Carpet Cleaning - should I pay for stain protection?

[Maddle]

Stanley Steemer is coming this afternoon. I know from past experience the upcharge for stain protection is about 50%, and I am trying to decide which way to go. Here are my thoughts:

On the one hand - for most of the year, it's just my husband and myself, and we are pretty easy on the carpet. I have "heard" that the stain protection can be a dirt magnet.

On the other hand - when my son is home from college, he's kind of hard on the carpet - (sort of like the character "Pig-Pen" from Charlie Brown. Where does that dirt come from?) Plus, after steam cleaning, I have "heard" that the fibers are a little weaker and harder to spot clean. All it takes is one spill, and ouch.

The carpet is about six years old, and we have been in here about two years. The previous owner had the carpets cleaned when she moved out, but we needed to have the stairs done within a month, (stains were re-appearing.) They've held up pretty well since then, with occasional spot cleaning on the stairs and living room. (I don't know if she had any protection put down.) It's in good shape, but it's time for a cleaning.

Can you please tell me your past experiences and your thoughts on stain protection?

Thanks -

Maddle

 

[msmayor]

Three words: waste of money.

You're better off just making sure to hit spots as soon as they occur, to prevent staining.

 

[Maddle]

That's kind of what I thought. It's been two years since the stairs were done, and no protection was put down then. It's just in the last couple months that they are starting to look dingy.

Anybody else?

Maddle