Getting Your Carpets to Look Like New

Uh-oh! You just got off the phone with an out of town relative wanting to visit next week. You replied enthusiastically, almost meaning it. "No problem, we'd love to have you and the baby come visit!” After inviting them last summer, you determine that they would not be impressed with your house. The house looks somewhat rundown, and you don't have the time to repaint. But getting the carpet cleaned won’t take long. Cleaning your carpet is an instant way to improve the look and smell of your house.

There are myriad options. Foam, spray-on shampoo from a can is likely the cheapest and fastest. First, spray on the foam, and then use a damp mop to spread it. You vacuum up the dirt after it is loosened and dried. This works okay for spot treating, but when it comes to getting an entire house clean and fresh, it's not very efficient.

The next thing to be considered is the domestic carpet cleaner. These will release a cleaner into the carpet and then suction it back into the machine. These are only slightly better than the spray-on foam. How much water is removed from the carpet is based on the power of the equipment. Over-wetting a carpet is very easy; if that happens, you will not be able to extract the solution before the carpet pad and backing get soaked. Allow plenty of time for the carpet to dry because you will need it.

Carpet cleaning machines rented from your grocery store provide additional power for extracting water from your carpet. One of the more frequent complaints about renting a carpet cleaner from stores is that they are not cleaned properly before the next rental. By the time you complete the job, you will regret doing it yourself. The machines are so cumbersome that you will feel it would have been better to call someone else to do the job.

The best choice is often hiring a professional to clean your carpets. Professional carpet cleaners will often use hot water to heat the cleaning solution. Then, they will apply that solution to the carpet with high-pressure machines and suck it back up with strong motors. However, the machines are so strong that water could be spit into the carpet pad, where it will stay. This means that you could create a potential breeding ground for mold.

Chem-Dry uses a better method of carpet cleaning. A patented carbonating cleaner, which is applied at a low pressure, spawns millions of bubbles that lift dirt and grime up to the surface so that they can be immediately and permanently sucked away. Allergens, chemicals, pet dander, bacteria and other debris hiding in the carpets are also removed. Because of the carbonation, less water is used and your carpets dry quickly.

A big step in preparing for the arrival of company is cleaning your carpets. Clean carpets allow you to make a great first impression.