Carpet shampooing?

JoEsther

We have wall to wall carpetting in most of our house and I don't think they've ever been shampooed - the house is nine years old. I really want to rent a Rug Doctor and do it myself, but I have a few questions:

1) I've never done this before. I'm pretty strong and I'm sure I can lift/move it. Is that enough?

2) Do I have to move all the furniture? Our sofas are not only really heavy, but I don't have anywhere to put them where they won't be in the way when I do that floor, and no way am I strong enough to carry them upstairs. Can I just leave them where they are and work around them, and if so what kind of distance do I need to keep around them so that the water doesn't become a problem?

3) Can I do stairs with the Rug Doctor? Corners?

4) Does the machine have a very loud noise or is it equivalent to a regular vacuum cleaner?

5) Do any of you have any experiences with carpet shampooing that you would like to share, to help a newbie out?

Hudson_Hawk

I'm not a fan of Rug Doctor machines. I don't think they work well, they're heavy and a pain to get from the store home and back again and they're not cheap to rent when you factor in the cost of the solution, etc. I discovered a local guy that will professionally steam clean, rake and do a pet treatment for $15/room. He's also willing to just come in and do one or two rooms at a time. This is great, because usually our bedrooms are fine but our stairs, upstairs hall, and loft get grimy really quickly.It only takes him about 20-30 minutes total to do our entire 1k sf second floor and stairs, so it's not a bit time suck either.

I would check the yellow pages for your area and call around for quotes from a local pro (NOT places like Chemdry or Stanley Steamer). It might be less expensive than you think

Kristyn435

I have rented a Rug Doctor and they aren't that heavy or difficult to use.  They have attachments available to rent for stairs and furniture.  It is probably about as noisy as a vacuum cleaner.  That said, if your carpets haven't been cleaned in about 9 years, I would look into getting them professionally done.

srs5624

If you shampoo them (regardless of the method) be prepared to have to repeat the process every year until you're ready to replace them. Once you shampoo a carpet, the fibers break down and absorb dirt and stains.

Hudson_Hawk

Actually, according to my rug guy it's too much soap/solution that causes this to happen. The machines can't rinse it all out and the soap residue attracts dirt over time. He suggests if you have a home cleaner, to run water and vinegar through it every other time you clean your carpet.  I've definitely noticed this in areas where I've used spot cleaner. The spot is clean right after but a few weeks later it's gray. It's not the stain coming back, it's the cleaner in the carpet.

jen5-03

It's not that heavy. But stairs will probably be awkward. I think you have to rent the stair attachment seperately (I don't have carpeted stairs, so I'm not sure, but no attachments come with the basic rental)

You could push the couch to one side, rug doctor, and then move the couch back. Maybe stick a towel under each leg when you move it back if you're worried about the couch.

Slightly louder than my vaccuum.

I like to do it twice, once with shampoo, once with plain water, to make sure the soap is out. Vaccuum your home several times with a regular vaccuum before you go rent the machine. If you plan to dump the water in a bathtub (like when you're upstairs), put some sort of screen over the drain or you'll be picking carpet and gunk out of your drain. I like to rent it in the early evening so I can use it that evening and then have all the next day to do more and have a break in the middle.

My recent rug doctor experience: If you dump half a gallon of pink paint on the beige carpet and keep it wet until DH gets back with the rug doctor, you can get all the paint up and not leave a stain.

 

jen5-03

It's not that heavy. But stairs will probably be awkward. I think you have to rent the stair attachment seperately (I don't have carpeted stairs, so I'm not sure, but no attachments come with the basic rental)

You could push the couch to one side, rug doctor, and then move the couch back. Maybe stick a towel under each leg when you move it back if you're worried about the couch.

Slightly louder than my vaccuum.

I like to do it twice, once with shampoo, once with plain water, to make sure the soap is out. Vaccuum your home several times with a regular vaccuum before you go rent the machine. If you plan to dump the water in a bathtub (like when you're upstairs), put some sort of screen over the drain or you'll be picking carpet and gunk out of your drain. I like to rent it in the early evening so I can use it that evening and then have all the next day to do more and have a break in the middle.

My recent rug doctor experience: If you dump half a gallon of pink paint on the beige carpet and keep it wet until DH gets back with the rug doctor, you can get all the paint up and not leave a stain.

 

JoEsther

Kristyn435:

I have rented a Rug Doctor and they aren't that heavy or difficult to use.  They have attachments available to rent for stairs and furniture.  It is probably about as noisy as a vacuum cleaner.  That said, if your carpets haven't been cleaned in about 9 years, I would look into getting them professionally done.

Actually, turns out they were shampooed before H bought/moved in to the house, about two years ago, so we decided we'd rent a RD and see how it goes, and if it's too much or doesn't do a good job, we'll hire some professionals.

I called around and got a quote average (between three places) of about $300, which isn't horrible, but the $43 we paid for the rental is a lot less. We've done all the rooms today and one staircase - one more staircase and we'll be done. So far, they're looking soo much better. I'm glad I rented it and hope it looks as good when it's dry.