CLEANING CARPETS

[mieleforever]

Hi everybody,

I recently acquired an electric carpet shampoo machine. An Electrolux, nothing fancy, but it seems to do the job very good.

The question now is how often should one actually shampoo the carpets? Because I really enjoy doing it.

Regards and thanking you in advance for the advice.

Cheers.

 

[iheartmaytag]

Depends on how dirty the carpets are.

Some carpet warranties require that they be cleaned annually.  With two dogs and a kid in the house mine are cleaned about every three months. 

 

My rule would be, if it's dirty, clean it.   There, of course, will be debate about wetting the carpet, and stressing the fibers etc.  But if you let it get too dirty you may never get it clean, so I just clean when it's dirty, or stinky, or I feel like it.

 

 

 

 

 

[henry200]

Periodic shampooing will keep your carpeting looking fresh but be aware that over time the shampoo residue will build up, despite what they say about it drying to a powder you can vacuum up.  Would you wash your hair or clothes without rinsing?  A very good routine would be to use the Electrolux shampoo as needed for "touch-ups" and once a year use a vacuum-extraction machine to thoroughly rinse away the built-up residue.  Another method which I like even better is to use a "dry" compound like Capture.  Working on a 3x3 ft area at a time, I work it into the carpet with the Electrolux.  The powder absorbs the oily surface soil and spots, and gets vacuumed up when it's dry.   Be sure to start out with a fresh, empty bag in the vacuum, and expect to go through a bag or two if you're doing the whole house.  After thorough vacuuming the Capture type stuff leaves much less residue in the carpeting but gives excellent results, especially if you lightly heavy traffic areas with the pre-spotter first, and there's no danger of over-wetting the carpeting.

 

[whirlcool]

When we wash our carpets we use a Hoover spin scrub steam injection kind of cleaner.
After it dries the first time we rinse with clear, clean warm water. Seems like it cuts the suds down.

 

[earthling177]

Henry: is Capture as dangerous as Glamorene was to Charmane and family? ;-P

 

[alr2903]

Whirlcool has good point, if you continue to use sudsing shampoo, when  you decide to use an extraction /steam vacuum like the hoover or spin scrub, you would want to have plenty of defoamer available. In a pinch you could put fabric softener in the vacuum tank to cut the foam. alr 

 

[henry200]

Suds!

Back in 1980-82 I lived in a duplex where the landlord faithfully shampooed the carpeting between tenants with her Kirby.   My poor Rainbow vacuum was never the same after the first time I used it on that carpeting.  Only one minute into vacuuming the carpeting the first time I heard the motor groan and turned around to see it spewing suds!

 

[laundromat]

When I had carpeting, I had the Hoover with the nice spinning brushes. The carpet was beige and I used HE detergent and about 1/16 C of Clorox bleach.I lived there 6 years and never had new carpet (their policy was new carpeting every two years)put in. When the installers would come in and see how clean it was, they assumed it had already been replaced.Knowing we were due new carpeting after renewing our lease a 7th time,we heard about the carpet replacement and mentioned that we never got ours. They looked up our file and,sure enough,we still had the same carpet that was there when we moved in.Our complex manager decided to not only replace the carpet and give us 3 months credit on our lease but hired me to clean the apartment's carpeting whenever the tenants moved out. They paid me $250 per unit and supplied all the shampoo.I must have saved them a bundle because they quit replacing the carpet unless absolutely necessary.

 

[mieleforever]

Home made detegent

Well at this stage it really is nice washing the carpets, after washing them I let them dry by putting a fan on the floor so it really dries quickly, then I take my Miele and vacuum with the rotating brush attachment, and believe you me that machine can really vacuum every crum out of a carpet.

So my question is is there a home made recipe for making the shampoo.

Many thanks again.

regards.

 

[iheartmaytag]

I was having problems after cleaning my carpet that the traffic areas were still showing.  A carpet man said it was "browning" what he suggested is after cleaning the carpet as I normally do, to rinse it with plain water and a cup of white vinegar.  He said that the cleaning detergent was alkali and some dirt, such as brown dirt, was already alkali and needed the mild acid rinse to remove it.

It worked.  Though I don't always have the time to make the second pass, I do rinse about every second or third cleaning and the carpet looks much better.

 

 

[thomasortega]

I still wondering why still using carpet.

Wouldn't be much easier to clean a ceramic floor with lots of mats that could be easily washed in the washing machine?

Plus, there's also the issue with allergies.

 

[iheartmaytag]

why still using carpet.

The style is going to hard surface flooring again, but there are still viable reasons for carpeting.

 

1.  Warmer floors in the winter

2.  Less maintenance

3.  Carpet instituts claims actually helps with allergies as the carpet traps the allergins until a good vacuum can remove them.

4.  Carpeting is Luxurious.

5.  Carpet will cover flaws in the floor such as uneven floors, cracks etc.

 

 

[thomasortega]

1. Warmer floors in the winter - Ok,I forgot the huge weather difference we have. At this point carpet wins.
2. Less maintenance - I disagree. Mopping is much easier than vaccuming.
3. Carpet instituts claims actually helps with allergies as the carpet traps the allergins until a good vacuum can remove them. - Of course the carpet instituts would never say "Hey, you can have trillions of microorganisms and allergins under you feet" If carpet is so safe, why they aren't allowed in hospitals?
4. Carpeting is Luxurious. Yes, they are... But granite, marble or even "porcelanatto" is even more luxurious. and would last forever.
5. Carpet will cover flaws in the floor such as uneven floors, cracks etc. same as above. I have "porcelanato" floor with carraro marble details on my floor. Never had a crack. and lots of heavy items like hamers had fallen on the floor during the 15 years I live here and never cracked it. Even f I were the best carpet cleaner in the world, I'd have changed it at least 2 times along the years.

0,02

 

[iheartmaytag]

Yes, But

Vacuuming is therapy--moping is a chore.

 

I prefer carpet.

Hosptials do have carpeting, not in the patient rooms but many areas are carpeted.

 

Ceramic tiles will break with an uneaven sub-floor such as those in my 76 year old house.  And they would be freeking cold as stated in my previous post.

 

 

[rapunzel]

'moping is a chore'

That's why my Hoover floormate puts a smile on my dial. No moping over dirty floors in my house.

 

[launderess]

Did Someone Say Carpet Defoamer?

I've got three bottles of "Rinse n Vac" (think that is the brand) sitting around that need a new home.