Best Carpet Cleaner

EndersShadow

So as one of MANY "fun" things you get to buy as a homeowner, we need to purchase a carpet cleaner. Since we have dog's and well... they are dogs... AND a baby, its worth investing in a decent steam/carpet cleaner. The carpets we have are basically brand new stain-master carpets and we would like to try to keep them looking like new as long as possible .

Wondering what you guys out there are using to clean your carpets. Obviously we can call Stanley Steamer or any number of companies, but its easier to just do it yourself right then and there, and even easier when there are just small spots/stains you need to clean up.

I am looking for something we could use for a small spot cleanup as well as possibly for doing the entire house.

Let me know what your using and why you like it, what you've used and didnt like, etc.

Thanks in advance.

oldrocker

I have an old hoover upright, had for years, it has the hand held wand wich works great for the pet stains.
However, not that I advise this but I use on capful of crud cutter when I mix the cleaning solutions and it has worked great for me without bleaching out the carpet we have.

steveinaz

We've used a Bissel for years, the IMPORTANT thing to remember is, after using it, run some plain hot water thru the lines--or they will tend to clog on you.

PSOVLSK

We have an older model similar to this one: http://www.bissell.com/proheat-2x-healthy-home-pet-deep-cleaner/?source=igodigital

Not the best, but handy to have around for pet accidents, etc. I've found that if I catch the accident early, just pouring hot water directly on the stain and then running the cleaner over it works well.

bikezappa

My wife investigated the carpet cleaner options and even bought one. They all sucked.

Just have the professionals come in every 6 months.

Ask the professionals for a small container of their cleaner for spot cleaning would be my advice.

hochpt21

bikezappa wrote: »

My wife investigated the carpet cleaner options and even bought one. They all sucked.

Just have the professionals come in every 6 months.

Ask the professionals for a small container of their cleaner for spot cleaning would be my advice.

I would echo this.

We bought one for around $250. Worked decent, but was shot after not very long. Plus they are a pain in the a$$ to use. Plus the cost of chemicals etc.

We just use spot cleaners and then get the carpets done professionally once a year.

You should be able to find plenty of established mom & pop cleaning companies that will save $$ over the big dogs like Stanley and they still do a very nice job.

ViperZ

bikezappa wrote: »

My wife investigated the carpet cleaner options and even bought one. They all sucked.

Just have the professionals come in every 6 months.

Ask the professionals for a small container of their cleaner for spot cleaning would be my advice.

We have hand-made wool carpets (came with the house) in our living room. Beautiful stuff, but cost over $750 to professionally clean these at a factory (10x16 and 10x8). I'd love to get something that I can at least maintain these carpets with.

steveinaz

I have been very happy with our Bissell, we've owned it for about 8 years and it gets used probably twice a year to do the whole house. Now, the new house has no carpet, so it's basically used just for upholestry cleaning, and the occassional puppy mistake on throw rugs. I think we paid about $229 for it, IIRC.

EndersShadow

bikezappa wrote: »

My wife investigated the carpet cleaner options and even bought one. They all sucked.

Just have the professionals come in every 6 months.

Ask the professionals for a small container of their cleaner for spot cleaning would be my advice.

hochpt21 wrote: »

I would echo this.

We bought one for around $250. Worked decent, but was shot after not very long. Plus they are a pain in the a$$ to use. Plus the cost of chemicals etc.

We just use spot cleaners and then get the carpets done professionally once a year.

You should be able to find plenty of established mom & pop cleaning companies that will save $$ over the big dogs like Stanley and they still do a very nice job.

While thats ok, it doesnt help if the dogs take a nasty watery dump on the carpet and we need it gone right away lol. Long story, but lets say something along those lines happened this morning after I left the house..... it also involved a small child find it and wiping it all over the walls and carpet . I laughed, my wife who had to clean it up... not so much....

We probably will have pro's come in every so often and do the house, but for small areas due to dog pee/kid pee, etc, we would prefer to be able to do it right then and there fairly quickly.

PSOVLSK wrote: »

We have an older model similar to this one: http://www.bissell.com/proheat-2x-healthy-home-pet-deep-cleaner/?source=igodigital

Not the best, but handy to have around for pet accidents, etc. I've found that if I catch the accident early, just pouring hot water directly on the stain and then running the cleaner over it works well.

steveinaz wrote: »

We've used a Bissel for years, the IMPORTANT thing to remember is, after using it, run some plain hot water thru the lines--or they will tend to clog on you.

Thanks.


As a total side note, we also have used hot water + hydrogen peroxide to get red stains out of the carpet. Pour the water first then the peroxide, then put down a towel to soak up the mixture after about 30 seconds. No idea how it worked.... but it sure did.

TNHNDYMAN

Well for starters put a diaper on the child....:rolleyes:

I've never been impressed with any of the usual cleaners you can buy at a big box store. The rug doctors you can rent at any grocery or home depot have worked much better in my experience. For the small day to day accidents, just clean with hot water a towel and spray some fabreez on it.

If you buy one the bissels seem to work better than the others I have tried.

EndersShadow

TNHNDYMAN wrote: »

Well for starters put a diaper on the child....:rolleyes:

LOL... yeah she had one on... the dogs on the other hand ....

polrbehr

Whatever machine you decide to buy (I have no preference/experience with DIY machines), make sure you don't overwet the carpet if possible. After you do the cleaning steps, go over the entire area using just the extractor, and get it as dry as possible. Also, open windows and try to use a fan to speed drying time; naturally you'll want to do this on a mild, low-humidity day if possible.

Same thing with stains. Once you treat/clean them with the machine, take a nice heavy towel and press down on the area and leave it there for awhile. Carpet has a nasty habit of wicking stains back up to the surface unless you get it as dry as possible.

tonyb

I have a Bissel, works ok for pet stains and partys, but the best spot cleaner out of a can...Spot Shot hands down.

PSOVLSK

I use mine strictly for accidents. I have actually cleaned the carpets with it a couple of times, but the effort to benefit ratio just wasn't high enough for me. Now we have our carpets cleaned professionally once or twice a year.

I really like it for the gross type of accidents that you don't really want to be blotting.

oldmodman

I had a Bissel but gave it away after I bought a Rug Doctor (at Costco)

It isn't that it cleans a whole lot better than the Bissel, but it extracts the fluids better, leaving a much drier carpet.

Now here is the real "secret". Use Folex carpet cleaner (I get mine at OSH). It does a much better job of removing dirt and stains than any of the "Big Brand" ones. Another thing I do is multiple rinses with hot water. I rinse until no trace of water is seen coming up the vacuum line. The drier you get the carpet the better.
And my last tip. Do your carpet in sections. You do not want the cleaner or rinse water to soak through the carpet into the pad. So I wash and suck, wash and suck, then rinse and suck (many times) then move onto another area of carpet. It is time consuming and will take an entire day of moving furniture and cleaning and rinsing before you are done.

Ans as previously stated. Clean the hell out of your cleaning machine after you are done. And soap goo will turn in to a sticky permanent mess if left to harden in the tank.

bikezappa

oldmodman wrote: »

I had a Bissel but gave it away after I bought a Rug Doctor (at Costco)

It isn't that it cleans a whole lot better than the Bissel, but it extracts the fluids better, leaving a much drier carpet.

Now here is the real "secret". Use Folex carpet cleaner (I get mine at OSH). It does a much better job of removing dirt and stains than any of the "Big Brand" ones. Another thing I do is multiple rinses with hot water. I rinse until no trace of water is seen coming up the vacuum line. The drier you get the carpet the better.
And my last tip. Do your carpet in sections. You do not want the cleaner or rinse water to soak through the carpet into the pad. So I wash and suck, wash and suck, then rinse and suck (many times) then move onto another area of carpet. It is time consuming and will take an entire day of moving furniture and cleaning and rinsing before you are done.

Ans as previously stated. Clean the hell out of your cleaning machine after you are done. And soap goo will turn in to a sticky permanent mess if left to harden in the tank.

Hire a professional and be done in two hours. Also ask him to sell you a bottle of his cleaner for spot clean ups.

jbooker82

Bissel Spot Bot for the accidental spills and messes. Then ether rent a Rug Doctor or pay some one to come in and clean the entire carpet when you feel it needs done. Some professional cleaners spray on the chemical cleaner before hand. Then their machine uses hot steam / rinse water. If you keep putting soap in your carpets with out taking it back out your going to end up with matted carpet.

mrbiron

The best carpet cleaner I purchased was called "hardwood floors throughout". It takes a little getting is used too but you'll find it hard to locate a carpet stain after doing. Works wonders.

1600sqft later and haven't had a carpet stain since. Check it out! Another good one is called "Tile where you can". It.comes in a smaller bottle but is just as good. :P

EndersShadow

mrbiron wrote: »

The best carpet cleaner I purchased was called "hardwood floors throughout". It takes a little getting is used too but you'll find it hard to locate a carpet stain after doing. Works wonders.

1600sqft later and haven't had a carpet stain since. Check it out! Another good one is called "Tile where you can". It.comes in a smaller bottle but is just as good. :P

And it comes with a free lifetime of "echo's" and "bad accoustic's" so the voices in your head are not the only thing talking to you. Add in "cold feet" and a touch of "break if heavy objects dropped" and you've got yourself a winner....

Again hardwood floors just are not something I want to entertain. Not now and not in the future.

mrbiron

Communist!

PolkieMan

Haha LOL
I remember we had hardwood floors in the old cheap house when I was a kid we were poor later my Dad got a good promotion and bought a nice new house with wall to wall carpet :-)

EndersShadow

mrbiron wrote: »

Communist!

Nah I voted for Obama, so I cant be one of those..... wellll... wait a minute............


P.S. I didn't actually vote for Obama so I am not responsible for the last 6 years :biggrin:....

embrown057

As a trainer and breeder I use the Royal. I have had the others mentioned in the past but no other has cleaned as well or help up as well as the Royal. The next best thing would be a commercial unit but that would be twice the cost.

Thorton

As far as spots or small messes, I tried many before our dog passed away. Capture (I believe sold at Sears) was the best.

treitz3

http://www.whatsbestforum.com/showthread.php?6466-Steam-Cleaners

Read the whole thread for an educated response to your inquiry based upon real user experience (mine).

Tom

Willow

We have 2 of them. Both Bissel. One is for quick clean ups we had 2 dogs and have 2 kids, no time to wait for pro cleaners. The small one is ok good for liquid stains. The other is a heated one big and heavy and sucks (in a good way) big time. You need heat a non sticky soap (or carpets will feel icky after) and good suction. We vaccum first then I use the big Bissel with hot water and turn on the built in heater and I take my time. If I remember it's a Bissel Pro heat.

Jimbo18

I know not everyone agrees with them but I usually check out things like appliances with Consumer's Reports. Some stuff, like a particular model being very noisy, you can't get from looking at it in a store. Anyway, the short list from them is:

Recommended Full-sized carpet cleaners

The Hoover Dual V Steam Vac All Terrain w/ Spin Scrub F7452-900 can clean a larger area than the Bissell ProHeat 2X9200 before you'll need to empty it, but it's noisier. You should consider hearing protection when using the Hoover.

Best for smaller spaces: The Hoover Steam Vac w/Spin Scrub F5914-900 and Bissell ProHeat 25A3 are best for smaller spaces. Both are easier on your wallet and back than heavier machines but will need to be refilled and emptied more frequently. The Hoover Steam Vac w/Spin Scrub F5914-900 is loud enough to require hearing protection

SteveGranger

Thanks all for your insights on choosing the best carpet cleaner.
.

pitdogg2

GO AWAY SteveGranger SPAMMER

audioluvr

As an ex- pro carpet cleaning company owner (another life ago) the best cleaning is usually done by truck mounted steam cleaning process but as with everything there are huge variables. Best advice is "good service is not cheap and cheap is usually not good" If using a pro, ask if they use "positive displacement centrifugal blowers" If they are they will know what you are talking about. Also ask if they use powdered or liquid detergents. Powdered is preferred because after it's dry any residue can be vacuumed up whereas the liquid will leave a residue that will attract dirt (not allowing your vacuum to work as well) making your carpets get dirty quicker. This can be remedied though by asking for a fresh water rinse. At least in the traffic areas.

As for the do-it-yourselfers. Best spot cleaner can be made yourself using a quart spray bottle full of water and a couple teaspoon fulls of powdered laundry detergent. A good shop vac to suck up as much of the initial spill then spray in the spot cleaner, rub in with your fingers then shop vac. Repeat until spill is gone both visual and odor.

As for the annual self steam cleaning, this can be done with a good Bissel or Rug Dr. Just use powdered laundry detergent (one level teaspoon per 3 gallons hot water) instead of the crap they sell and follow up with a fresh water rinse if possible. Only do this on a warm dry day with your windows open to allow for proper drying (box fans can speed this up) 48 hours after cleaning vacuum thoroughly to remove residue and restore fluff.

For wool carpet owners (area or otherwise) use only luke warm water only in moderation. Avoid "soaking" the rug. You DO NOT want the backing to get wet. So if you need to do two or three very light cleanings to get it clean, so be it.

Best thing for carpets are regular thorough vacuuming with a good vacuum with a HEPA filter.

Sorry for the long post...

Emlyn

Great advice!