Carpet Cleaning

[sahm2three]

I was going to add the same advice given. I use vineager and water or baking soda and water on spots. Also, my family uses essential oils so I will add a few drops of one of those for great smell (and therapeutic properties!). Soaps attract dirt, gives it something to cling to. Good luck!

[MN Mom]

What solution of water to vinegar do you use? Or water to baking soda, for that matter. Also, do you use this solution in a steam cleaner or do the blot meathod? I have some carpets left upstairs and on the stairs that could use cleaning.

Thanks!

[misol]

I used to rent the shampooer (Rug Doctor) from Lowe's which is about the same price as Home Depot but after a while we just bought one ourselves. We have a Bisell that works great. I thought about how much I paid each time to rent the shampooer (about $20 for every 24 hours plus the cost of shampoo) and figured it would be a better investment to just buy one.

Until then you can try a product called Folex. I swear by this stuff. It comes in a white bottle and has purple-ish Red-ish writing. It comes in a spray bottle or in a large container. I use it on EVERYTHING! Clothes, carpet, curtains, couches etc. It cleans out blood (if you get it right away), barf, pet stains, ball-point pen, crayon (from couches) etc. I love this stuff. There are only a few products that I swear by (kirby vacuum, magic erasers, etc) and this is one of them.

Yes, I think it will be more economical for me to go ahead and purchase one.

Oh and I absolutely LOVE Folex!!! We always keep some on hand and I use that to spot clean as well.

A carpet cleaning company once told me that shampoos especially the rinse agents are oil/wax based and they attract dirt which is great for them. He recommends rinsing with vinegar water to cut the soap. It does make a difference. It's kinda like fabric softener does the same to your clothes/washer and some shampoos/conditioners will do it to your hair.

Interesting. I will try to remember this.

[sahm2three]

When I am using baking soda, I make a paste for spots. It acts like a soft scrub (without the harmful chemicals). When I use vineager and water, I put about two tablespoons of vineager in a spray bottle (not sure about the size, maybe 20 oz or so). I also use a natural cleaning product called Thieves cleaner. It smells divine! Smells like cinnamon. I use it on EVERYTHING! Toilets, counters, floors, windows, EVERYTHING!

[Childminder]

I use a cup of white distilled vinegar to a gallon of hot water in my steam carpet cleaner and go over the area that I just shampooed. I don't use the shampoo full strength either. Kind of like dishwasher detergent where about half of the recommended amount works just fine and lasts twice as long. Use as hot of water as you can.

[fctjc1979]

We have beige carpet that shows everything too. We have a Kirby vacuum cleaner that also shampoos carpets. Depending on the time of year, we shampoo our carpets anywhere from once a week to once a month. Unfortunately, I couldnt tell you how much the Kirby cost since my husband had it before I married him.

[originalkat]

Thank goodness we have wood floors and vinyl in the kitchen. Only our bedrooms have carpet.

[Daycare Mommy]

Thank goodness we have wood floors and vinyl in the kitchen. Only our bedrooms have carpet.

I envy you! I fantasize about laminate and vinyl flooring every time I have to pull the shampooer out! Carpets, no matter how often you clean them, are so dirty.

[originalkat]

I envy you! I fantasize about laminate and vinyl flooring every time I have to pull the shampooer out! Carpets, no matter how often you clean them, are so dirty.

This is the first house we have lived in that has had wood floors. I was worried about dust/dirt in the corners and having to clean the floors instead of vacuuming(which takes much less time). But we have been here two years and I am so glad we have them. I deep clean by moving all the furniture in a room every 2 months or so so I can get all the dirt that is in corners and under the furniture. When I dust mop I see ALL the stuff I sweep up every day and think about that being in carpet. AHHH!I think even though the kids have their shoes off it is just the fact that all that wear and traffic on the floors takes a toll(especially on carpet). Here is a pic of our floors.

[Daycare Mommy]

This is the first house we have lived in that has had wood floors. I was worried about dust/dirt in the corners and having to clean the floors instead of vacuuming(which takes much less time). But we have been here two years and I am so glad we have them. I deep clean by moving all the furniture in a room every 2 months or so so I can get all the dirt that is in corners and under the furniture. When I dust mop I see ALL the stuff I sweep up every day and think about that being in carpet. AHHH!I think even though the kids have their shoes off it is just the fact that all that wear and traffic on the floors takes a toll(especially on carpet). Here is a pic of our floors.

Wow Kat! You have an absolutely beautiful house! The floors are just gorgeous. Are those hardwood or laminate? Now I'm also envious of the fact that your house isn't 100% daycare. I wish we had the space to make at least one room in ours look like a normal house. And is that the same flooring you have in your daycare area? It's really nice!

[mac60]

Very nice floors ladies. MN Mom, I love the cottage look of your home. Kat, your floors and white woodwork are beautiful.

[Daycare Mommy]

Very nice floors ladies. MN Mom, I love the cottage look of your home. Kat, your floors and white woodwork are beautiful.

Didn't mean to not acknowledge MN Mom's pic .. but I can't see it. Something about it being moderated? Boo!

[originalkat]

Thanks for the compliments guys. That is very sweet. Our home was built in 1900 and they are the original heart pine floors. They were covered in red carpet when we moved in and a friend of ours re-did them when we moved in.

I try to keep all the daycare stuff in ONE area which is right off the kitchen. The kitchen and daycare area are vinyl. The dining, living, and halls are wood. And like I said before the bedrooms are carpet.

[Michael]

Didn't mean to not acknowledge MN Mom's pic .. but I can't see it. Something about it being moderated? Boo!

We are not moderating pictures. I can see MN's picture. There was originally a problem with the image address that I fixed.

[Daycare Mommy]

Here's our finished livingroom. We converted it to a livingroom / diningroom so we can do the Kitchen next. I like the table in there, so I may leave it that way and add more counterspace to our Kitchen.

*Image is Moderated so you cannot view it yet...bah!!!

We are not moderating pictures. I can see MN's picture. There was originally a problem with the image address that I fixed.

That is too weird. I still can't see it, but I go to quote the message and I can see the IMG code in there. I even cut and paste the address in the IMG brackets into the address bar of my browser and still nothing. Maybe it's just my dinosaur computer being goofy again. Sorry for the boo, Michael, since apparently it's just me!