Author Topic: Carpet Cleaning Help  (Read 4434 times)

Bob W

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Carpet Cleaning Help
« on: January 07, 2015, 08:40:01 AM »
Our carpet is 3 years old.  In the main living area there are stains where the heavy traffic patterns are.

Any suggestions would be great!

In our area I cannot find the wand extraction type rentals.   I guess I could go with the big push machines they rent with the extractor fixed at the front.   

In the past I have used TSP instead of the highly priced detergents that the rental places have.

What's a good hack?   Do you have a special formula?   Any ideas besides the rental machines?   I do have a shop vac so I think if I had a good formula I could scrub a little and extract?


GuitarStv

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Re: Carpet Cleaning Help
« Reply #1 on: January 07, 2015, 09:59:33 AM »
What's the source of the stain?  Are we talking pets urine, grease, wine, dust, what?  3 years seems like an incredibly short period of time to have a badly stained carpet to me.  Do you guys not take your shoes off at the door or something?

sideofcash

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Re: Carpet Cleaning Help
« Reply #2 on: January 07, 2015, 07:24:53 PM »
In our upright carpet cleaner, I use half white vinegar half water with a tablespoon of cheap liquid fabric softener to give it a pleasant fragrance. I was worried the first time I used it about the vinegar smell, but once it dries, that odor is not there, The vinegar does a great job getting the stains out and the fabric softener gives a nice fresh scent to the air. If the spots are heavy, Pre-treat with undiluted white vinegar for a half hour before running the cleaner over it.

Good Luck!

southern granny

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Re: Carpet Cleaning Help
« Reply #3 on: January 07, 2015, 07:48:34 PM »
with an indoor dog (who goes out multiple times a day) and four grandchildren, I cannot go longer than 6 months without cleaning the carpet.  So I bought a hoover carpet cleaner.  It does a good job and I can clean whenever I feel like it or need to.  If the dog throws up, I can just wheel out the cleaner and have it out before it can stain.  Sometimes, I just use vinegar and hot water.  About once a year, I use the commercial carpet cleaning solution. 

Bob W

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Re: Carpet Cleaning Help
« Reply #4 on: January 07, 2015, 08:07:00 PM »
Good input so far!  Thanks.  We do not remove shoes.  It is not heavily stained but a noticible foot path between kitchen and living area.  Entry area is fine as we use a runner and 2 door mats.

greaper007

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Re: Carpet Cleaning Help
« Reply #5 on: January 07, 2015, 09:28:56 PM »
I bought a carpet cleaner when it went on sale at Costco a few years ago.   I can't remember the price, but I know it was less than $200.   I think I figured out that if I used it 4 times I was ahead of renting.    The solution for the machine isn't that bad.   I just paid 15 bucks at Costco today for a big jug, I still haven't run out of the first one but this one was on sale.

I did some research on diy solution.   Some pros warned against things like white vinegar as they can can start to attract stains over time.   Something with the ph, apparently commercial solution has a much more balanced ph level for carpet.   At any rate, I've used about $10 worth of solution in the 3 years I've had the machine.   

I should mention, the thing I really use the carpet cleaner for is the cars.   It has a little wand that works fantastically.    My kids spilled a milkshake in the backseat during a Christmas road trip.   I didn't think the stain would come out.   Remarkably, 5 minutes of work and it completely disappeared.    I try to clean our cars out twice a year.     It really helps when you're driving a 15 year old car.

Bob W

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Re: Carpet Cleaning Help
« Reply #6 on: January 08, 2015, 08:27:48 AM »
I bought a carpet cleaner when it went on sale at Costco a few years ago.   I can't remember the price, but I know it was less than $200.   I think I figured out that if I used it 4 times I was ahead of renting.    The solution for the machine isn't that bad.   I just paid 15 bucks at Costco today for a big jug, I still haven't run out of the first one but this one was on sale.

I did some research on diy solution.   Some pros warned against things like white vinegar as they can can start to attract stains over time.   Something with the ph, apparently commercial solution has a much more balanced ph level for carpet.   At any rate, I've used about $10 worth of solution in the 3 years I've had the machine.   


Thanks for that!  I hadn't considered buying a carpet cleaner but that is probably a good idea with all the kids that end up at my house and red wine drinkers.   
I should mention, the thing I really use the carpet cleaner for is the cars.   It has a little wand that works fantastically.    My kids spilled a milkshake in the backseat during a Christmas road trip.   I didn't think the stain would come out.   Remarkably, 5 minutes of work and it completely disappeared.    I try to clean our cars out twice a year.     It really helps when you're driving a 15 year old car.

crispy

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Re: Carpet Cleaning Help
« Reply #7 on: January 12, 2015, 08:56:13 PM »
This sounds weird, but the best carpet cleaner and spot remover I have ever used isn't carpet cleaner at all.  We had a bad spill and were out of spot remover so I grabbed the cheap LA Awesome stain remover for clothes that we buy at the Dollar Tree.  It removes spots better than any carpet cleaner I have ever tried. 

When our whole house was carpeted, I had Stanley Steemer come in and do our carpets once or twice a year.  They always have $99 specials here which isn't cheap, but I considered it an investment in my sanity because I am slightly OCD and dirty carpet is one thing that puts me over the edge. 


Bob W

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Re: Carpet Cleaning Help
« Reply #8 on: January 13, 2015, 09:06:41 AM »
Thanks for everyone's input thus far.

Carpets really are pretty nasty and dirty concepts.  I hate to imagine what kind of ecosystems lurk in them.   Its kinda like wearing the same clothes nonstop for 5 years.  Yuck!

Boz86

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Re: Carpet Cleaning Help
« Reply #9 on: January 14, 2015, 08:01:45 AM »
We bought one of the carpet cleaners some years back. It's the kind that used hot water and soap.

The instructions say to go over the carpet once with the machine spraying the solution and then have the machine vacuum it up. Then you're done (supposedly).

But that doesn't get all the soap out of the carpet, and the carpets got even dirtier within a few weeks, so I started going back over it with water only for a second and third time.

That is a lot more time and effort than it's supposed to take, but it cleans the carpets well.

Bob W

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Re: Carpet Cleaning Help
« Reply #10 on: January 14, 2015, 09:26:05 AM »
We bought one of the carpet cleaners some years back. It's the kind that used hot water and soap.

The instructions say to go over the carpet once with the machine spraying the solution and then have the machine vacuum it up. Then you're done (supposedly).

But that doesn't get all the soap out of the carpet, and the carpets got even dirtier within a few weeks, so I started going back over it with water only for a second and third time.

That is a lot more time and effort than it's supposed to take, but it cleans the carpets well.

Thanks for that.  I was looking at machines last night.  They are kinda pricey and there are too many choices.  The ones I think will work best are in the $300 range.   So perhaps I'll break down this weekend and try out a rental. 

I was guestimating the time factor for these little 1 gallon machines.  I think it would take me a solid 12 hours to do my whole 2500 sq ft of carpet.  Yikes!! I said.   The reality is that only my living room area is dirty enough to be visible so I could probably do a very good job on that with a rental unit in a couple of hours.   

Its on the agenda for this weekend.   I'll report back.   

 

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