carpet cleaning

[beatts]

I know this is not strictly DIY but any idea on the best way of cleaning a carpet. I'm not talking of stains as such but more of a general clean. We have dogs and it is impossible to keep the dirt off the carpets

Mark

 

[breezer]

to clean a carpet properly you need a good carpet cleaner, it will not be cheap, but you could try your local hire shop they rent m/c for carpet cleaning.

With pets i would suggest a very good vacuum cleaner, one with rotating brushes at the front and that has a good suction

 

[Farjer]

Well, this is an old thread, but I have a stupid followup question...

How exactly do you clean carpets with a hired machine? I'm assuming the carpet is wet for a while afterwards. How do you manage with large heavy furniture? The only way I can imagine is to move everything to one side of the room, clean the free area, let it dry, move the stuff back, repeat.

 

[David937]

Move as much furniture as possible.

The machine assuming it is a spray extraction type it is filled up with water and the required amount of cleaning solution.

The solution is injected into the carpet and immediately vacuumed of with the loosened dirt.

It is a good idea to remove as much water as possible, do this by passing the wand over the carpet without holding the trigger.

The key to drying carpets is ventilation, set up some fans and open windows/doors

Use commercial chemicals; you will be surprised at how much more effective there are compared to domestic crap.

If you don't have wool carpets use Prochem Extraction Pro, if you have wool carpets use Prochem Liquid Woolsafe.

 

[lymmranger]

I am a flooring retailer....

we take a very dim view of cleaning carpets....

...why?

it traps you into a never ending cycle of having to clean it

...why?

cleaners use soap, soap attracts and holds dirt (so far so good)

But - it needs thoroughly rinsing away - this is impossible with a carpet

so....

next time your dogs come in with wet feet (or a person) the soap residue in the carpet will suck and hold all the dirt

....result....

carpet looks worse than ever

regular cleaning will "burst the pile" and make it look matted

if your carpet is a wilton it WILL shrink

Best advice from a fellow dog owner - dry their feet before you let them in!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[foxhole]

10 year old post
A good carpet cleaner uses no soap at all.