The first step to clean carpet is to vacuum the carpeted area well. You want to run the vacuum a few times to make sure that you get any loose dust and not just the large debris on top. After you are sure you have vacuumed completely, then you need to mix the carpet shampoo solution. Any brand of carpet shampoo will do, but you can also make your own. A mixture of vinegar and water with a small amount of dish soap makes a nice carpet shampoo. Make sure to read the directions on any carpet shampoo container carefully. Generally you want to use about half or maybe even less of the amount recommended. You want to avoid foaming. Add the appropriate amount of water and if necessary you can add antifoaming agent. Some carpet shampoo machines have a separate compartment for this, but others just have you add it to the shampoo solution.

Once the carpet shampoo is mixed, you will fill the reservoir in the carpet shampoo machine and get to work. Run the carpet shampooer slowly over an area of the carpet. Good technique is to pull the carpet cleaner back in long rows. Look at the solution being sucked into the machine to makes sure it is not too foamy. If it is, then you can stop and dilute the solution some. When water stops flowing into the machine then it is time to empty the waste water and refill the cleaning solution.

It is good practice to run over the entire carpet twice and then run over it a third time with only cold water in the reservoir. You want to make sure that the last time you go over each section of carpet there is absolutely no soap going into the waste compartment. Soap left behind in your carpets is one of the worse mistakes you can make and is extremely bad for your carpets.

You need to think about how much money you want to spend on carpet cleaning before you make the decision about what kind of carpet shampoo machine is best for you. Carpet shampoo machines you buy in a department store or home improvement warehouse and cost anywhere from two hundred to six hundred dollars. Once you have chosen the model that you want, you need to think about how many times per year you are going to shampoo your carpets. It costs about forty dollars to rent a carpet shampooer over night so multiply forty times the number of times per year you will use carpet shampoo. Then divide the cost of the shampooer by that number and you will know how many years it will take to get your money’s worth out of a purchased carpet shampooer. If the number of years is longer than the typical lifetime of a carpet shampoo machine then you are better off renting.

It is also important to consider what other surfaces you might want to shampoo before you make the decision to buy or rent. Rental carpet shampooers almost never have attachments or tools for shampooing upholstery or stairs. They also have only one mode for shampooing carpets. You cannot use them on other hard surfaces as well. Carpet shampoo machines that you buy often do have this versatile functionality. With the right attachments you can clean the upholstered furniture in your home, your curtains, and all the nooks and crannies that you cannot reach with a traditional carpet shampoo machine head.

However, you need to consider how much space you have available in your home for storage. Carpet shampoo machines are not small and you will need to find some room in a closet or in the garage to store it when it is not in use. This is often the biggest sticking point when it comes to buying over renting. In addition, sometimes the carpet cleaners you can buy for home use are not powerful enough to clean high traffic areas or carpets that are extremely dirty. For those kind of jobs you might need an industrial carpet cleaner which you have to rent.

One of the things that Dirt Devil uses to set this carpet shampooer apart from other carpet shampooers is the fact that there are two suction nozzles on this machine. That means there is more force sucking out the dirty water out of your carpet and it never has a chance to settle or soak your carpets like it might have with other carpet cleaning machines. This machine has two revolving brushes that rotate in opposite directions to add to its cleaning power. Multi-directional scrubbing is a proven way to get your carpets cleaner.

Some other ways that this machine is different from other carpet cleaners is that there are three tanks instead of just two. There is a clean water tank that you fill with plain water, a dirty water tank for the wash water you suck up after scrubbing, and a soap dispenser. This third tank is for holding the carpet shampoo. The Platinum Force will automatically measure how much soap to use and mix the soap with the clean water when the soap dispenser button is pressed on the handle. Keeping the soap separate from the water allows you to rinse with clean water whenever you need to and means you do not have to empty the reservoir to rinse.

Not having to premix the soap and water also saves time. When I clean my own carpets, the part of the job that takes the most amount of time is refilling the cleaning solution reservoir. You need to measure out shampoo and mix it with water and then pour it into the machine. With the Dirt Devil machine you only have to fill the reservoir with water. This is a big time saver and one of the reasons this machine is great for small and quick jobs.

Another helpful cleaning gadget is the high intensity spotlight that reveals any problem areas or stains. Combined with the light there are also two spot cleaning settings on the carpet shampooer that will help you clean all different kinds of stains. There is a stream setting for targeting small stains and a spray setting for attacking large high traffic areas.

There are two setting for general carpet cleaning as well. The carpet and rug setting will allow the brushes to work at optimal levels and speeds. There is a patented rinse cycle that uses fresh water to rinse the carpet free of any residual soap residue. Soap residue left behind can cause a phenomenon known as wicking. Any dirt left behind would be attracted to the soap residue and would rise to the surface over time making your carpet look even dirtier. The best thing about these settings is that there are indicator lights to tell you what cycle you are on. That way you can be confident that you are getting your carpets appropriately clean. There are also indicator lights to inform you when you need to change the water in your tank.

There are several attachments that make this carpet shampooer from Hoover an even better investment. There is a SpinScrub powered hand tool with a rotating brush so that you can clean hard to reach areas or stairs. There is also an upholstery tool and a crevice tools that you can use with a long hose to clean furniture or curtains.

First, do you want an upright carpet shampooer, a canister shampoo machine, or a compact carpet cleaner? Up right machines look a lot like vacuums but are usually heavier and a bit bulkier. Canister machines have a canister for the wash and waste water connected to a vacuum head by a long hose and handle. A compact carpet cleaner is a small canister with a handheld suction head connected to a short hose that wraps around the canister for storage. Small machines like this can be stored in cabinets or under tables. The upright machines are definitely the most powerful and best for whole carpet cleaning projects. However, they are bulky and may be hard to handle in small spaces. The canister machine is definitely easier to handle in small spaces, but they are not as powerful and not good for really deep carpet cleaning. The compact machines are best for immediate stain fighting because they are easy to use and are best for small jobs.

You also want to consider if you want a carpet cleaner that can multitask. Some shampooers can be used on surfaces other than carpet. Steam cleaning can be effective on ceramic tile, marble, slate, or wood floors. If you want a machine that you can use in multiple areas of your house then look for a multi-surface machine from Bissell. You will be making a good investment because you will be able to use the carpet cleaner so much more often.

Another thing to consider is the efficiency and ability of the heater. If you have many high traffic area carpets and need to fight tough stains often then you want a machine with a very strong heater so that you can get the water and cleaners hot enough to activate them and work at their best.

In addition to these basic characteristics, you also need to think about special needs that you may have in your household. For example, there are carpet cleaners made especially or households that have allergen concerns. Or ones that are best suited for pet stains and odors. There are also carpet shampooers that are considered green and eco-friendly.

Finally, you will need to consider price. You may or may not be able to purchase the carpet shampooer you want because it might be outside of your budget. Bissell sells machines anywhere from small compact shampooers for less than fifty dollars to upright machines with lots of accessories for close to three hundred dollars. Make sure that you get the most ability for the money you have available. And if you cannot get what you want with the money you have, consider renting for another month or two and saving some more money. It is better to wait and get what you really want than to buy something inadequate and only have to replace it later.

Rug Doctor makes a carpet shampoo to go with their machines, but you do not have to use their soap if you do not want to. I sometimes use other brands if I can find them on sale, or a make a homemade carpet shampoo out of hot water, vinegar, and dish soap. If you notice too much foam in the waste stream then you want to cut back on the amount of carpet cleaner used in each tank. I actually use about half of the recommended dosage in order to avoid leaving too much soap residue behind. Soap residue is what is responsible for the phenomenon known as wicking. This is when dirt is attracted to soap left behind in the carpet and that soapy dirt mixture makes its way to the surface of the carpet during the hours after you finish cleaning. Your carpets can actually look less clean than when you started.

There are two varieties of Rug Doctor carpet shampooers you can rent and the only difference is that one is wider than the other. If you rent the wider machine, you will be able to clean a larger surface area of carpet in a shorter amount of time, but the machine is less maneuverable. It is very difficult to get the wider machine into corners or around pieces of heavy furniture. The small machine may take longer, but it is a little easier to use. In addition, the wide machine is heavier than the small machine. If you have a large SUV then the wide machine might be difficult for you to get in and out of the car because you need to lift it up in order to get it in and out.

First, you need to consider how hard you and your family are on your carpets. If you have rules in your household such as no shoes in the house, no food outside the kitchen, etc. then the chances for your carpet to get really dirty are less than if you have kids running around the house in dirty sneakers every day and people spilling food and drink often. In addition, if you have pets then your carpets need much more care. Pets drag in dirt and many other things on their paws and bodies. If you and your family including the pets are hard on carpets then you will need to use carpet shampoo more often than some.

Another factor to consider is the fabric your carpet is made of and how delicate it is. Some carpet fibers do not stand up well to vigorous scrubbing or brush action. If you have a carpet made of delicate fibers then you might want to consider shampooing it less often. You need to consider the life span of the carpet in your calculations about how often you will use the carpet cleaning machine.

A third factor to consider is cost. If you own your own carpet shampooer then the cost to clean your carpets is minimal. You only need to replenish your cleaning solution. If you choose to rent a carpet shampoo machine then the cost is only slightly more. You can usually rent a machine from your grocery store for about thirty dollars per day. However, if you hire professionals to clean your carpet, it could cost you significantly more. You need to take your budget into consideration before making the decision to shampoo your carpets.

After you have considered all of these things, you will find that most people shampoo their carpets about once per year. Every six months is a better choice for families with a lot of risk factors like pets and small children. Every two years is a possibility if the carpeted areas in your home are rarely used. In truth, most people just wait until their carpet is looking dingy and then shampoo it. However, I would not wait so long that your carpets look like the picture above. If your carpets get this bad, then it might be hard to ever get the stains out. Try to spot clean troublesome stains as they happen rather than waiting for y our annual or semi-annual carpet shampooing. As long as you properly rinse the carpet each time you use carpet shampoo and use the machine correctly, you can shampoo your carpet as often as necessary. Just keep in mind that frequent shampooing could cause the fibers to start to break or come loose.

Dry carpet powders work on the principle of magnetism. You sprinkle the powder over a large area. You can but you do not have to work the powder into the carpet with a medium bristled brush and then you wait ten to twenty minutes. That waiting period gives the dirt particles in your carpet time to migrate toward the magnetic powder. The final step is to vacuum away the powder along with all the dirt it attracted.

One advantage of this type of carpet shampoo is that you can clean large areas of carpet very quickly. Running a carpet shampooer over the carpet several times and waiting for the wet carpet to dry can take up to twenty four hours. You can finish fifty square feet of carpet with dry carpet shampoo in thirty minutes. Another advantage is that you never introduce water into your carpet or carpet pad. Anytime you let fabrics and fibers like these get wet, you run the risk of growing mold, mildew, or other bacteria. If you never get the carpet wet then this is less of a concern.

One disadvantage is that the dry powders do not always work as well as the liquid carpet shampoos. Powder cleaners are meant mostly to attract and remove loose dirt particle. You need the foam and scrubbing action of a liquid carpet shampooer to work on stains and dirt that is compacted into the carpet fibers. Another disadvantage is that this kind of shampoo is more expensive when you compare how many square feet are cleaned per ounce of shampoo. You are paying for the convenience with dry carpet cleaners so they come at a premium.

Dry foam carpet shampoos work on the principle of encapsulation. They are similar to the dry powders in that you spray them over a large area of carpet and then wait for ten to twenty minutes. The last step is still to vacuum up the shampoo and the dirt that it has attracted. The difference is in how they attract the dirt. The foam particles grab the dirt and then surround the particles or encapsulate them. As the foam dries into a crystalline powder the dirt is trapped in the middle of the crystal lattice structure.

The advantages and disadvantages of foams are similar to the ones for powders. Overall, the foam might work a little better, but still not as well as liquid carpet shampoos.

You may be surprised at how easy it is to make a perfectly serviceable carpet shampoo. Many people find that they like the homemade shampoo even better than any they can buy in the store. One of the most common homemade carpet cleaning solutions is simply a one to one mixture of water and vinegar. Vinegar is one of those magic household materials that can clean almost anything. The slightly acidic nature of vinegar allows it to break down dirt, oils, and other contaminates. This solution works best if you use hot water or if your carpet shampooer has a heater built in. You might be concerned about the vinegar smell, but do not worry. The smell dissipates quickly and you do not have the lingering smell of vinegar on your carpets.

You can also make a very effective stain cleaning paste that works well to get out tough stains. You do not use this carpet shampoo in a machine, but you can use it with a small brush to target particularly hard to get out stains. A mixture of baking soda and peroxide makes a very powerful oxygen bleach type product. Make sure to test the paste on a small and inconspicuous piece of your carpet to make sure there will be no adverse affects on your carpet. I like to use this paste before I run my carpet shampooer as a first step. Baking soda is also a good carpet cleaning agent because it is an odor neutralizer. You can use the baking soda paste on urine stains and get both the stain and the odor out of your carpet.

There are many other home remedies for stains out there. For example, if you add a small drop of dish detergent to your vinegar cleaning mixture then you get more foaming action which helps to get a better clean. In addition, club soda is an excellent home remedy for red stains like red wine.

• Most carpet shampoos have some kind of stain protector in them so that after you finish your cleaning, the carpet will be somewhat protected from future stains. I think that this additive is crucial. Spills are going to happen no matter how careful you are so it is good to have a line of defense in place to protect your carpet.
• Some shampoos have special anti allergen ingredients for families that struggle with indoor allergies. An example would be benzyl alcohol, which professionals have proven can combat dust mites and other common allergies.
• Orange extract is a cleaning additive that is especially good at cutting grease. You find orange in many different kinds of household cleaners and carpet shampoos are no exception. Carpet cleaner with orange extract is a good choice if you are trying to clean a carpet in a garage or that is particularly dirty.
• Some carpet shampoos claim to be able to eliminate urine and other unpleasant odors from soiled carpets. The likely scenario is that they contain some kind of ingredient that kills the bacteria that causes odor. An alternative is that the formulation contains a pH stabilizer. If a molecule has an odor it most likely is either basic or acidic. The pH stabilizer chemically alters the odor causing molecules so that they are pH neutral.

All of the above conversation has been about cleaners for full size upright carpet shampoo machines. There is another variety of carpet cleaner that is used for spot cleaning and small stain removal. These smaller portable machines use different types of cleaners at times. One example, is that some handheld carpet machine cleaners have oxygen bleach in them. Oxygen bleach is great for fighting stains on carpet because it is extremely effective without being harmful to the carpet.