Shampooing the carpet this weekend. Any suggestions?

Question

I am thinking about doing it myself. It is fairly new carpet. Would a professional cleaning be better? Can I do as good a job myself?

justme, San Antonio Texas, humidity is a given. Won't air conditioning help?

Answer 1

I never ever use shampoo in my shampooer. Soaps leave residue which attract dirt. I use 1 cup of rubbing alcohol to 1Gal of water. I use this formula on a smaller scale in a spray bottle to pre-spot and re-touch. It dries quickly and there is no lingering odor...plus no harmful chemicals are used. Depending on how dirty your carpet is you may need to do two or more passes with the machine.

Edit: ---psst. with a bit of bribery and quid pro quo I get my man to do it for me

Answer 2

I think that it works just as good to rent the Rug Doctors or whatever you have in your area. They are usually available to rent at major grocery stores or hardware stores (Ace, Home Depot). Make sure that you get the shampoo that goes with it. I haven't tried the Oxiclean idea yet, but I could see how that would work.
I've taken on this task myself with wonderful results! If it's for upkeep kind of cleaning, once (maybe twice) a year will do it. Grab some fans to help with the drying process! Especially if you're in a humid area!
Enjoy your weekend activity! You'll wonder why you didn't do it sooner!

Answer 3

yes, renting one of the cleaners is quite easy and nearly as good as the professionals.

1)move all of the furniture out of the way, and vacuum before you get the machine.
2)pretreat overnight (or per directions) tough spots and traffic areas
3)if its not humid out, open all of the windows to help dry, or run your fans and a/c if its really humid out.
4)wait till the carpet is dry. then vacuum one last time.
5) if you have an extra $10 get a carpet rake at lowes/home depot. this will help fluff up trampled carpet. do this once the carpet is dry.

Answer 4

We get great results out of doing it ourselves. We use hot water and the proper soap with it. We also add an amount of Oxyclean to the mixture we dilute it first before we add it to the tank. Get all of the furniture out of the room if you can, that makes the job easier, in the long run.

Just take your time, and do a good job and you will get good results.

Answer 5

Just make sure it is not real humid outside when you do it because it will take forever to dry. You will probably be more particular if you do it yourself. You have to move all the furniture so you don't end up with dirty areas.

Answer 6

If it's fairly new, have it professionally done. It will look a lot better than doing it yourself.

Answer 7

I am soooooo tempted to give a naughty answer about coming over to help with that, but Jack would get his pretty face slapped! ;)

Answer 8

oxy clean