What's the best way to clean carpets?

[mhagenw32]

What's the best way to clean carpets...should I use my Hoover steam vac (which doesn't produce steam but rather sprays water and sucks it back up) or should i just use some sort of carpet cleanner and scrub out the dirt?

[Pete-FWA]

For professional results, do both.

Start by running a vacuum to get all the loose dirt.

Next, spot treat the rougher areas with your cleaner and scrub with a wet brush.

Lightly apply the cleaner or just go over the rest of the area with the wet brush.

Finally, run the carpet machine with plain water to extract the cleaner and dirt you just loosened with the cleaner and scrubbing. Repeat the cleaner/scrubbing/extracting process on areas that are still dirty.

You are finished extracting when you're happy with the look of the carpets and the water being extracted is clear.

Final step would be to comb the carpet with a clean rag. This helps you be sure you have all the dirt out and the carpet is drier than it would be just using your machine. Some of the home models such as yours don't have as much pull as industrial models. This means extended drying time if you don't towel.

Running plain water through the extractor ensures that you're leaving no soap/cleaner residue behind. Leaving that stuff often attracts more dirt than you started with and it will make the carpets a bit stiff.

[Empire01]

I cleaned my carpets the other day. First I sprayed some stain remover and scrubbed it, then just dried with a towel. That didn't get the stains completely out, so I went and purchased a "Little Green Machine" for about $90. I added all the chemicals and heated up the water and began cleaning. Once I got the hang out if, I was able to pull out quite a bit of dirt. Even though it didn't get the stains completely out, it helped a lot. And the water I pulled out was really dirty. The carpets don't look perfect, but it's definitely an improvement.

[chevyguy789]

i would use the hoover steam vac. i just did my truck and my sister's suv with one and it sure looks nice. granted, it isn't brand new by no means, but it looks better. she had alot of salt stains in the carpet and the steam vac took care of it.

good luck.

[Pete-FWA]

Originally Posted by Empire01

... so I went and purchased a "Little Green Machine" for about $90...

That's exactly what I used for a carpet machine when I first started in business professionally. They are a solid machine for at home use.

[Maverick2003]

A cheap way that I use to do it is hot water with dawn dish soap(breaks up grease and dirt), wet down the carpet, scrubbing stained areas, and then running my wet/dry vac over it to suck out all the water.

[Jokeman]

I'd spray the carpets down with some all purpose cleaner, then use the wet vac and suck up the apc. You can also use woolite mixed 10:1. For heavy stains try Folex.