Best Affordable Carpet Cleaners for 2021

Although every carpet cleaner varies, the basic mechanics are similar. Carpet cleaners are equipped with either one or two tanks; those with two keep clean and dirty water in separate locations.

Before you turn on a carpet cleaner, you fill the tank with fresh water and the cleaning solution of your choice.

Once you power on the carpet cleaner, push the water-release button, which is usually located on the handle. As the soapy water is expelled, brushes on the underside of the cleaner scrub away dirt and grime.

Carpet cleaners also extract water via suction – This typically involves pulling the machine backward instead of forward.

You can use a carpet cleaner to freshen most types of carpeting as long as they aren’t marked as dry-clean only. Some carpeting that can withstand the scrubbing action of a carpet cleaner may require special care.

For instance, if you run a carpet cleaner on Berber, make sure you extract as much water from the carpet as possible. For wool, stick with cool water.

The answer to this question depends on the specific carpet cleaner. Those that come with attachments can be used on almost any fabric with the exceptions of silk, velvet, and lace.

With an attachment-loaded carpet cleaner, you can shampoo drapes, mattresses, automobile interiors and upholstery.

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There are a few benefits of hiring a professional carpet cleaning service, such as not having to be the one who cleans your carpets. However, the downsides outweigh the positives. First, you have to search for a reputable company.

Then, you have to schedule an appointment, which means you’ll spend hours of your day at home waiting for the carpet cleaning company.

Of course, there is the cost of service. You know those coupons in your newspaper that lure you in with a promise of carpet cleaning in three rooms and one hallway for only $49.99? They’re too good to be true.

After they finish cleaning your carpet, they’ll hand you a bill with a lot of extra fees tacked on for bogus charges like deodorizing and high-traffic areas. You’ll save a bundle in the long run with a carpet cleaner of your own with no risk of hidden charges.

Many carpet cleaners come with useful accessories designed to tackle a variety of cleaning requirements. Many users use carpet cleaners on their car’s interior, on upholstery, on curtains, or even on their mattresses, in addition to their carpets.

It is worth noting, however, that the type and quality of the fabric will influence the effectiveness of the cleaner, and a carpet cleaner must not be used on items made of velvet or silk.

When it comes to non-carpeted floors like tiles or wooden floors, steam cleaning devices are said to be preferable, although some carpet shampooers come with suitable attachments or are equipped with the ability to be used on hard surfaces as well. It’s important for the user to read the instruction book carefully before use to determine whether it would be safe to use the cleaning unit on a certain surface.

The manufacturer of your particular carpet-cleaning unit will no doubt suggest the best products to use with it, and it is best to heed these suggestions. If, for whatever reason, you come to realize that you don’t like the product or deem it ineffective, you can always try another brand, unless the manufacturer specifically warns against that brand of solution.

How long it takes for a carpet to dry depends mainly on the size of the carpet and the material it is made of.

Thicker carpets will need more time to dry than thinner ones and it may be useful to set up fans around the room to assist in the drying process, particularly if you have a large and thick carpet.

Some cleaning units may even assist in drying the carpet using certain features. Nonetheless, most carpets won’t take more than a few hours to dry.

Some home carpet cleaners come with particular attachments such as an upholstery nozzle to take on the odd shapes and corners on carpeted stairs. You can learn more about the relevant attachments from the instruction manual given with the unit.

With the known exceptions of Berber or wool carpets, which can only be cleaned with a carpet cleaner if cool water is used and they are not left very damp, carpet cleaners should be suitable for most other types of carpets and rugs.

However, carpet-cleaning machines should not be used on materials such as silk, cashmere rugs, sisal carpets, hand-loomed wool, braided rugs, or jute carpets. Pay close attention to the instructions from manufacturers of your carpet or rug.

If they suggest dry cleaning, it would be in your best interests to heed this, even if there are only small stains.

Water alone will not be effective to get rid of stains or stubborn dirt within the fibers of a carpet. This is why most cleaners come with a prescribed solution to be mixed with water to get the job done properly.

Constant cleans and heavy scrubbing with only water may cause unnecessary damage that could be avoided with a now-and-then thorough cleanse with the right shampoo.

Compared to renting carpet-cleaning equipment or enlisting the help of expert cleaning services, a home carpet-cleaning device is very inexpensive, with most models only costing between $75 to $200.

Having your own cleaner also gives you greater control over scrutinizing troublesome areas in the house and cleaning little spots whenever necessary as opposed to the entire room at once.

It’s a good idea to vacuum up any crumbs and bigger dirt particles before using solutions on the carpet.

Steam cleaners have a number of advantages, in that materials dry faster after a steam clean, but they are also generally bulkier, and therefore less easily moved around and stored. Steam cleaners also tend to be more expensive than cleaners that use cleaning solutions. Because of this, many companies tend to favor shampooing cleaners over steam cleaners in recent times.

Many carpet manufacturers recommend that you have your carpets cleaned once a year and this will likely suffice in general. However, owners of home carpet-cleaning devices have the opportunity to give their carpets a thorough clean more regularly and therefore it’s up to your standards of hygiene.

How often you need to clean may also have to do with the type of carpet or rug in question, how often the room is used and by how many people who could track dirt on their shoes, whether there are children in the house that can cause spills or stains, or pets that shed. All of these different aspects of a house may contribute to the need to clean more frequently and, at the end of the day, it is up to the user’s discretion.

Also worth noting is that homeowners who have allergies or specific health issues that influence their breathing capacity may need to clean their carpets more regularly than those who have no such afflictions.

A deep clean every six months is recommended if you have allergies or pets. Difficult stains like those from spilled wine or other colorful foods should ideally be cleaned away immediately before they can further embed into the material.

Each type of cleaner will come with its own user manual to guide you in achieving the ideal clean. It’s very important that you use the recommended carpet shampoos for your specific device or at least a solution that the producer does not specifically warn against.

In general, the following steps should be followed:
Firstly, furniture should be removed from the carpet area, and the area should be rigorously vacuumed with a powerhead vacuum cleaner. Any small objects should be picked up by hand as well. This will allow you to better see any marks or stains on the carpet.

You will then fill the device’s tank with water and follow instructions about adding the shampoo as well. Use the exact amount of shampoo specified so that no excess remains on the carpet after a clean. Make use of multiple accessories that come with the cleaner to reach into all of the nooks and crannies around the room.

After a clean, any excess water should be extracted and excess soap removed so that the carpet will not be too damp and vulnerable to forming mildew.

In fact, if you leave the shampoo on the carpet, it may dry or trap dirt even quicker, making the carpet appear filthier than before. This will also make the carpet much more difficult to clean next time.

Different cleaner manufacturers recommend different shampoos to be used with the cleaning device, but, usually, you can switch to other shampoos. Companies like Hoover and Bissell have a generic shampoo that is odor and allergen-free. This is an ideal solution for households with pets. There are also extra-strength solutions for carpets that are subject to a lot of foot traffic.

If you have pets that shed a lot of hair, carpet-cleaning alone may not suffice and you may want to invest in carpet brushes and other hair-catching devices to use in addition to or before using a cleaner.

It’s a good idea to vacuum once or twice every week, particularly if there is a lot of foot traffic in your home. Do your best to remove any spills that could stain immediately using the spot stain remover or an attachment that comes with the carpet cleaner. Leaving stains until later may make them more difficult to remove.

Carpet cleaners should have no problem tackling grease, oil stains, dirt and mud, food and drink, and even human or animal detritus. Some stains may take more than one treatment and there are certain solutions that are specifically designed for particular kinds of stains which you should consider if you are having any trouble.

For example, there are many shampoos particularly designed with pet stains in mind to get rid of stubborn paw prints, fur, or waste.

Some carpet shampoos are quite effective at reducing pet odors, but the effectiveness of shampoos also has to do with whether the padding underneath the carpet is tainted.

If spills have become trapped in the carpet padding, simply cleaning the top-layer fibers of a carpet or rug will not effectively remove the smell and it may be necessary to use an enzymatic solution to rid the carpet of any unwanted odors in addition to using the cleaner.

Take note, however, that hot water should not be placed in the tank of the carpet-cleaning device if you are washing carpets that have been urinated on, as the heat can actually serve to bond the proteins in the urine to the fibers of the carpet or rug. This would make the odor even more apparent and difficult to get rid of.