Carpet cleaning capers.

THe carpet in this house is 21 years old. We heat with wood. Hubby works in a mill. This carpet has had some hard wear and it's starting to show.

The hardware store flooring lady told me 10 years is the life of a carpet. I find that hard to believe. Who can replace a carpet every 10 years? BUt this one...it has two places in particular that are really getting to me. Infront of the sofa where Hubby sits, and eats, and drops food, and wears his black, sweaty socks. That spot is...YIKES! And the area in the hallway where we turn into the bedroom, that area is visible in the dark. I know this is not just dirt, but wear also. These spots get the heaviest foot traffic. But other than that, I have to say this carpet is in amazing shape.

It is a mid tone beige berber (closed loop). I am thinking of renting my own cleaner to see if I can save it, or if I have to replace it. The thought of getting all my furniture out so flooring can be removed and replaced makes me weep. BUt...I have gotten on my hands and knees and scrubbed these smutty areas, and they do not get better. In fact, the one infront of the sofa seems to get worse after it's been wet.

Do any of you have 20 year old carpet miracle stories to share? Or 20 year old carpet disasters? Have any experience with cleaners, what types to use or avoid? I'm all ears. If I can spruce it up to 'good enough' I'd like to avoid the expense and upheaval of replacement.

Orange cleaner works miracles.

I am a whiz with a rental cleaner. Hot hot water, just a little low suds laundry soap, orange cleaner and an eversosmall amount of bleach. Not though to discolour the carpet. First go over and over and over the badly soiled areas. You can even apply some of your cleaner mixture and let it sit. Then do the whole thing slowly and carefully, overlapping strokes.

Uno, if I were closer I would come there and help you out.

Oh, and wait until the weather is warm. It will dry faster.

Sue! I have not taken your advice. IT is Dec 20th. I am half dead with a bad cold. I have no Christmas prep done, and today Hub and I are going to attempt to clean the carpets. I have a feeling this is a bad idea. I do not feel up to this. It is not warm, they will never dry.    I should just take a Liqui-Gel and go back to bed!

It can wait! Get better first!

They will dry! I just had mine done a couple days ago. When we built this house, we had one baby that made little mess. We now have 2 much larger children and I have the carpets cleaned a couple times a year because they make a lot of mess. I have it done professionally. They do a nice job and seem to get the stains out well. He also has this giant scrubbing machine. He sprays my carpet with a cleaner, scrubs with this giant brush thing and then uses the extractor. It only costs about twice as much as renting a machine, but I think he does a better job than I do. Huge headache averted for a well spent $150.

I'm watching this thread avidly as I also have a carpet that is in desperate need. I wish I could hire someone, but no one likes to come where we live. I had found one guy but will never use him again as I had to move the furniture for him even though I was 8 months pregnant and they said they moved furniture, and he left streaks all iver my floor if a greasy substance that took me 4 times steaming it to get it out enough it was not noticeable unless you knew to look for it!! My carpet is a mess with 6 kids all tramping through and rolling all around it and two adults. I no longer have pets in the house, but still have some old pet stains that did not come out on my last cleaning.

oh..how to long for the days of the electrolux vaccum salesmen
They came to my house in Prince George once and wanted to show me how great their vaccum cleaners were for cleaning deep dirt. They only wanted to do the living room..but I held out and said they couldn't do it all unless they did all the carpets. So, they agreed and proceeded to clean my carpets, couches, pillows saying the whole time how filthy it all was and look what they got! It was great, i made supper and looked after my young son at the time and got my house cleaned!
If i were you uno..i would get some smaller throw rugs and toss them over the thready bits

Quick update while HUb works Rug Doctor.

We did NOT use the Rug Doctor shampoo they sold us. I used washing soda and a tich of laundry soap. Found out that no matter how hot your water or how much you stir, washing soda DOES NOT dissolve.

Only applied one tub full of the soap solution then I freaked out that it was too soapy and would requite too much water to rinse it to my rather hysterical satisfaction. Now I am lightly spraying this diluted soap mixture on the most heavily soiled traffic paths. Only clear, hot water in the machine.

More to come......

Have I mentioned you don't need a carpet cleaner? A watering can that sprinkles, a rough brush, good old fashioned elbow grease and a shop vac will do the same, if not a better job.

Use the rough brush to vibrate not rub the carpet.

Sue, I have used your method (slightly modified) to spot clean yucky areas. But we're covering about 1200 sq ft of carpet, which exceeds my hands and knees, elbow grease capacity in my weakened state.

I am going to brag now. IT's the cold meds talking.

I have worn out, ruined and used to oblivion, 5 vacuum cleaners in the past 22 years in this house. I am a vacuuming Nazi. In my home the vacuum is NEVER put away. I think it's weird when I go to other people's homes and don't see the vacuum sprawled mid-floor somewhere. I vacuum the kitchen/porch area at least twice every day. To prevent dirt form being picked up and spread throughout the house by travellers. Preventative vacuuming.

Having seen rug cleaning videos on youtube, and  the FILTHY water that some people pour down the drain, I would guess that on a scale of 1 - 10, the dirt level of the water coming out of my carpets is a 3. Slighlty opaque, somewhat grayish. Practically no discernible sediment. I believe this is the result of what borders on manic/obsessive vacuum behaviour.

When cleaning Horse Daughter's catastrophic mobile that had carpet that was TWO YEARS OLD! I was MORTIFIED to discover the level of filth it was possible to achieve! Mortified. I did clean that carpet on hands and knees with water and shop vac. I vacuumed it so many times, in so many directions that my mother (who was also cleaning) told me there weren't going to be any fibres left. Yet when I got down and scrubbed it, the JUNK that came flying out almost made me gag.

Want to test the effectiveness of your vacuum cleaner? Here's how: Vacuum well. Spray soapy water onto area of carpet and scrub with an empty pickle jar or canning jar. Open side down. This works the fibres while not abrading them. If the inside of the empty jar is flicked with filth and particulate, your vacuum sucks, but not in a good way.

I used the glass jar scrubbing method in HD's place and the CRUD that flew up into that jar! You could pave a driveway with it! And that was after many, many passes of slow, meticulous vacuuming. On a carpet that was only two years old! When I took the pickle jar to the heaviest soil traffic paths here today....no particulate, no black water, NO FLEAS! All there was to show for all my scrubbing was clear water and some fibres that broke off. I may not be much of a cook but I sure know how to take care of a carpet! See, I'm good for something!

Just broke for late lunch and cough meds, back to cleaning.

Try Oxi Clean  , or if you're doing the whole rug .......diluted Javex water ....seeing as how you have a lite colored carpet . Using the rug doctor stuff really doesn't help any ! If you have a professional carpet cleaner in your area sometimes they will sell you there products ..... they work ! But 25 years is a long life span for a carpet , especially if it's been heavily used ...............my thoughts only

I hate my carpet. Its only 5 years old and i want to rip it out. I use the oxy dri guy a few times a year cause its light coloured and 2 kids, 3 dogs and farm stuff traveling though it gets gross. Everytime he comes he says its a beautiful carpet but its ment for the bedroom and not the play areas. But he always gets them spanking clean. I know he goes to vernon I am not sure if he travels up your way but hes amazing.

Rip it all out and install vinyl plank flooring. No off-gassing. You can cut it with a box cutter. install a whole room in a few hours. It looks like real wood and it is incredible! Our house is wall to wall with it.

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Schipperkesue wrote:Rip it all out and install vinyl plank flooring.  No off-gassing.  You can cut it with a box cutter.  install a whole room in a few hours.  It looks like real wood and it is incredible!  Our house is wall to wall with it.

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I totally understand the Vinyl floor idea , but personally I refuse to have a lot in my home . I find it cold and to smooth ? but as far as keeping a area clean especially with a lot of traffic or pets etc in a home it is a good choice . Carpets have there draw backs , but I still like a good quality carpet over vinyl . ........my thoughts only

PrairieD I would have said the same thing, but the vinyl plank flooring is quite different. We have it here in this new house and it has texture and doesn't look like vinyl at all. Happy to take some pics of it if people are interested in it. I hate vinyl, but I would have this stuff again. It is coolish, certainly not as warm as wood can be, but not worse than tile for sure.
I am a carpet hater from way back. I would rather wear slippers than have carpet of any kind in any room!   

Well, I think part way through this adventure something went wrong with the Rug Doctor cause it suddenly started spewing massive amounts of water onto the carpet, but not sucking it up. We now have a soggy carpet mess and an indoor humidity rating that is off the scale! (good for my congested lungs).

This carpet is a very light almond berber. This is the second time its been cleaned in almost 22 years. First time was about 15 years ago when I exploded a Bic pen all over the place. DO NOT RUB INK STAINS! A professional was consulted and saved the day! Overall, this carpet did not appear dirty other than in the spot infront of the sofa and the traffic path into the bedrooms (hallway) aside from that I have to say its in astonishingly good shape. It is very worn in those tow places and maybe that's what makes the traffic areas look so different. We shall see when the water recedes and we can spot dry land, maybe tomorrow sometime.

I know that carpet is considered 'dirty', and yet people who won't have a dirty carpet in their house allow in cats and dogs. Think about it. Carpets are not inherently dirty, they become that way as a result of life. What they are is maintenance heavy. But still, there is a feel and sound and atmosphere that comes with carpet that I find solid flooring does not duplicate. I like hard surface flooring in most of the house, but in the living room, it will always be carpet for me.

I think I'm ready to go another 15 years before I do this again! Sheesh!

coopslave wrote:PrairieD I would have said the same thing, but the vinyl plank flooring is quite different.  We have it here in this new house and it has texture and doesn't look like vinyl at all.  Happy to take some pics of it if people are interested in it.  I hate vinyl, but I would have this stuff again.  It is coolish, certainly not as warm as wood can be, but not worse than tile for sure.
I am a carpet hater from way back.  I would rather wear slippers than have carpet of any kind in any room!    

Understandable  and there are a lot of people who have allergies towards the fibers in carpets , but myself I still prefer the feel of a carpet , and no a throw rug doesn't suffice , under my feet . I have never had a pair of slippers yet and doubt I ever will have . You see the trends change over time and first it was ceramic tiles , now vinyl or laminate flooring ? but what ever makes one feel good right ?
Once you have shampooed a carpet most people forget to but on the carpet spray to keep dirt from in bedding itself into the fibres and also water proofing it .I've cleaned our Berber a few times over the years ( more after having a kid ) and the shampooer works okay  but no where near to what a professional can do

Yes, I have allergies but also dogs and dirty feet. I like the fact that I can run from the coop to the kitchen through the living room without removing my barn boots. You can just wipe all that poo off in an instant. The furniture is leather and vinyl too. All in the name of allergy prevention. But it also means I can bring the kitties in occasionally and not have severe reactions. Yes, it is coolish, but I like a cool floor, especially in summer and the surface is textured like real wood and non slip.

I think too that the layout of your house determines your flooring choices. I can, to use SoSloppySue's example, run from the barn, to the kitchen, to a biff or to the laundryroom and never set a poopy boot in the livingroom. Which is handy, because I have taken the occasional muddy wander into the kitchen. Hey, it happens.

I think the 'dirty' look of the high traffic areas is improved by 85%, which is WAY better than I had expected! I am impressed. Now the question is to see how long it lasts.

Oh, Prairie Dog, about magic sprays that repel dirt...the only one I've ever heard of that is effective is called divorce. Otherwise there is NOTHING in a can, despite all the hype, that has ever kept anything clean!

Scotch Yard carpet protector does help with dirt in bedding into the fibres  but if divorce helps ?? will have to write that down somewhere . Sue I understand the cleaning aspects of vinyl and it's convenience with mopping up mess's in a hurry , we have all had to run in with outdoor shoes on and gratefully the floors were vinyl so clean up was easy ...........

Uno. I am so pleased your efforts have made a difference!

Me too!   

I am watching this thread with a keen eye.   The carpet that is on the floor here is so revolting I almost dry wretch at the thought of what is in it.  Man does it stink when it is warm and raining outside.  That is a hum that has me arrive at the brink of tearing the thing out with my bare hands, teeth (well maybe not teeth, don't like getting my face that close) or what ever tools I can lay my hands on.  I am tempted to give your pickle jar technique a go Uno, plenty of baking soda and maybe some of the stuff you can get from the vet that dog breeders buy from them for treating their carpets.  We bought a vaccie that has a hepa filter in it which will help our lives some  -  will help the computer fans etc. for sure!  A wood cook stove puts out a good amount of fine particulate.  I am not one of the worlds ocd cleaners and of course this shows   .  Just thought I'd share a picture of what my carpet looks like, to show that there is always someone else out there who has it worse than you maybe.  Not "dick-measuring" (sorry, a phrase that came in to the house via teenage boy number one) at all, I guess it is possible that there is someone else out there who could have a nastier carpet.  It is very practical in coloration for sure but I believe it came from an era where people might have shag pile carpet on their walls as well!   Not only is it disturbing color wise to me but it stinks from the previous owners dogs  -  I guess I would not have a problem with dog so much if it was from our own. Granted things could be worse, could smell like cigarettes and bar.

When we have a bit of spare money we'll re-do the roof and floor and a bunch of other things on this house but until we know for sure whether the foundations are not disturbed by carpenter ants, won't do anything.  This year will be interesting  -  going to find out in the spring/summer what is happening there.   We are not huge carpet fans ourselves, I like the idea of wood which can be mopped easily and it is natural.  That is what I grew up with but we didn't live in a cold environment so maybe it is a toss up there.  I think I'd prefer to have slippers on than to be always having to deal with carpet in the way our little house is designed.  I am always amazed by houses that have carpet in their bathrooms.  My in-laws in England have that  -  I was never good at keeping the water off the carpet.  I'm just untrained!  

Anyway, feast your eyes on this beauty and breathe a sigh of relief that it is not yours.  If looks alone don't get you, imagine the smell that can come out of there like a genie from a bottle when the rain and warm come together.  And, no offense intended to others who might also have this delight in their homes, just my personal love-to-hate piece of house stuff.  I don't have anything invested in anyone elses house hold state never see any one elses mess - actually I do but I just don't care!
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Oh. Wow! That is.....intense.

I have lived with good floors and I have lived on painted plywood. All I can tactfully say is that painted plywood isn't all that bad. You have my sympathy, Magdelan.

seems a subject close to many peoples hearts   . I too am quite open to the idea of tastefully finished plywood. It fits our budget at this point in time. it frightens me not at all, I am fearless in the face of plywood!