Carpet Shampooers?

[theprofessor]

I am preping my house to get ready to put it on the market and I was going to shampoo a couple rooms where there is some high traffic areas and wanted to see if any of you have done this and could give me some advice. I'm going out in the morning to rent a shampooer. Has anyone used a Rug Doctor or similar shampooer? Was wondering if the rental units are all similar or is there one model better than the others? I've heard that it's easy to soak the carpets with too much water. How do I avoid that? Any advice would be appreciated.

Edited May 14, 2010 by theprofessor

[MikesVikes]

I've used the rug doctor plenty of times. It has lots of power to suck up the water so it doesn't leave too much water behind.

 

I own a shampooer, but it doesn't work very good so I rent one anyway.

 

If you have some nasty spots or high traffic area is showing too much, a professional cleaner such as Stanley Steemer can work to get those spots out.

Edited May 14, 2010 by MikesVikes

[ljbrun]

I think the rentals are fine. However, purchasing a decent unit may be a good investment as well.

 

Going over the same area too many times will deposit more water in that area. Going slower will help pick up more water out of the rug.

 

If you have some real stains, you may want to consider hiring a pro. They have a better assortment of chemicals that can be used for specific stains.

[Footballjoe]

Hiring a Pro is the way to go IMO. You can get some really good rates if you check around. its almost as cheap as renting the machine.

[rocknrobn26]

Hiring a Pro is the way to go IMO. You can get some really good rates if you check around. its almost as cheap as renting the machine.

 

I agree here. I've rented the Rug Doctor (though many years ago) and the carpet was wet for 2 days, plus the "spots" came back within a week or two, not to mention the savings were minimal considering all the chems you had to buy. The pro job dries fast and the spots in most cases are gone. Also, I prefer a local vs the National ones.

[myhousekey]

We recently sold our house and I was concerned I was going to have to replace the carpet before we moved. Had Stanley Steemer come in and steam clean all the carpets and they looked as good as new. They run specials all the time and the cost was very reasonable.

Edited May 14, 2010 by myhousekey

[darin3]

I would never rent one. Like others have said, you can shop around and hire a pro for the same amount it'd take to rent one and do it yourself. We opted for the Bissell Little Green Machine. It's nowhere near as powerful as the big units but does spot duty just fine.

[Suture]

The other plus to hiring pros is they are so much faster, and (in my experience) have no problems moving your heavy furniture. Just take the pictures and stuff off nightstands, leave the beds and dressers to them to move.

[theprofessor]

Thanks guys for the feedback. I was under a time crunch and had to do the work myself. It was a tougher job than I thought it would be. cleaning over 3,000 feet of carpet and two sectionals is not a lot of fun. The Rug Doctor "Wide" was $21.95 and the chemicals were another $80.00. I was pretty happy with the results but if I had to do it over again, I would hire a professional.