Keep Your Carpet Clean for Less

This has to be one of the most bone-headed DIY posts ever! We spend thousands to be professionally trained and have the tools and solutions that will work to clean carpet, not damage it. There is no way I would have a person put an iron on their carpet with a paper towel. Iron + carpet = melted carpet.
Ask a professional about what to do . . . . you will be doing more damage than good with your tip!

Hard wood floors. Problem solved.

Anyone pick up the part in the text about putting a hot iron over a paper towel?

This is not a good method if you have pets. Ammonia is in their urine and this invites them to select that spot. Bad idea.

I inherited a Chihuaha mix from my neighbor and keeping a tan carpet clean has been impossible. She is housebroken but sometimes she has a favorite spot on the carpet she will use the restroom if she has to go in the middle of the night. Outside of calling COIT and having the carpet steam cleaned every two months I never could figure out how to keep the carpet clean and sweet smelling.

For those spots between cleaning, simply spray on windex and then wipe with a damp sponge. This will clean the nastiest, dirtiest spots on even white carpet. I've been doing this for 25 years or more and it has always worked.

Never clean rugs with ammonia if animals will be around the carpet or rug. Dog and cat urine have lots of ammonia in it and the animals will think another animal has been marking territory on the rug or carpet.

Just read some of these post. First the post from the guy that has had his carpe down for 16 years. I have been cleaning carpets for 53 years, My own company for the last 43 years. I am amazed at how many companies and franchise companies train there personel the wrong way. By the way, to be certified in this industry you need to attend two 8 hour days of school. That's it. I spend at least 6 months of training befor any employee is allowed to do any job and they are spoon feed the jobs. It take me about three years before I feel I've trained them enough to do any job correctly. Sorry, but if your overwetting and leaving residual that attracts soil, you're doing it all wrong. My carpets get steam cleaned usually yearly, I end up replacing them after 20 plus years only because my wife is tired of the color and wants something new. They still look and feel great with proper steam cleaning. Alos, every major manufacturer of carpets suggest that all carpets be professionally steamed cleaned at least every two years or you void the warrentee. They also recommend that they are cleaned yearly. Each truck we use has at least 50 different cleaners for different fibers and/or condition. There are professionals and then there are carpet cleaners.

I own a carpet cleaning franchise called Oxi Fresh. What you are being told about steam cleaning is accurate. There are many problems with steam cleaning: stretching and break down of fibers, dirt being pushed down in to the carpet which will later "wick-back", excessive moisture being left in the carpets and pad with a 24 hour plus dry time. This also creates a health hazard and breeding ground for mold, bacteria, allergens, dust mites, etc. A typical steam cleaner uses about 20 gallons of water per 1000 square feet cleaned, even the best and newest extractors leave 10% of the water used in your carpet. Older equipment can leave up to 25%. That means if you have a 2,000 sq ft home cleaned that 4 to 10 gallons of water is being left in your home to slowly evaporate off the top of the pad after they leave.
Our system uses a very low moisture process (only about 2-3 gallons on the above mentioned job), oxygenated enzyme cleaning and encapsulation. All products used are green. We have a TRUE one hour dry time with very little to no moisture reaching the pad below your carpet. Water your lawn, not your carpet! Check out more at the OxiFresh website.
Concerning the above mentioned method of cleaning: using a hot iron to draw out a stain is difficult even for a seasoned veteran. Be extremely careful not to melt your carpet fibers and cause permanent damage, not to mention the effect that hot ammonia gases could have on you. I would only recommend the above cleaning method with extreme caution.

I have been installing,repairing and cleaning carpet since the early 1970's. The advice in this article is similar to what we said back then,however many things have changed since then one is education. Basic carpet cleaning 101 says to never use a high ph detergent on carpet as it can chemically scratch the fibers,that will prevent light from reflecting through the fiber. Light reflection through the fber is how we see the color,have you ever looked through scratched up glass's? Also technolgy has changed tremendously in how carpet is manufactured,so many things can happen if cleaned incorrectly by the home owner or even a cleaning company. Find a good company who has certifications and can prove it and use their sevice. They will probably give good spottong and maintenamce advice for between cleanings. By the way I steam clean my carpet every 3 or 4 months and after 10 years still look like new. Install them right and keep them clean,they will last for a long time and look good along the way. Obviosly I know more about carpet than I do grammar,maybe thats why I am a carpet cleaner!