- There is a range of different carpet cleaners you can rent from home improvement stores, with the differences defined mostly by size and power. An upright model that can be easily dragged from room to room is the right choice for most homeowners. If you have a room with a lot of tight inset areas, think about getting a smaller model or one with an upholstery hose attachment. If you're doing a open finished basement or other wide span, then go larger.
- Get all the furniture out of the room. Thoroughly vacuum the carpet. Treat any high-stain areas with pre-steaming treatment (available where you rented your steamer). Warn family members that the room will be out of commission for the day.
- Most carpet steamers are designed to be filled with very hot water, to which you add the concentrated carpet shampoo. Fill the machine with water first (from a pitcher set under your bathtub tap), then add the shampoo at the end, so it doesn't create suds in the machine. The hotter the water, the better. Consider setting your water heater to its top setting a few hours before you start the cleaning process. (Warn your family that the water's going to be unusually hot for awhile, and remember to turn the water heater back down when you're done.)
- Start in one corner of the room, with the front of the machine facing the corner. Engage the hot water release (generally by holding in a trigger by the handle). Walk slowly backward, dragging the machine in front of you. Tilt the machine forward for especially soiled areas and move slower, so the vibrating brush goes deeper and more water is directed there. Stop and refill whenever you observe that the collection tank is full and the machine starts to sound like it's straining. (Don't run it dry.) Go over the carpet in straight rows, then go over it again in rows running in the opposite direction, until the water in the collection tank starts to look clean. Open some windows and let the carpet air-dry for a day before putting the furniture back in.
