The wife and I are looking to get a carpet shampooer, scrubber, cleaner thing. We already have a decent Hoover vaccum cleaner. Want to get some advice if anyone has a carpet shampooer machine. I would like to spend $300 or less on one. Anyone have any reccomendations?

 

We've had good luck with one we got at Sears. I can't remember the name at the moment, it's the most common style, the one that looks like about 75% of them.
I think we paid around $160 for it about a year and a half ago. I used it to do the carpets in the truck once too, worked out great!

Kenmmore maybe?

It has the rotating green brushes and the standard looking plastic front that narrows torwards the top (suction part).

 

To be honest they are not a good idea. Reason being is that they do a good job in saturating (and some even scrub) problem is the ones you buy at your local store do not have enough suction to extract all of the solution/water that they put down. This ruins your carpet backing and pad. 3 things...steam is always better, the heat helps bring the dirt out and secondly it is pretty cheap if you pay a professional to come out once or twice a year to do the job correctly and you will be very happy with the outcome. Thirdly if you decide to get one, you will clean your carpet and say to yourself "that big deezul guy doesnt know what he is talking about...these look great" well that may be so but give your cleaning job a week or so and the stains magically re-appear.

 

I agree Big Deezul.....I sold carpet for Sears for 18 years. The worst thing you can do to carpet is saturate it with water and soap, then the "weaker" store bought carpet cleaning machines aren't strong enough to extract all of the solution. The left over detergent in the carpet works like a dirt magnet and the carpet not only gets dirty quicker but also wears faster.

Steam is best...there's nothing left behind in the rug. Steam cleaning uses far less water and when they're done the carpet is left dryer and there's no detergent residue. Steam cleaned carpets look better and last longer, no doubt about it......

 

I gotta side with Big Diesel. We have a professional do all our carpets once a year. The truck mounted machines are the only way to get your carpets clean.

 

What about the machines you can rent from the grocery store? Are they worth anything?

 

They have alot more power than the store bought ones, but they still soak the carpet and the water is only warm at best.

 

The best thing to use is a dry cleaning machine, like the Host. There's some stuff like damp sawdust that you sprinkle out on the rug, use the Host scrubbing machine to work it into the carpet, let it dry and vacuum.

 

I saw an infomercial on those, (the red ones with hoses comming around the front to a clear cylinder)
They can be bought for around $600USD.
Not too bad I guess if you had 2 other family members to go in on with you?

I never heard the negative comments on sore bough machines, very beliveable though. I have over 50% of my house in Hardwood, so we don't use it that often, mostly for the rare dog accident or spilled soda.

Jrs, the one I have is a Bissel. For the cost, I still stand by it even if only for the cleaning of automotive carpet and upholstery (or do you guys have Stanley Steamer do your Trucks too!!??

 

If you want the best cleaning you can get then I strongly suggest hiring a company to come out and steam clean your place. Preferably one that doesn't use any chemicals in the water itself. I clean carpets for a living. I've cleaned places where you can tell they used the el cheapo do it yourself jobs and you can see streaks where they missed whole lines. Not to mention that there's usually a ton of soap left in the carpet and it makes the carpet all crusty and will attract dirt in short order. A good steam cleaning company will only use pure water to clean. The only time that they should need any soap is when there is a spot that won't come up. And then they should treat just the spot and move on. You'll be amazed at the amount of dirt that gets pulled out of the carpet and how much better your carpet looks once it's done. Not to mention that the whole house smells a little better.

Just my .02.

 

My father in law had a carpet cleaning business (he is retired now). He has one of those comercial ones and it works great. Since they have retired to Florida we decided to get one (3 kids....nuff said,lol). Needless to say the B!ssel machine we got (homeowner grade) does not work nearly as well, sure it gets the carpet clean but as others have said it leaves alot of moisture behind. I simply haul out the shop vac after I`m done to suck up any remaining wetness...works great but i still wish I had easy access to the pro machine.

 

By and large, shampooing is preferred for floors that are recolored or vigorously grimy. Steam cleaning is ideal when it is commonly unsanitary without significant stains. Bissell Proheat 2X Lift-Off Pet, Bissell Proheat 2X Revolution Pet Pro, and Hoover Power Scrub Deluxe are three of the Best Steam Cleaners for Carpet. home carpet cleaner reviews might help you to choose better appliances and carpet cleaning solutions.