Posted on 02/17/2012 11:58:52 PM PST by djf
OK I broke down and rented a Rug Doctor. My carpet is a little under two years old and not in bad shape except I have a pellet stove and no matter what you do, it puts out a fine gray ash that dulls everything.
So far, the results seem good, it will never look like new again, but looks a whole lot better than before. Problem being is that it uses a TON of water and I can hardly get by doing 75 sq ft or so without refill.
Opinions? Hints? Anybody know the great Rug Doctor secrets held by only the ancients and Lazamataz?
“Wilhelm? My name is Tanya.”
“Most of the world is carpeted. And, one day, we will do the cleaning.”
As well as Bissell, Hoover is another reputable brand of home carpet shampooer. The one I use looks like an upright vacuum cleaner and has rotating scrub brushes on the bottom of its head. I’ve even seen a church that kept a Hoover of this same kind to shampoo its well trodden aisle carpets, which were worn but clean. The brand name shampoos work OK but are pricey. Stores like Wal-Mart have their own generic shampoos that also work OK. Simple Green also works. Any cleaner that is not overly sudsy and does not leave a lot of residue will work. It’s a good idea to ventilate well with Simple Green as the vapors can be irritating to the eyes and respiratory tract. Household ammonia is powerful too as a spotter or in the machine, but definitely needs lots of ventilation.
I got kind of put off Hoover when the last vacuum cleaner I bought from them had a bunch of plastic knobs that all broke off within a month. They were critical to the operation of the unit. I traded it in at Costco for a Bissel vacuum cleaner as well.
It’s still around but it is called Frazee. Spelling is sounded out as fraza.
I know the predicament you’re in, I’ve got two Panasonic vacuum cleaners and can’t find anyone to push them.
All plastic knobs on my Hoover have remained where they were intended to be, but quality may have gone south in the years since. Mine was US built, though doubtless of Chinese parts.
On Google I found a large carpet dealer named Frazee, and an allusion to it as a type of carpet, but not any page advertising that kind of carpet under that name.
Shag was doubtless intended to be fun. It would be a grand hassle to shampoo and vacuum compared to more conservative carpets.
Speaking of vacuuming, the home vacuum cleaner didn’t come into vogue until the early 1900s. Before that, you had to have a truck mounted unit come similar to the ones that do furnace duct cleaning today. They could make quite a racket as they were gasoline engine powered. With the home vacuum cleaner, carpet was viewed as more practical in homes.
It would help had I spelled it correctly ...oops meant look up images for Frieze carpeting. Comes in different lengths.
That’s for sure.
My wife uses the Bissell chemicals that she buys from Wally world. Buying our own carpet cleaner was that best thing we have done in a while. It leaves less water behind after using and always does a great cleaning job. Also, as another poster said, you can clean up after any spill or spotting before it has time to dry, making it an easier and better clean-up. Plus, we dont have to lug the rugdoctor back to the store by a certain time.
Just be careful. It is possible to use them too much. The guy who installed my carpet told me about some gal who’s carpet disintegrated after about year and a half because she was using a carpet cleaner every two weeks.
Carpets have binders and adhesives and preservatives built in. She washed them all away and dried them down to the bone!
Carpet is done!
Thanks to all for the tips!
The machine is easy to use, to fill and run, except I think the button that makes it spray should be relocated because I constantly bumped into it at the end of the run pushing the handle down to change direction.
And if you have a large area, you will tire quickly of the filling/emptying cycles.
Results are quite good, but in some places I ran a rinse cycle (hot water only) two and three times before the water came out pretty clear.
Next time, I won;t wait almost two years between doing it...
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