Carpet cleaning?

Now that Ty is all over the floor, we are thinking of having our carpets professionally cleaned. Has anyone ever done this? Were you happy with the results? Also, there are two different methods that I have found; steam cleaning from a place like Stanley Steamer, and Chem Dry. Just wondering if anyone has ever used either of these methods and can recommend one or the other. There are some stains on the carpet, but it's only 7 years old and we just can't afford to replace it at the moment. Thanks for any comments!

I can't wait to hear what people say because I need to have mine cleaned also!
Our house is up for sale and we've had 2 people say that our house smells like dog. :o

If you have the time, it's not that hard to do yourself. Whatever you do - pick a green cleaner that is chemical free and biodegradable. Bissell makes a couple - and if you check your Yellow Pages, you'll likely find "green" cleaners. I'd go with the steam, as Chem-Dry has, well, chemicals. And if Ty is still crawling around, or playing on the floor, those can get into his system easily.

Unless you have really impossible stains, look into renting a steam cleaner. The instructions are pretty straightforward.

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Originally Posted by Catty1

If you have the time, it's not that hard to do yourself. Whatever you do - pick a green cleaner that is chemical free and biodegradable. Bissell makes a couple - and if you check your Yellow Pages, you'll likely find "green" cleaners. I'd go with the steam, as Chem-Dry has, well, chemicals. And if Ty is still crawling around, or playing on the floor, those can get into his system easily.

Unless you have really impossible stains, look into renting a steam cleaner. The instructions are pretty straightforward.

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We have a Hoover steam vac - it does clean well, but the stains start to reappear after about a week or so. I'd really like to have it professionally done, since they use the heavy duty, truck mounted equipment. ;)

The deep cleaning makes sense. I just hope they can use "safer soap".:)

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Originally Posted by Catty1

The deep cleaning makes sense. I just hope they can use "safer soap".:)

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I know what you mean - I have a few ads I am looking at from both a chem-dry company and a steam cleaning one, and they all claim to be safe for kids and animals. That is certainly the most important thing I am looking for :)

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Originally Posted by pitc9

I can't wait to hear what people say because I need to have mine cleaned also!
Our house is up for sale and we've had 2 people say that our house smells like dog. :o

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But isn't that the best smell in the world? :p

I have had both done -- and done it myself!

I think the dry cleaning does a better job. But steam cleaning ususally uses no chemicals except on bad stains (or when they dye a spot.)

Having it done once a year can really pay for itself in the life of your carpet.

I have tile throughout now, but I used to have carpets and I've tried a few times hiring a service to wash them but nothing and no one does as good of a job as me. I'm a perfectionist and I was never happy with the job the professional service did. I decided years ago to just do it myself with one of those heavy duty machines from Lowe's or Home Depot. It's cheaper then renting a service and, as long as you put a lot of elbow grease into it, it turns out WAY better. You may be sore the next day (I always was hehe) but it was worth it.

I'd recomend just renting an industrial carpet cleaner from Lowe's and doing it yourself, but that's me.

Good luck!

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Originally Posted by Edwina's Secretary

I have had both done -- and done it myself!

I think the dry cleaning does a better job. But steam cleaning ususally uses no chemicals except on bad stains (or when they dye a spot.)

Having it done once a year can really pay for itself in the life of your carpet.

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I'm thinking maybe having the chem-dry done for now, then have it steam cleaned once a year for upkeep. Thanks!

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Originally Posted by AdoreMyDogs

I have tile throughout now, but I used to have carpets and I've tried a few times hiring a service to wash them but nothing and no one does as good of a job as me. I'm a perfectionist and I was never happy with the job the professional service did. I decided years ago to just do it myself with one of those heavy duty machines from Lowe's or Home Depot. It's cheaper then renting a service and, as long as you put a lot of elbow grease into it, it turns out WAY better. You may be sore the next day (I always was hehe) but it was worth it.

I'd recomend just renting an industrial carpet cleaner from Lowe's and doing it yourself, but that's me.

Good luck!

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I might look into that too...although I am sort of lazy :o

I've always hired EnviroCare. I think they are a chain, so there may be one near you. They're products are safe for pets and children who spent a lot of time in contact with the floor.

Whatever you use, make sure it is safe for children. When I was a kid, I ended up at the hospital after playing on the newly cleaned carpet. Turned out I was alergic to a preservative in the cleanser.

Sometimes if you go to Albertsons, Safeway, Brookshires, etc. they have the machines and various "soaps" and it is almost easier to do it yourself. You have a time limit but you also have control over the situation (if there is one particular area, you can concentrate on that, etc.). :D

Stanley Steemer is probably your best bet if you're worried about chemicals and residues. :D

Just a tip, don't forget to check your phone book for any applicable coupons no matter which way you go! :D

I've used Chem-Dry and I've used Stanley Steamer. Overall I was more impressed the steam clean than the chem dry results. After Stanley Steamer the carpet just looked cleaner and smelled cleaner longer. I had expected the carpet to feel dry after Chem-Dry but it was almost as wet as when it's steam cleaned.

It's time to get it done again and now I'm going to look into the industrial cleaner you can rent from Lowes or Home Depot (hadn't heard about that until now) because I feel like I will do a better job since it's my house. I oversaw Stanley Steamer cleaning my Dad's carpet a while back and it seemed like he didn't pay as much attention to some areas as I had hoped, even though I pointed them out to him. I really wanted to just say "let me do it!".

I have a Hoover steam-vac but haven't used it on the newest carpet we had installed because it seems like it just leaves a residue that makes dirt stick worse.

If I had my choice I would have hard floor all over but hubby likes carpet in the bedrooms.

I have a steam cleaner. It's a Polti Vaporetto, an italian brand, no idea if it exists over the ocean. But it's great. I do it once or twice a year. It cleans, kills bacteria and all acarian bugs. Your carpet is really re-newed after a cleaning.

I love to have my carpets professionally cleaned. I have done it a few times. I own a carpet cleaner, a Bissell, which does a good job, albeit with a lot of elbow grease! But it is nothing compared to the pros!

I would recommend steam cleaning over dry cleaning.