Carpet -- to shampoo or steam clean?

[DocRafiki]

How do you know which your carpet needs? What's the difference, other than the obvious?

 

[Dan Murphy]

Any help with these here, Doc?

http://www.carpetinfo.co.uk/pages/aboutpp/caring.htm

http://www.baneclene.com/articles/methods.html

I think you will get folks favoring both methods. I know I have seen threads here before on the topic.

I did find these.......

http://130.94.75.33/showthread.php?s=&threadid=279090

http://130.94.75.33/showthread.php?s=&threadid=412656

 

[Obi-Wan Pinobi]

A lot of the Home Depot flooring associates I know and work with (I'm a sales rep for a carpet manufacturer) have positive things to say about the dry powder methods like Capture.

Chem Dry also had this cleaner in a can that looked like a miniature fire extinguisher; I heard good things about it but haven't seen it in stores in a while. You might get something like that from your local Chem Dry service, but that's really more for spot cleaning and not deep cleaning.

If you go with steam cleaning, just a caution -- loop pile carpet (like most berbers) will hold in the moisture more than a cut pile, and may take a bit more time and effort to completely extract. I've heard this from customers and from my employer's technical services department.

 

[lsyorke]

My carpet guy hates steam cleaning!! Supposedly it just leaves the carpet more prone to sticky dirt. I have used resolve granules and Host (from the vacuum store) and both worked really well and left the carpet soft and dry.

 

[DocRafiki]

Thanks for the info! It looks like I have some reading to do. I've never even heard of that other stuff, Obi Wan. Who knew it was so complicated?

I did have some luck getting out some spots with good old cold water on a sponge, so at least I don't have to stare at filth until I get this done.