It can take days to dry on a cloudy day, cold etc. But if you pick a day that's sunny, and mild, lay the cleaned rug onto a large bush(my preference), it will dry quickly versus no sun at all.

 

[shran]

I have ordered from stockinteriors several times, they have great products and I would highly recommend them if you want new carpet.

My method for cleaning involves removing the entire carpet from the vehicle, taking it to the car wash, and pressure washing it, first with the hot soapy water and then rinsing back and forth many, many times until the soap comes out and you're not blasting dirt out any longer. I have cleaned up some REALLY nasty carpets this way, including one in my F150 that sat out in a junkyard for quite a while with trash and dirty parts on top of it. It looks very nice now with the exception of one cigarette burn - totally awesome for a free carpet!

 

[massacre]

Thanks for all the helpful responses!
I was wanting to deal with the carpet while I have the seats out for an audio install, but the weather here is not favorable to washing and drying out a carpet right now.
Maybe in the summer I will remove the carpet and try to clean it when my Mustang is out of storage so I can drive that while the carpet dries.

 

[410Fortune]

We hang the carpet in the shop near the wood stove, its dry the next day....way faster then the sunshine just FYI
Nylon carpet is basically impossible to stain
I still like the rubber floor kits since we basically live in the dirt/mud back here

 

[massacre]

Believe me if I had a heated shop my life would be a lot better
We have a wood stove in the house but my wife would prob flip if I hung it up in the house lol