Carpet Shampooing

[supersurgilator]

How often do you shampoo your carpeting? I am working on doing all of ours, its been a year and a half since it was last done. I usually like to do it once a year, as I have heard that you can actually clean it too much, then it gets bumps and stretched out.

 

[bmgilk]

Twice a Year

When we use to have carpeting I always shampoo it once in the spring and once in the early fall.I used a bissel tank cleaner, the kind you connected the hose to the fauce and put the siphon hose in the bottle of rug cleaner.I can't remember the model name of it. Are you doing yours or having a company come and do it?
Mike

 

[supersurgilator]

Doing it myself. We have one of those exact Bissel models that you mentioned, however we borrowed a friends Hoover Spinscrub model. It does a better job and is less hassle than the canister that hooks up to the sink.

 

[xraytech]

I have the Hoover Steam Vac with Spinscrub

I shampoo my carpets 3 times a year, in the spring, in the fall, and around the Holidays, Sometimes I shampoo up to 5 times a year. After shampooing I go over the carpet with vinegar water to help remove excess soap residue.

I also do touch ups between cleanings with my 1st generation Bissell Little Green.

The carpeting in my car is another story I use the spin scrub hand tool and clean the interior of my car at least monthly

 

[mixfinder]

Never Clean Anything

"Never clean anything," is my mantra, just keep it that way. I spot or area clean as needed so the carpet is always presentable. I just got the latest incarnation of Hoover's V Power auto rinse cleaner with heater. The plasticy parts are heavier, the brushes spin regardless of carpet depth and the auto rinse feature seems to work very well

 

[bmgilk]

I remember what a pain it was to use the bissel. The water hose was never long enough for me to do the whole house, I had disconnect it from the kitchen sink and use the bathroom sink.My brother has one of those hoover spin scrubs and he loves it.

 

[jeffg]

Kelly, I'm not an alarmist kind of guy, but have you ever seen a microscopic picture of old wall to wall carpeting? If it's not routinely cleaned, and honestly, even if it is, it's absolutely disgusting. A sea of bacteria, molds, pet dander, dust, dust mites and their droppings, a long list of other nasties and critters that feed on it.

Credible studies have shown up to 200x as much air contamination (mostly dust mites and their droppings) in homes with wall to wall carpeting compared to homes with hard floors. If you're dealing with any kind of chronic illness, especially related to lungs, allergies or ENT, do yourself a favor and rip that carpeting out of your house, or at least use air filtration in rooms where you spend the most time (usually bedrooms and living rooms).

 

[mrb627]

Rug Doctor

I have rented the Rug Doctor from a local retailer and gone over the entire house twice. The problem is it has been so damp with all the rain that I haven't been willing to go for it for quite some time. I am hoping that the rains will back the 'F' off for a while so we can get around to carpet cleaning.

I have considered purchasing that cleaner with the built in heater, but never think about it when the funds are handy.

Malcolm

 

[countryguy]

I used my Lux shampooer to do the carpet in the master bedroom over the weekend. It does a great job. I find I can scrub an area longer if required without getting the carpet too wet. After it dries I vacuum the carpet. Sometimes I also use the Hoover steam cleaner to pick up any residual dried shampoo after I've vacuumed.

Gary

 

[mixfinder]

Ahem!

I am a clean freak. I enjoy complete visual orderliness and find that keeping things in their place and in the condition they were in when they were new gives me a sense of peace and satisfaction. I have vacuumed so often there is nothing in the vacuum bag after cleaning than a few grains of dirt carried in the front door. The rug is spotless and anything spilled is cleaned at that time so the rug is always maintained in a spotless condition. I find no profit in wetting the entire expanse of carpet and pad which would encourgae the growth of mold, germs and spores. I grew up porr, filthy and without running water. I am far stronger than a few germs that may reside in my carpet and enjoy the "like" new sheen and resilience of my carpet. Besides, I rather spend the time getting ready for a house full of company.

 

[alr2903]

JeffG, I am totally with you on this one, we have pets. It was not that many years ago that hospitals had wall to wall carpet, thought to be sound dampening. alr2903

 

[laundromat]

I had a Hoover Steam Vac-

When I lived in Texas.In fact,I had five of them I got at the local Good Will Clearance Store where all the floor care products sold for $7!!! I would stop there every morning to find the many gems they had to sell. By the time I was ready to move here,I had 5 Hoover Steam vacs,7 Kirbies no older than 4 years,4 Rainbows,4 Hoover uprights,3 Eureka uprights,2 Kenmore canister vacs with beater bar upright attachments,3 Royal Uprights,and a Lewyte Cannister vac in a hassick.

The steamvacs are great. I would use an HE detergent and a dab of chlorine bleach in boiling hot water. My carpet was always clean and I would do it once a month.The folks in the rental office would pay me to clean up the carpets after folks moved out.I would always be sure to thoroughly rinse everything out and replace the spinner brushes yearly.They were only $12 and made evrything get so very clean!Nobody makes a floor/carpet cleaner like the Hoover.