How do you clean your carpets?

We have a second hand steam cleaner. The last year of Dakota’s life we used it 2 or 3 times a week. Haven’t had to use it since she died in January.

I used to rent a Rug Doctor once a year or so. And no, I do not / did not think about “other people’s germs” when I used to rent. That is just silly.

I only have one room of wall to wall carpeting left, and an upstairs hallway. Everything else is hardwood or laminate. We have laminate “wood” flooring in the living room. At Lowes we bought a 9 X 14 rug that we put down. It’s a couple of feel shy, all the way around, of looking like wall to wall. It was only $80. Cheap enough that we can replace it fairly painlessly when we need to.
And no. I would not worry about the germs that other customers at Lowes might leave on the carpet before I buy it, either.

We rent a carpet cleaner from the big box hardware store and use it. with the carpet cleaner and detergent that you need it is about $50 for 24 hours.

@Harper1234 You might consider buying your own. It would pay for itself the 3rd time you used it. I didn’t know what I was missing till we got ours.

I use a very diluted detergent in water, wet the area slightly, work the soap in with a damp towel then scrub the area with clean dry towels to absorb the moisture and dirt. Finish by wiping the carpet in a single direction. Of course, you want to vacuum very well before starting with a very good vacuum (Compact Electra) like mine. (Or a Rainbow.)
Don’t soak the carpet because it could stretch or shrink.

We have staff for that

Are you talking about just spot cleaning, @kritiper?

Rip them out and install hardwood.

I rented a carpet/upholstery cleaner to clean my couch about a year ago. It was miraculous and made the couch look like new. It was about $35 plus the shampoo (which was a bigger bottle than I used and I still have it). The shampoo was about 9 dollars.

In the interim, I bought a canister steamer at Costco, which is not really for upholstery because it doesn’t vacuum up the steam, it just throws steam out (usually onto hard surfaces) and then you wipe it up. Miracle appliance, $99. I have talked about it on here other times, what a wonderful thing it is. I also bought a Bissell Little Green for about $75 but I haven’t used it yet. That’s like a mini version of the one at Walmart. It’s for car upholstery and stuff like that.

About five months ago, I rented a steam cleaner from a local supermarket. Not only did it not work but it had hair in it from the previous user. I had to return it and get my money back. What was really annoying is that those machines that you rent are pretty heavy. Probably about 40 lbs each. Heavy enough that it’s a big chore to put it into the cart, then into the car, lift it out of the car, get it into the house, hook up the hose, etc. So to have to do all that work and then not have it work was a real PITA.

Dang it! I keep meaning to get me on of those steamers!

@Dutchess_III: Miracle Machine, and you don’t have to be a Costco member to purchase it (as with many things on Costco.com, you don’t have to be a member).

https://www.costco.com/Steamfast-SF-275-Heavy-Duty-Steam-Cleaner.product.100207717.html

I know. I just have all this other crap to pay off first, before I can justify spending that kind of money on something I don’t absolutely HAVE to have.

Spot cleaning, basically. But it can be done to the entire carpet and upholstery. Just have plenty of elbow grease and clean, dry towels.
It’s basically how the Duraclean system works. (Or is it Durakleen??)

I should get that steamer thing also. You can steam clothing with it also I assume.

@JLeslie: I steam clean my windows, cabinets, bathroom floor, vinyl tile floor, toilet, countertop, you name it. You don’t have to scrub, just wipe.

@jca2 Do you by any chance have a smooth-top electric stove? I’m assuming you have gas, because of where you live, but if by some chance you do have electric, I’m just wondering if the steam cleans the burnt on food.

What do you mean you steam the windows? Outside?

I have a glass top cooktop. I steam clean that too. I don’t have to, I can just wipe it clean and use a razor blade to clean off anything that’s cooked on. I love the glass top. So easy.

Yeah I steamed the outside of the windows. It has a squeegee attachment.

I have a friend who bought the same steamer (upon my recommendation, telling her how great it is) and sometimes we pm each other on FB, asking “what have you steamed today?” LOL

Here is another very important tip to all who would clean carpets!
Place small squares of plastic or cardboard under any chairs, sofas, tables, what-have-you that have steel wear buttons on the bottoms of the legs. These things can rust on a wet/damp carpet and leave a spot.

@JLeslie: I forgot to add that I also clean the inside of the oven with the steamer. I used to use EZ Off, which was fine. Now I just steam it. Any grease or gunk anywhere (not just in the oven), the steamer just melts it and then you wipe it away.

@jca2 That sounds great.

I wonder if you could use it to press clothes while they’re hanging up?