CARPET CLEANING ADVICE?

[Darster]

Hi all, I am interested in getting my carpets cleaned but I hate calling the carpet cleaners who are just looking for an easy 'mark' to hit up for additional fees. I just want a good decent carpet cleaning! Is that too much to ask?

I could go with the cleaning machines available for rental from the grocery store, I've done that before, but I don't feel like it was a really good cleaning...sometimes I think those cleaners actually might make it worse...but I am open to doing that again, at least I am in control of the situation; hate feeling I've been taken advantage of as I do with the commercial carpet cleaning people.

Does anyone have any advice or ideas, and if you have used a commercial cleaner in the Atlanta area that was any good, let me know who it was! Thanks!

[kmarr]

I have cleaned my carpets all the above ways and have found out the best way was to rent a carpet cleaner from a rental place not the grocery store. The grocery store one was never clean and I would have to clean it to use it. The rental place was just a bit more but clean and more powerful. Call around and check prices. I also never use as much cleaning fluid as recommended as I think it never all comes out of the carpet. I usually use about half the amount. I never use professional cleaners anymore- too expensive.
Good luck!

[Darster]

Thanks for the advice! I think that's what I might do too...when you say rental place, do you mean places like U-Haul sometimes have that sort of equipment too?

[jeskibuff]

I'm sold on a dry cleaning process. Steam cleaners work by almost soaking the carpet which is very detrimental to the carpet backing. I've been pleased with the results that I've gotten in the past, mainly with one company in the Orlando area which priced it's services fairly and did a great job.

[pheonixxf]

I read in consumer reports that for spots really the best thing is dishwashing liquid with warm water- about 1 TBS to 2 cups water. As for using a rug cleaner thats rented: it sonly as good as the cleaning solution. I suggest adding laundry detergent with color safe bleach to your cleaning mix- this worked for me on WHITE carpets that were, well, brown...I got great results. But had the change the water more because it was foamier. I swear by it though. I have heard of people adding just a little tide too. Good luck. As for professional cleaning- i did have professional cleaners come first. I did a BETTER job with a rug dr. JMHO

[cashhound]

A friend of mine is a carpet installer. He says that the newer carpets are usually treated with Scotchgard...so don't use commercial cleaners on them. Instead, use shaving cream to spot clean. Not the gel type, but the cheap foamy type. He says commercial products remove the scotchgarding. He also said that a good vaccuum cleaner is the best investment you can make toward keeping carpets looking good. (Well, and I guess you'd have to actually USE the vaccuum...lol.)

That being said...after I invested in a Hoover home carpet steamer...grrrrr....

I agree with the previous posters. The big thing is to keep going over the spot you cleaned to make sure you are getting all of the water out. Units with rotating brushes are great if you have really ground in dirt (like from my dogs tracking mud in.) If you do rent a unit with brushes, make sure you clean the brushes before you use it. My mom had a really bad experience with dirty brushes. They were covered in oily/tarlike stuff

[1800drycarpet]

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[buckeyemomma]

I like my syeam cleaner..best investment I made this year..also bought the small electric spot steam cleaner for small spots and is easier to use on steps and upholstery. With small kids around, it sure gets used!


My sister does her carpet with a small amout of palmolive dish liquid(green kind) she has also added small amout bleach...I might try the dry color safe kind.


But if you have a carpet that has soap in it, put some liquid fabric softner in the tank where the used water goes and it cuts down on suds. also when carpet is dry...go over it with small amout of liquid fabric softner in the water to clean out the rest of suds in your carpet...makes your carpet smell good and it is soft. then when dry...spray with protectant.

[1800drycarpet]

Reply to buckeyemommas' post. The first link is from DryCarpet.com's most visited page 10-15,000 visits per month, it's entitled "Why Spots return after carpet is cleaned".

PLEASE DO NOT BUY ANYTHING DIRECTLY AT DRYCARPET.COM! THERE IS A DEAL/LINK SOMEWHERE AT DEALOFDAY.COM.

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Why spots "return" after carpet is cleaned

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DAM (dry absorbent media)...What is authentic dry carpet cleaning

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[bradedit]

If I am going to hire a professional, I make sure that it is the kind with the motor attached to the truck itself, the other kind I can rent myself.

The kind that is attached to the truck just seems to have more power to suck out all the water and dirt.

[vanderson]

I live in the country and my carpets get really dirty. I found that adding oxyclean (advertised on tv, but Walmart has it) to the water in a rented cleaner works wonderfully. The directions are on the container. I really like this cleaner overall.

[buckeyemomma]

Originally posted by vanderson
I live in the country and my carpets get really dirty. I found that adding oxyclean (advertised on tv, but Walmart has it) to the water in a rented cleaner works wonderfully. The directions are on the container. I really like this cleaner overall.

THANKS! I will have to try it

[kat]

With kids & animals, I can also vouch for OxyClean's ability to get most anything out of a carpet!

We have gold carpeting in the basement (it's completely finished). When we moved in, we thought the carpet was brown - and this was after the previous owners had supposedly had all of the carpets cleaned. I put the OxyClean in my carpet steamer (I hate the cleaning solution they tell you to use - it leaves the carpet all stiff & nasty) and was pretty amazed to find out that the carpet was really a nice gold/brown mix that we could live with instead of some ugly brown stuff that we thought we were going to have to replace! OxyClean has also saved us from oil spills (courtesy of a 2 year old & a misplaced bottle of baby oil) among other spills.

[Lainie_01@msn.com]

I suggest SERVICEMASTER...They are very proffesional and do more than just clean the carpets(ie spot clean stains and brush it too). They do a really good job!!! And best of all...if you arent satisfied...they will come back out until you are happy with the job....Good Luck!!

[tokmik]

I have cleaned my carpets all the above ways and have found out the best way was to rent a carpet cleaner from a rental place not the grocery store. The grocery store one was never clean and I would have to clean it to use it. The rental place was just a bit more but clean and more powerful.



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