Carpet Cleaning

[lfw]

I was wondering if there is a thrifty way to clean the wall to wall carpeting in our apartment without the added expense of renting or buying a steam cleaner?

Also, are those foam carpet cleaners like Resolve or Woolite, effective in getting the carpet clean and economical?

Thanks for any suggestions.

[PetMom]

I used to have carpets and never once had them professionally cleaned
(maybe I should have). We bought a rug cleaning machine and this
did not work well at all.

I got by with the surface type cleaning similar to the foam cleaners (I liked these but switched to just lightly going over the rug with a dry damp
rag with a light touch of soap on it). You have to be careful about wetness getting to the padding.

I also tried the spot cleaners too, but eventually resorted to doing this on
my own also (I hate spending money on cleaning products).

I have personally met people who have been meticulous about preventing
dirt or wear and tear by using good entry door mats to catch dirt and also
making sure no one wore shoes in the house.

[frugalmomof1]

I just had carpet put in 2 rooms in my house. If they are not professionally cleaned once every 12 months, it will void the stain protection warranty.

[mstrohm]

Renting equipment is much cheaper. My sister-in-law had a small upright cleaner that worked fairly well. With 4 children we used it when we could.

[PRICEPLUS]

We got rid of the carpeting and put down rugs.No matter what we did the carpet would get grungy after a wghile. Going with rugs was the best thing we ever did. We hired people to clean the carpets. We tried once with rented equipment and the results left much to be desired!

That is my .02 cents on the subject!

[nanamom]

Last time I had one done it was because I had agreed to a vacumn demo in exchange for a carpet cleaning. I didn't buy the thing and he cleaned the carpet. I had told them going into it I wouldn't buy it so they knew before hand. Figured I hadn't fooled them, just told the truth. I've used the canned stuff for spot cleaning but never thought it was much good, depends on how dirty your carpet is.

[Ima saver]

I have used the pros, the carpet looked dirty two weeks later. We have solid white berber carpet,now my husband steam cleans it with 1/2 bleach 1/2 water, every few months. It works great!

[katwoman]

If you have carpeting you're going to have to clean it.

If you go with the pros, use the ones with the guarantee that they will come back and redo it if you're not satisfied. Pricey? Yes, but worth it. Stains that appear to be gone can come back after a week or two. Look for coupons to bring down the cost.

If you go with the machine rental, pick the mid grade machine and buy the recommended cleaning products. Depending on how thorough you are, you'll be amazed at the results.

If you're renting I would recommend a apartment with no carpeting. The stuff the landlords put in is of inferior quality and won't hold up well. Why lose all or part of a security deposit to subsidize something that isn't even yours?

[PRICEPLUS]

In rentals thery certainly put in that whcih is cheapest! That has been my experience!