What's a good carpet cleaner to rent?
Answers:
All carpet cleaners work on the same principle - hot water and detergent injected under pressure into the fabric, the detergent breaks down grease and dirt and the dirty solution is extracted out by powerful vacuum.
The important thing isn't so much the machine but the detergent. All the detergents that are available to the public are weak and not all that effective. Much better to go to a janitorial supplies company and get a commercial grade carpet cleaning powder - as well as being a cleaner these include odor neutralizers, sanitizers, optical brighteners, fabric conditioners etc.
If you do this check with the hire company first as they may only let you use the detergent they supply. When you hire the machine go for the biggest one as this will have a more powerful vacuum and so extract more water. It will also have a larger reclaim tank (where the dirty water goes), some of the smaller machines need emptying every few minutes.
As for how easy they are to use - the operation of them is very simple but it is quite physically demanding work and if it's a hot day you'll end up sweating a lot.
You can replace your furniture immediately but if it has wooden or metal legs or castors then place a piece of baking foil or small square of plastic underneath the legs to prevent damage to the furniture and staining of the carpet.
Carpets can be walked on immediately without causing damage and if you use a powerful machine then nylon carpets will be dry in 1 to 3 hours (depending on the weather) and wool carpets, which retain more moisture, will be dry in 2 to 6 hours. To speed up drying times allow as much ventilation as possible (open doors, windows etc).
Before cleaning anything spot check a small inconspicuous area first as some colours may run - especially dark green, dark blue, red and gold. If your carpets are wool then make sure they're well secured right the way around the edges, if not then they'll shrink when you wet them.
If you're cleaning upholstery, chairs, mattresses etc then do so outside if possible. The hand tool attachment you use tends to cause a lot of overspray and if you're not very careful you'll get water on the walls and other furnishings. Plus being outside gives you more room to work and the items will dry quicker.
A good idea is to quickly go over each area once and then go over it again more thoroughly a few minutes later. This will give you a better result - a bit like cleaning a shirt for example, rather than dip it in the water then hang it out to dry you'd allow it to soak a while before cleaning.
Once you've cleaned an area then go over it again but this time with just the vacuum (ie no cleaning solution), this will remove excess moisture and speed drying times.
If there's any particular marks or stains then tell the hire company or janitorial supplies as there's a whole range of different products that will often remove marks and stains.
Other answers:
NEVER the rug doctor just dont want you to waist your time and money those things basically wet your carpet :P what a baz
NEVER the rug doctor just dont want you to waist your time and money those things basically wet your carpet :P what a baz
It will cost you like $30.00 to rent one.. I finally went to Walmart and bought the bissel steam cleaner for 89.00 it is awesome and you can use it whenever. it is yours.....I would suggest letting carpet dry a couple of hours..
Don't listen to her, they do remove a good deal of stains. the rug Dr. runs about 25$ for 24 hours, Wal-mart ( the devil) has their own brand that is about 1/2 the price.
actually, I have always had a good experience with the rug doctor....but I bought a kirby and it also shampoos my carpet. they also have this spot treatment stuff that is amazing on spots or even old stains and you don't have to have a kirby to use it...its about 8.50 a bottle though.
If you go with the rug doctor, you might want to wait 12 hours before you replace your furniture, so that it dries without an issue of possible mold. I hope that helps..just follow the directions and you should be fine. also make sure to have lots of ventillation so it dries faster. also remember that just because the carpet is dry it doesn't mean that the carpet padding is dry.
Just this past weekend, I rented a Rug Doctor cleaner from WalMart. I worked great! My carpets were dry in less than four hours. I also got the upholstery attachments and did my living room furniture. For the furniture I used the anti foam cleaning solution so it did not leave a residue. I was very impressed with the rug doctor and it was very affordable...right at $30 for the machine, attachments, and cleaning solutions.
At this point you can BUY a Dirt Devil, Bissell, or a couple of other brandks of cleaners, and they are a WHOLE lot better, and the cost is low. I think Bissell is something like $90.00 bucks at the discount stores (depending on the model). Rented ones rarely work well and you never know where they have been or what people have actually cleaned up with them. Also, you will always have it and can use it anytime you want. In th elong run it's more economical than renting. Check out buying one instead and read up about the various brands avaialble.
jThe Rug Doctor. It will put the water down and suck it and the dirt back up. It is much better than some that only lay the water down.