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.

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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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You probably would be better off trying to catch a carpet sale & replace
the old carpeting. Consider it an investment to sell the house.

I ripped out all old carpeting & never replaced it. Just use room size rugs
in a few bigger rooms & natural hardwood for the rest. I've had these area rugs before, but just did it myself or used Stanley Steemer.

We get ours done professionally every year. We always get the same company because they use the truck mounted machines and it doesn't leave the carpets set. Slightly damp at worse. We had Chem Dry company in town but they went out of business. Nobody was happy with the results and the chemicals are harmful to pets as well as children. We don't have spots on ours, so can't comment on that but the guy who comes over always says he does carpets with "doggy " spots and they come out fantastic.

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Originally Posted by shepgirl

the chemicals are harmful to pets as well as children.

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That is certainly a concern for me...I am going to call a couple of places and ask some questions, that being the first one.

Thanks for the replies everyone, I knew I could count on all of my pet-friendly pals for advice on trying to keep things clean! ;)

I've had the chem dry done and I was so unhappy w/it that I had Service Master do it again. I think that Service Master is even better than Stanley Steemer. My carpets smelled so fresh and clean and they were fluffy and like new when they finished and I had only 4 indoor cats at that time but I was so conscious of the possibility of people turning up their noses when they walked in my house. What we've grown used to, others get sick when they smell it. I also used them to clean the house when I moved out. Service Master is wonderful, here in Ohio at least.

We rent machines and do it ourself. Its SO EASY these days, the machines do all the work, its just like vacuuming (except you have icky water to dump). When you do it yourself, you also control what soap you use, and how much. You also are certain its been rinsed enough. If its not rinsed enough, the residual soap attracts stains much faster than if the soap was completely rinsed. A few places neglected to rinse ours thoroughly and we ended up with huge stains VERY soon afterwards.... they WANT that so you ask them back again and again.

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Originally Posted by JenBKR

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. ;)

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Oops, just noticed this reply..... chances are your stain reappear because it wasn't rinsed enough.

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Originally Posted by catnapper

Oops, just noticed this reply..... chances are your stain reappear because it wasn't rinsed enough.

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I bet you are right.....I doubt that I rinsed well enough when I was finished. I didn't realize that the soap residue attracted dirt. :eek: