Carpets have always had their limits when it came to cleaning them. Even today, spot cleaners and shampoos leave a lot to be desired and used incorrectly can even cause damage. Not long ago people still took rugs outside to beat them because it got rid of the dirt better than any kind of carpet cleaning around.
Once carpet cleaning machines, or rug shampooers, came on the market, carpet cleaning was easier but still left spots behind. The first machines were almost commercial grade. Some were too big to even get into your car after renting it at the corner grocery store.
Even though they were heavy and tough to move around, they were easy to use. Put shampoo and water in the right place, turn it on, and move the machine over your carpeting until you saw soap suds. The idea was that the machine would just put down the soap, lift up the fibers, and dry enough so that you could vacuum it up a few hours later.
These machines also had no mechanism to suck up the dirt that was supposedly being loosened by the brushes. The assumption was that the machine would simply apply soap, loosen up the fibers of the rug, and then you would need to take a pretty heavy duty vacuum later on and try to get rid of the residue. Typically, the results were disappointing. Try doing this a few times over a few years, and you shortened the lifespan of your carpets significantly.
Professional cleaning services might have been a bit more effective, but even their guarantees couldn't get out really ground in dirt and stubborn stains. Six month old red wine and two new puppies can wreak havoc on any rug, and all the guarantees in the world won't do much to get out the stains. For the higher cost of the service, you probably didn't see much better results than when you used the machine from the local grocery store.
Today we know that what cleans just about anything is steam. Steam carpet machines are much more reliable, lighter, easier to use, and produce better results all around. Whether you have your own at home or you call a professional service that uses steam, the results are incredible. Steam still needs a special shampoo and brushes to loosen the dirt, but these new machines also have the ability to suck up the dirt and grime that is being loosened up under foot.
Superb quality machines run about $299. They are light, easy to move, and can fit in almost any hall closet. Even cleaning the machines is a breeze because parts are dishwasher friendly.
Learn more about carpet and rug cleaning. Stop by Walter Wilhelm's site where you can find out all about St Louis Carpet Cleaning and what we can do for you.