There are many different methods of carpet cleaning, from pure steam to dry cleaning with chemicals. Using shampoo carpet cleaning is sort of a happy medium between these two methods. With this method, you use a carpet cleaning machine that injects a shampoo and water mixture into your carpet, then agitates the fibers before sucking out the shampoo and water to leave your carpets nearly dry, with only a slight dampness left to wait out until it is completely dry. But, is using shampoo on your carpet worth it, or are other methods more effective to get your carpet clean?

First of all, shampoo carpet cleaning is the most effective on areas that are heavily stained. These are areas that may need a bit of abrasion from the detergents in a shampoo to work the staining material off of the carpet fibers so they can be sucked off the carpet by the cleaning machine. You can usually get rid of most stains yourself with simple materials like lemon juice, baking soda, and vinegar along with a scrubby sponge. However, some stains are harder to remove or have been there for a while and become stuck to the carpet. Shampoo can help remove these stains.

However, if your carpet has no stains, then using shampoo carpet cleaning on it is going to be no more effective than steam cleaning, and may actually be less effective. It may leave shampoo residue behind that will make the carpet fibers sticky and stiff. Plus, it is messy if you use it on your entire carpet, and it leaves the carpet wetter at the end than steam cleaning does. Your best bet is to get a spot cleaner for severe or old stains and a stiff sponge to scrub with, and then just use a steam cleaner on the rest of your carpet.

One of the main advantages that steam cleaning has over shampoo carpet cleaning is the heat factor. Steam is relatively hot, and will easily kill any germs, microbes, or insects that may be hiding in your carpet. The steam will leave your carpet thoroughly disinfected. However, shampoo cleaning doesn’t use high heat, so you have to rely on the disinfectant properties of the shampoo alone to sterilize your carpet. The shampoo may not be enough to do this effectively. Therefore, unless your entire carpet is covered in old, hard to remove stains and you just don’t want to replace it entirely, steam cleaning is usually the best type of cleaning for most wall to wall carpet types.

Similar Posts:

• Are Carpet Shampoo Machines for the Home Any Good?
• What are Some of the Best Carpet Cleaning Methods?
• Have You Ever Considered Using Carpet Shampooers?
• What are the Best Carpet Cleaning Supplies and Products?
• How to Clean Carpet ‘The easy way’

Incoming search terms for the article:

• carpet cleaner making carpet stiff
• carpet stiff after shampoo
• does hoover steamvac kill bugs in carpet
• old stiff stains on carpet
• why is the cleaned carpet stiff?