After a year and a half in our new house, the carpet is due for a cleaning.
I priced several cleaning services, and after some consideration I bought one of the Hoover Steam Vac machines. The idea is that for about the same price as having a company come in, I would then have a machine to use any time I needed it for touch ups, etc.
I just cleaned the hall to try it out. But the carpet now has a texture that I can only describe as mildly crunchy.
I only used a small amount of soap and was careful to rinse (even though the instructions that came with the machine say rinsing is optional).
Has anyone has experience using a home carpet cleaning machine? With what results? Is it my technique, or do home machines just not do a very good job?
I seem to recall the same thing happening when we’ve had professional carpet cleaners in. It also happens when they use the big industrial carpet shampooer thing here in my office. It will just go away after awhile as you use the carpet.
Thanks,** cher3**. I am happy with the way the carpet looks, just not the way it feels. It’s been so long since I have lived somewhere where I have had to have one cleaned that I couldn’t remember if this happened with pro cleaners or not.
I cleaned my carpet (white wool, two cats, think about it). Using slightly soapy water and… a wet-dry Shop-Vac! The results were marvelous. In the few spots were I really did end up using too much soap, all I had to do to rinse was dump a jug of water on it, vaccuum up the water, dump another jug, vaccuum, dump, vaccuum, dump, vaccuum, until there was no trace.
The results were better than any steam-cleaning vac I’ve ever rented or any service I ever tried.
Note: This allowed me to saturate the rug heavily, but I never allowed the liquid to really sink in or soak it through. I was constantly checking the underneath the rug to make sure it hadn’t soaked through. If you get it too wet, you’ll risk mildew. I had no problem with that at all though. WIth afan going it was dry in a few hours.
Just be sure the carpet is 100% dry before you try using a vacuum cleaner with beater bar/brush as you’ll wind up with a clean beater bar and a grubby swath in the carpet if the carpet’s still damp.
hehe… a boyfriend of mine tried that once. I think the shop vac he was using was a bit too strong. Somehow, he ended up breaking the seams in his carpet, and sucking up chunks of padding :eek:
We have the same machine. It also leaves a crunchy feel to the carpet for about a week. Don’t really know if the passage of time or two vacuumings did away with the feeling but it’s gone. Patience.