Any pros & cons? My dirty dogs have made the carpet dirty. My Bissell 2X ProHeat cannot do it.
Carpet cleaning - steam extraction vs Chem-Dry
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I've never used the dry-chem system. After years of renting extraction machines (and lugging them home and back to the store...and using up the better part of the weekend) I bought a Hoover Steam Vac. In my opinion it does just as good (or better) job than the rental units. I've found the secret to carpets staying clean longer is to rinse the carpet after cleaning...amazing what comes out the second time.
I have a rug dr from Costco. I think it was around 350. It pays for itself especially if you have pet. We probably go over our carpets every two months. It's actually addicting to use, and it has a wand for cars too.
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Originally Posted By: oilmaven
I've never used the dry-chem system. After years of renting extraction machines (and lugging them home and back to the store...and using up the better part of the weekend) I bought a Hoover Steam Vac. In my opinion it does just as good (or better) job than the rental units. I've found the secret to carpets staying clean longer is to rinse the carpet after cleaning...amazing what comes out the second time.
I have a Hoover Steam Vac Dual V. But I think the Bissell I got after the Hoover does a better job. Good Housekeeping rated it at getting more of the water you put down up.
The Bissell also has power driven brushes rather than vacuum driven brushes. My Hoover has a clean and rinse switch, but in rinse mode it uses gravity to spray the water and in clean mode uses a pump. Others mention using a rinse chemical (Bridgepoint) with the rinse water to adjust the PH.
I am thinking I may need a pro once and awhile and then use my Bissell a few times in between. The truck the pros bring has a huge & powerful vacuum to suck everything up, you could never have a vacuum like that on a portable machine.
But if I did not have dirty dogs, it would be so much easier.
I've never used the dry-chem system. After years of renting extraction machines (and lugging them home and back to the store...and using up the better part of the weekend) I bought a Hoover Steam Vac. In my opinion it does just as good (or better) job than the rental units. I've found the secret to carpets staying clean longer is to rinse the carpet after cleaning...amazing what comes out the second time.
I have a Hoover Steam Vac Dual V. But I think the Bissell I got after the Hoover does a better job. Good Housekeeping rated it at getting more of the water you put down up.
The Bissell also has power driven brushes rather than vacuum driven brushes. My Hoover has a clean and rinse switch, but in rinse mode it uses gravity to spray the water and in clean mode uses a pump. Others mention using a rinse chemical (Bridgepoint) with the rinse water to adjust the PH.
I am thinking I may need a pro once and awhile and then use my Bissell a few times in between. The truck the pros bring has a huge & powerful vacuum to suck everything up, you could never have a vacuum like that on a portable machine.
But if I did not have dirty dogs, it would be so much easier.
My sister had an old dog that passed last year. Was pretty bad at the end, dog was peeing and diarrhea all over the house and carpets. She hired a pro service with a van, wet vac and a long hose. They knew what to do, put down some chemicals and for the most part they turned out pretty well. Think she paid $150.
Also, I have the Bissell 2X ProHeat and I use different commercial solutions at Home depot like...
http://reviews.homedepot.com/1999/100039...ews/reviews.htm
and...
http://www.homedepot.com/p/t/100670365?p...-N#.UUe5pjeyLKc
You can at least try experimenting with a combo like this before giving up.
http://reviews.homedepot.com/1999/100039...ews/reviews.htm
and...
http://www.homedepot.com/p/t/100670365?p...-N#.UUe5pjeyLKc
You can at least try experimenting with a combo like this before giving up.
Steam extraction is better IMO. I wasn't impressed at all with Chem-Dry.
Originally Posted By: Donald
Any pros & cons? My dirty dogs have made the carpet dirty. My Bissell 2X ProHeat cannot do it.
"regular" chem dry is a bonnet system, very abrasive and little real cleaning going on.
DIY machines have one huge limitation-POWER. They simply cannot generate very much suction with 120 volts and a wall outlet no matter how they are designed. Plus you do not want the exhausted air in the room with aerosolized particles in it!
Truck mounted steam cleaner has the best chance of delivering high heat and loads of suction. But if a bonehead is holding the wand you may still be in trouble.
Any pros & cons? My dirty dogs have made the carpet dirty. My Bissell 2X ProHeat cannot do it.
"regular" chem dry is a bonnet system, very abrasive and little real cleaning going on.
DIY machines have one huge limitation-POWER. They simply cannot generate very much suction with 120 volts and a wall outlet no matter how they are designed. Plus you do not want the exhausted air in the room with aerosolized particles in it!
Truck mounted steam cleaner has the best chance of delivering high heat and loads of suction. But if a bonehead is holding the wand you may still be in trouble.
My issue is even if I close off the room from use, I could clean the carpet 5 or 10 times and keep getting up more and more dirt. I also get a lot of wicking up of dirt as the carpet dries. I was hoping a machine much more powerful (truck mounted) would do a better job.
Yep, it is now 'saturated' with soils, dog, and previous cleaners.
You need what is called 'restorative' cleaning. Careful pre vacuum, treatment with spotters/etc., clear water only extraction at high heat, post treatment with neutralizers/deodorants/etc., then a dry bonnet over the top as it's finished.
properly done this can yield some amazing results. The problems start with bad equipment but the technician must be savvy to dial in the correct process for YOUR carpets.
I would suggest contacting the local cleaning supply house as they know all of us and can tell you who the heavy hitters are.
You need what is called 'restorative' cleaning. Careful pre vacuum, treatment with spotters/etc., clear water only extraction at high heat, post treatment with neutralizers/deodorants/etc., then a dry bonnet over the top as it's finished.
properly done this can yield some amazing results. The problems start with bad equipment but the technician must be savvy to dial in the correct process for YOUR carpets.
I would suggest contacting the local cleaning supply house as they know all of us and can tell you who the heavy hitters are.
Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
"regular" chem dry is a bonnet system, very abrasive and little real cleaning going on.
Indeed.
Their carpet "buffer" left my carpet looking like an old pilled sweater.
"regular" chem dry is a bonnet system, very abrasive and little real cleaning going on.
Indeed.
Their carpet "buffer" left my carpet looking like an old pilled sweater.
Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
Yep, it is now 'saturated' with soils, dog, and previous cleaners.
You need what is called 'restorative' cleaning. Careful pre vacuum, treatment with spotters/etc., clear water only extraction at high heat, post treatment with neutralizers/deodorants/etc., then a dry bonnet over the top as it's finished.
properly done this can yield some amazing results. The problems start with bad equipment but the technician must be savvy to dial in the correct process for YOUR carpets.
I would suggest contacting the local cleaning supply house as they know all of us and can tell you who the heavy hitters are.
So I cannot use my Bissel to extract with water only and take care of this?
Yep, it is now 'saturated' with soils, dog, and previous cleaners.
You need what is called 'restorative' cleaning. Careful pre vacuum, treatment with spotters/etc., clear water only extraction at high heat, post treatment with neutralizers/deodorants/etc., then a dry bonnet over the top as it's finished.
properly done this can yield some amazing results. The problems start with bad equipment but the technician must be savvy to dial in the correct process for YOUR carpets.
I would suggest contacting the local cleaning supply house as they know all of us and can tell you who the heavy hitters are.
So I cannot use my Bissel to extract with water only and take care of this?
Originally Posted By: Stewart Fan
Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
"regular" chem dry is a bonnet system, very abrasive and little real cleaning going on.
Indeed.
Their carpet "buffer" left my carpet looking like an old pilled sweater.
That was an extremely careless tech, as they can actually make it look ok, it just really is not "clean" by most people's definition.
Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
"regular" chem dry is a bonnet system, very abrasive and little real cleaning going on.
Indeed.
Their carpet "buffer" left my carpet looking like an old pilled sweater.
That was an extremely careless tech, as they can actually make it look ok, it just really is not "clean" by most people's definition.
Originally Posted By: Donald
How about this?
http://westernmass.craigslist.org/for/3673996088.html
Absolutely anything that runs off a plain wall outlet is severely limited by the amount of electricity it can slurp through the wires. Expect poor suction.
Remember that most TMU's will use a positive displacement blower, not a centrifugal one. The absolute lift of a real PD blower is awesome, nothing like the electrics, even with two motors in tandem.
The biggest issue you have is the history, as each cleaning with DIY methods has allowed soaps and soiling to penetrate deeper and deeper...
How about this?
http://westernmass.craigslist.org/for/3673996088.html
Absolutely anything that runs off a plain wall outlet is severely limited by the amount of electricity it can slurp through the wires. Expect poor suction.
Remember that most TMU's will use a positive displacement blower, not a centrifugal one. The absolute lift of a real PD blower is awesome, nothing like the electrics, even with two motors in tandem.
The biggest issue you have is the history, as each cleaning with DIY methods has allowed soaps and soiling to penetrate deeper and deeper...
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If your Hoover steam cleaner can't get it done and you've used it repeatedly, you'll have to do what Steve mentioned and that is a full restoration, to include carpet dye if the carpet is old. The wall outlet cleaners will do a good job IF you go very slow, pretreat the carpet with cleaner, and then rinse it out with plain water, and dry stroke it to remove as much water as possible (that's where the wicking comes from - the pad gets wet with dirty water and as the carpet dries up top, the dirty water wicks to the top), but if the carpet is trashed and loaded with soap, you need horsepower, a carpet scrubber, and a skilled tech to fix it.
Chem dry is worthless; it moves the dirt around but doesn't have the capability or power of rinsing and sucking the dirt out. What a pro will do is pretreat the carpet with emulsifier and then use a rotary buffer/scrubber to scrub the dirt out of the carpet fibers, and then use hot water extraction to suck it all out.
Chem dry is worthless; it moves the dirt around but doesn't have the capability or power of rinsing and sucking the dirt out. What a pro will do is pretreat the carpet with emulsifier and then use a rotary buffer/scrubber to scrub the dirt out of the carpet fibers, and then use hot water extraction to suck it all out.
I have to agree with everyone on the chem clean - I used it once and it did not do nearly the job I expected. Food for thought, when we first moved back to Florida 10 years ago, we moved into a house with filthy carpets. The carpet cleaner I owned at the time barely made a dent. I called "Stanley Steamer" and two fellows came out in a van and by the time they were done the carpets looked and smelled brand new. Money well spent.
Sorry for the minor threadjack, but Steve, what would you suggest for removing salt buildup in car carpeting? Both our vehicles have accumulated a couple year's worth of road salt, and I want to use the SpotBot to hopefully get it cleaned up. I've tried the bottled soap solutions and they don't touch the hardened salt. Even copious amounts of plain water doesn't budge this stuff. Thanks.
Sorry, man, but I live in Florida!!!
Haven't got a clue...
Haven't got a clue...
I am going to try a couple of cleanings with the Bissell and hot water and a rinse chemical. Given the snow situaltion, it will be a few weeks before the carper cleaners could get their truck near my front door anyway.
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