The Money Mustache Community
Learning, Sharing, and Teaching => Mini Money Mustaches => Topic started by: Meggslynn on February 27, 2017, 10:26:00 AM
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So last year we moved into a house that has mostly carpet throughout from a house with mostly hardwood throughout. Since we have been leaving here there has been three puking incidents and one loose bowel situation. I think the stomach flu likes to make our sons acquaintance often.
We have rented a steam cleaner each time to the tune of $45. I am thinking maybe we should just purchase one of those home units. They are currently on sale for $180 - $230 in my area. I really hate to own these types of things but it would be much easier than wasting a weekend to drive to the city to pick up a cleaner, clean and then drive it back the next day.
Just looking for thoughts on this. Maybe there is an alternative solution I haven't thought of yet?
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I bought one and use it regularly. I have the space to store it, it's paid for itself in savings.
I like steam cleaning one room at a time, it takes a month to get all the house but its a lot easier moving furniture.
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Which one did you buy? If you don't mind sharing.
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We have two little kids, 1 and 3. We have one and use it often and we have 50/50 carpet/non carpet. Worth buying one IMO!
Edited for typo , should have said 50/50 not 50/60. I should really check my postings first.
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We have a carpet cleaner. It has been wonderful, no hassle to rent one; can use in the middle of the night, etc.
No kid yet, but had a dog (and now have 2).
Plus it's good just for routine cleaning.
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Don't waste your money -like we did- on the smaller home models. About a year ago we bucked up and got the Bissel big green clean machine and have since wondered why we ever settled for anything less. We have 2 dogs who love to play it up in the backyard and 3 teenagers.... The model is the pro-style that is rented out so it takes up a good amount of space, but earns its keep. Great for cars and cleans so well that all I use is super hot water and a bit of surfactant. The best deal we found for it was on Amazon warehouse.
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Agreed, we got an ex rental model too. It was quite $$ but it's amazing. We put our name down on a list at a rental place, had to wait a few months but was worth it. And like a pp said, we have had to use it in the middle of night! Kids puking...never a good time for that.
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We have a Bissell Pro-Heat and it has worked well for us. We buy them used on Craigslist or garage sales, and the ones in good condition are around $75 to $100 here. We feel it pays for itself in about 2 uses, and we keep buying the same kind each time so we learn how to fix minor things on them, and when they become unfixable (ours have lasted about 5 years) we know what to look for in a replacement. We have 4 kids, but also use them for rental properties when tenants move out and their security deposit isn't enough to pay for carpet cleaning plus all the other repairs needed.
I like the convenience of being able to use it for small spills where I otherwise wouldn't have made trips to rent a machine if my whole carpet didn't need it.
I don't buy the special solutions for them, but instead fill the little detergent dispenser part of it with straight white vinegar and it works great. (I can't speak for whether it will work in all models). I use about a quart for the whole house, so it costs me less than a dollar. I did that originally because my kids have sensitivity to fragrances in the solutions, but it also saves a lot of money.
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Bissell Progesterone???? :D
I have one carpet in the family room, 3 kids, and a Bissell Quicksteamer that I share with a relative. Used it last night to clean up food stains from party guests. Very happy.
I think a steamer is well worth it if your house is mostly carpeted. With young kids, you can expect to use it at least 3-4 times a year.
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Also, ban food/drink from anywhere but designated eating areas, for the whole family, and enforce it. Adults too. That will help with prevention. Can't do much about illness unfortunately.
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I'd buy one. Easy to find for super cheap, and sell when done with. They are handy to have around, and much cheaper when sold again than renting or paying for cleaning.
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We always had problems w our carpet cleaners. Hence the most mustachian solution was born.
Wet vac. Suck up the bulky portions of the mess. Hot water and Whatever cleaner you want. Pour it in your carpet... Then wet vac it up again
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Also, ban food/drink from anywhere but designated eating areas, for the whole family, and enforce it. Adults too. That will help with prevention. Can't do much about illness unfortunately.
Ah, yes. Thankfully our four year old knows this rule well.
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Though you can get one but if you talk about mattresses, mattress cleaners are really useless in my opinion. I can do a better job with some baking soda and a kitchen sifter and vacuum the dirt later, or just sun the mattress. The stains are hard to remove, no doubt, but why do we have bedsheets for?
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We got a cheap one at home depot on sale at the time for $100 - works great. A pro model would be better, but this one gets the carpets looking almost new again every time and it is small, lightweight and easy to maneuver up and down stairs so the cheap one was the right one for us.
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I find my cat makes a bigger mess on the carpet than our kids do (he pukes often, most likely due to his old age of 15 yrs). We have a hand held cleaner - Bissell Little green. It does not work the greatest for stomach juices, but it is better than not having anything. It works better for the occasional kid spills.
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Don't waste your money -like we did- on the smaller home models. About a year ago we bucked up and got the Bissel big green clean machine and have since wondered why we ever settled for anything less. We have 2 dogs who love to play it up in the backyard and 3 teenagers.... The model is the pro-style that is rented out so it takes up a good amount of space, but earns its keep. Great for cars and cleans so well that all I use is super hot water and a bit of surfactant. The best deal we found for it was on Amazon warehouse.
+1. We know a few friends with the big green one (http://www.petmycarpet.com/bissell-86t386t3q-big-green-carpet-cleaner-review-reasons-worth-buying/). They swear by it after throwing away much more money over the years on the cheapos.
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Another vote for the Big Green Bissel