CurtPalme.com Home Theater Forum

Phil Smith · Joined: 08 Mar 2006 Posts: 7717

I need to get my carpet cleaned. It's really dirty, so it will require some serious cleaning. There is your conventional wet cleaning method (which use water), and a dry cleaning method (which uses dry cleaner's chemicals).

Anyone have any experience with this? For really dirty carpet, which method should I opt for?

cbe317 · Joined: 14 Apr 2006 Posts: 214 Location: Thunderbolt, GA

I have a few rental properties that have carpet. If you have just normal dirt and wear tracks, then the dry cleaning is great. But, if you have heavy stains and lots of dirt, then the wet cleaning is the ONLY way to go. If you do go wet, try to make sure you don't put any furniture back down on it for at least 6 hours. Couches, beds, dressers, etc. will trap moisture in the carpet and you will get that musty wet carpet smell. If you can, get a few fans and try to circulate the air through the house to help drying. As well as using the fan in your HVAC system to aid in the circulation.

Hope this helps.

C.

garyfritz · Joined: 08 Apr 2006 Posts: 12088 Location: Fort Collins, CO

There are different kinds of wet cleaners. Most of them use a simple "spray down hot water, suck it out" kind of cleaning head. We had a guy do our carpets that used a rotating-head cleaner. It was the same kind of "spray and suck" idea, but with 3 spray/suck things on a rotating head. It swirled the cleaning heads and did a MUCH more thorough job than the normal cleaners. It actually stretched the carpet some, so that there were loose "bumps" in places, but that all smoothed out when it dried.

I don't know the real name for the thing, but if you ask if they have the rotating-head equipment, that would probably get the idea across.

Drying will be a problem with any wet cleaner. It took over a day for ours to dry, and we're in dry Colorado. You might have to run the AC for a couple of days to suck the moisture out of the house.

**Curt Palme** · Posted: Sun Mar 02, 2008 6:09 am Post subject:

Funny, I'm getting mine done on Monday.

About a year ago I had the brilliant idea of using a restoration company, figuring that they'd really know how to clean carpets due to the big cleanup messes they usually deal with. They were about $300 more than my 'regular' carpet cleaning company, but really didn't accomplish more than the standard cleaners. With the deep stains, the carpets looked great for 48 hours, then the stains all came back.

Hopefully I'll run into a carpet layer that I can swap a projector for some new carpeting, until then I'll keep cleaning..

On Monday I'm trying a place called CirtusO that advertises on a local radio station. They claim a 2 hour dry time. THey had a special going, we'll see what happens.

Brian Hampton · Joined: 22 Apr 2006 Posts: 1173

Hey,

I bought a Eureka carpet cleaner for about $200 for K-mart based on great reviews. (Not the one in the pic but similar) It does good but the living room carpet can't be cleaned (it's white and trashed: sharpie,.. coffee, and various.) I don't think the thing I bought would compare well to the ones you can rent at the grocery store or home depot.

Just thought I would mention because I see these types of machines on sale at stores and price clubs and even best buy and thought I would suggest the rental steam cleaning machines may work better.

-Brian

Phil Smith · Joined: 08 Mar 2006 Posts: 7717

Thanks guys! My carpet is really dirty, so it's best I go with wet cleaning like Gary mentioned over dry or buying a cleaner and doing it myself. I'll call around tomorrow.

**Curt Palme** · Posted: Sun Mar 02, 2008 7:44 pm Post subject:

I personally have never had good results from those grocery store rental places. Lack of suction power maybe? Try it, but if they are really dirty, call in the pros.

Phil Smith · Joined: 08 Mar 2006 Posts: 7717

You misunderstood me Curt. I'm going with the pros. I'm going to try to find someone that uses the rotary cleaners that Gary mentioned.

Fujifrontier · Joined: 20 Oct 2007 Posts: 354 Location: San Antonio, Texas

i would try steam cleaning as well

Phil Smith · Joined: 08 Mar 2006 Posts: 7717

Hey what do you guys think of renting a professional cleaner (or at least I think it's a pro unit): http://www.uhaul.com/toolrentals/

It's not to save money, I'd really prefer to pay someone else to do it. But it would allow me to take my time and make sure I get the carpet as clean as possible. If there are some problem spots, I can continue to work on them.

**Curt Palme** · Posted: Sun Mar 02, 2008 9:59 pm Post subject:

Phil, that one looks pretty similar to the grocery store units. THey do work, but at least not to me as much as a megasucker in a truck outside..

Fujifrontier · Joined: 20 Oct 2007 Posts: 354 Location: San Antonio, Texas

megasucker, har har har

Phil Smith · Joined: 08 Mar 2006 Posts: 7717

Ok thanks Curt. I'll stick with the pros. I didn't really want to do it myself anyway.

**AnalogRocks** · Posted: Tue Mar 04, 2008 7:09 am Post subject:

Phil, you could also try pre-treating the difficult spot's with Oxyclean. It's especially good for smelly area's. When my dad's dog was on his way out he pissed all over the hallway carpet. Then he died Sad

. My dad was going to have the carpet professionally cleaned/ or replaced.

I hit it with a steam only cleaner ( steam shark ) this just made the smell worse. Then I mixed the oxyclean in hot water until it wouldn't dissolve anymore. Cut it 1:1 with more water and put it in a spray bottle. We used car chamois to suck the water up.

The carpet looked great afterwards.

paw · Joined: 08 Mar 2006 Posts: 1176 Location: Arvada, CO

Phil Smith · Joined: 08 Mar 2006 Posts: 7717

Phil Smith · Joined: 08 Mar 2006 Posts: 7717

Spanky Ham · Joined: 22 Mar 2006 Posts: 5643 Location: Comedy Central

I guess you already did this, but the truck mount is the best way to go. I bought a Daimer steamer recently and it works ok, but I haven't tested it on carpet. I forgot the rule, but it is something like the cleaning power doubles for every ten degrees rise in water temperature.

Phil Smith · Joined: 08 Mar 2006 Posts: 7717