Carpet Cleaning Question.....

[txsteele]

My wife wants to clean our carpets today by getting one of those rentals from a grocery store or some such place.

Do those units work?
How much do they rent for?
Should I go with someone like Stanley Steamer instead?

Thanks

[scotty]

We bought our own carpet cleaner. It works so-so. One thing that helps a lot is to add some oxy-clean to the solution. And pretreat the stains with the oxy-clean and scrub it with a brush. I haven't used a commercial service as only the master bedroom is carpeted. The rest of the house is hardwood. When the budget allows, we're going to put hardwood in the bedroom as well.

[Bullydog]

They are ok, I just can’t stand em because I know what’s in "other peoples" carpet and those machines don’t get cleaned regularly...My dad has been in the Carpet/Wood floor business for 35 years...

From experience....a truck mounted unit will do a much better job and last much longer. However, you have to use a reputable firm who does background checks on their employees. You have to ask them...

[rubydog]

I used to own a carpet cleaning company and can tell you that the rental machines will only remove surface dirt and rarely get all the soap out. The machine must pull atleast 160 lbs. of vacume at the hose end in order to be efficient. I would suggest that you call a company that uses truck mounted steam cleaners and stay away from the bargain basement guys with portable machines. Portable machines such as the NAMCO scooter with dual vac motors tend to do a good job but most fly by night companies will not spend the money to buy them. Hope this helps.

[TheGeneral]

I have rented the "rug doctor" machines from grocery stores, and have bought a carpet cleaner shampoo machine for the house, and both work so-so. If you really wanna get it clean, then I'd recommend finding a good reputable company online in your area and then checking the reviews from previous customers. The commercial machines are so much more powerful and usually you can find coupons in the phone book! Call around for pricing too!

[REVELSRACKS]

call dirt free carpet, they do not use soap bc it leaves a residue which attracks dirt. They use H3o which has the same ph level as soap but no residue, it worked great for us...

aubrey thoede- 832 256 5535

tell him Blake sent ya and he will take care of you

[Tommyh]

Dirt Free is who i have used the last two times i got my carpets cleaned. you will be surprised when he is done because they get stains out you didnt think would ever come up!

Now to answer the question. the store carpet cleaners soak the carpet allowing dust and dirt to collect just like a dirt ball. it doesnt really get it as clean as you would like.

[Bill]

I have used the ones from the supermarket about every 6 months for the past 15+ years, so if you multiply it out- I'm probably an 'expert'.

Yes, they definitely work. No, I never found I needed to use the defoamer. There's not much to the machine that can be dirty/ unsanitary from somebody else's carpet other then the brush underneath.

I use the hottest water I can get out of my faucet on the bathtub, and mix their cleaner with a clean 5 gallon plastic bucket filled anout 1/2 way to fill the reservoir. I use 2x their recommended level of cleaner all the time.

If you do multiple passes, do them at 90 degrees to each other. Work away from the outlet you plug the cord into so you're not swinging the power cord around all the time.

I have found if I go over the carpet 2x or 5x the water still is grey/dirty when I pour it into the toilet. The more times you go over the carpet, the cleaner it is and the better it feels afterwards.

I always do one more pass over the carpets with the unit empty just to soak up any residual water that was left behind. Afterwards, we open the windows and turn on the attic fan to draw in outside fresh air to try to accelerate the drying.

Put aluminum foil under any legs on chairs and tables when you need to move them back on the damp carpet to avoid stains.

Last thing is to wear a pair of shooting earmuffs to block the sound of the machine and you will not get as fatigued as you do the job.

I found that since our golden retriever died in July and I've cleaned the carpets, the amount of dirt I get out of them has dropped significantly. I miss her still, but she was dragging lots of **** into the house and into the carpets.

No, I'm not available this w/e to do them for you.

[FIRETX12]

Whatever you do, DO NOT use Stanley steamer. Find a locally owned cleaner that's been around. They have a rep to uphold & won't send out 2 17 yr old punks to "case" your home. If you don't believe me, call them for a quote, and then let your wife call them. The price difference will make you mad! Once they show up, their price will change at least 3 more times, & those "spots" you paid them to remove will magically reappear in a week or so. I rented a machine from Lowe's @ Thanksgiving, and it was so/so.

[deerplanter]

I had my carpets chemically cleaned a month ago and they did an ok job, but boy did the house stink. They didn't get all the stains out so we figured we would have to replace the carpet. Then one day I thought I would give some carpet shampoo a try and low and behold it got all the stains out, so they do work.

[Bill]

Pre-spray any stains and high traffic dirty areas too before you shampoo clean the carpets. I forgot to put that in. I vacuum the room, then spray any spots or near the external doors, rub it into the carpet well with my hands, and then clean. Some stains require you to go over the spot multiple times very slowly letting the moving brush scrub the dirt off. Just be sure to go over that area several times with just the cleaner with the vacuum only to pick up the water and soap.