Comments on: How to Deep-Clean Your Carpet

on 2/16/2009 Any tips for removing cat urine? How about coffee stains?

on 1/26/2009 The professionals at Payless Carpet Cleaners provide information and tips in regards to removing stains from carpets. Refer to http://www.payless-carpet-cleaners.com or if located in the South Florida region contact by telephone at (305)503-5868 or (954)671-1050.

on 1/20/2009 You should not bleach the carpet to go lighter, but you can dye the carpet to go darker. During carpet cleaning, If you leave the carpet too damp, it will rot the padding and stink permanently forcing you to replace the entire carpet. I have found that using fans and washing the carpet on a hot day helps. You can also spray the soapy water on in one pass, then go over the wet carpet three or four times to suck up the water. Repeat until the stain comes out. Do not put a lot of water on and let the water set. Put the water on, take it off, leave the rug damp, then come back and do the bad spots again. You can also use a floor scrubbing hand brush on the carpet in bad spots. In really soiled areas next to a door I have seen the carpet cleaners take his hand and put hot water on from a 5 gallon pail while the other guy soakes it up with the machine. This way the dark soap and dirt

on 10/2/2008 Home cleaning machines work sufficiently as long as you use HOT water. A lot of the machines use cold water. Also, a lot of them leave excess water behind which can cause mold and mildew.

on 7/27/2008 My carpet is in good shape, yet some areas are discolored due to traffic. Can the whole carpet be bleached?

Thanks.

on 7/10/2008 Good info on carpet cleaning, but you should check with the carpet manufacture to make sure cleaning it yourself does not void your warranty. Starting in January 2008, Shaw Industries the worlds largest carpet manufacture is requiring only IICRC certified cleaning companies to clean the carpets in order to maintain their carpet warranty. Check out our carpet cleaning process video at: http://www.alliedcarpetcleaning.com

on 6/3/2008 I had the same problem with my carpet, but I used http://www.number1cleaners.com to restore it and now my carpet is as good as new!!! THANKS GUYS!!!

on 3/10/2008 a better smelling chemical then vinegar and safer then fabric softener is available at carpet cleaning supply stores (I know it seems less diy but it's only 12-15 bucks) it's called all fiber rinse or carpet rinse. The smell is like baby powder and many cleaners just steam with this slightly low ph rinse aid. Most spots don't need detergent anyway just rinseing. I have heard off doing 2 steam prcesses but usually it's one or the other because the carpet gets to wet. So if your carpet is stiff with residue stains do this rinse method it will dry soft and bright with no returning soil from residue. It's cheap and a good spotter for brownout to.
http://www.hilbrandscarpetcare.com

on 9/29/2007 With my experience, I think Hugh's comment (above) is really good -- apply the cleaner with a sprayer/mister first, then use only hot water in the extractor. I have also found OxyClean to work wonders. Tip -- I also found a cheap Oxy type multipurpose spray solution at the dollar store for only $1 (near the glass cleaner)-- was AMAZED at how well the stuff cleans spots on the carpet.

on 2/6/2007 Shaw industries says to use hot water extraction and I.I.C.R.C. certifed firms and have them cleaned every 12 to 18 months to keep your warranty.

on 8/25/2006 I am a professional carpet cleaner, I have cleaned thousands of houses - by far the worst damage done to carpets over years is the accumulation of destruction done by rented carpet cleaning machines! They are the worst - they use too much inferior soap, they leave too much soap (the 'matted' look in your carpet is almost always too much soap), they do not have anywhere near enough power to do the job right, most people do not know how to use them correctly (contrary to the instructions, it is not that easy if you are not trained right), and using them again and again will ruin your carpet. The same goes for those store bought machines that look more like a vacuum - throw them out!

Also be wary of carpet cleaning pros that have a truck mounted hose (lots of big names) that simply sprays and sucks up, and they are out of your house in 30 minutes (it takes longer than that to vacuum the house, how could they possibly clean it?!) - they also leave tons of soap residue and they don't really clean well.

For real carpet cleaning, the company should shampoo your carpets, and then rinse them, just like laundry! Carpets are basically fibers, just like your laundry. This way is a little more expensive, but it will need to be done far less and believe me, after what I've seen, it is worth it.

on 8/8/2006 My mom swears by rubbing alcohol. Just a little on a rag, rubbed into the spot, and the spot is gone.

on 6/30/2006 I use baby wipes. I got new silver carpet, my grandson had chocolate pudding all over it and I did not know. I found it all dried up. Grabbed the baby wipes and cleaned it up. It took some elbow grease, but it worked fantastic. I also used it on French dressing, baked beans, mud, coffee and sodas.

on 6/30/2006 Never use bleach, peroxide, or Resolve (or any other high alkaline cleaners) on your carpet! These will (at the very least) take the color out of your carpet, or worse - damage the fibers.

The reason you should clean your carpets twice a year is to remove allergens, dust, mold spores (vacuums re-dispense these in to the air), greasy residues, etc. which account for 20% of the soil in most carpet. Store bought cleaners and some commercial cleaners leave a residue which becomes sticky as your carpet dries. This residue will attract substances you can generally vacuum up causing rapid re-soiling.

If you are going to rent a machine; vacuum thoroughly as the most soil (up to 80%) is removed by simply dry vacuuming, put soap in a well rinsed pump up sprayer and mix with hot water according to the directions. Apply it to visibly dirty areas one room at a time (pre-spraying), making sure to extract before the soap dries (10-15 minutes of "dwell" time is good to let the soap work). Then make sure you buy an acid rinse to put in the tank of the machine again using hot water, this will neutralize the soap. Repeat these steps until the carpet is clean.

The best advice though is to have it done by a professional with a truck mount that can provide testimonials, or get a referral from a friend.

on 2/16/2006 The only product I have found so far (and I've tried everything from baking soda to vinegar to enzymatic spray cleaners) is Capture, which can be bought at Home Depot. You apply the pre-treatment spray lightly and then sprinkle powder onto the carpet and brush in several directions. I use it as a touch-up dry cleaner between regular steam cleaning. It works better than anything else.