Rent a Home Depot DIY carpet steamer or get Stanley/commercial service?

[Jon K.]

I've realized that my carpet is way behind the Woolite carpet stain remover stage. But, I'm also not going to replace the carpet right now. I tried vinegar/baking soda, dollar store cleaners, and Woolite (worked, but would need way too many bottles for the house to make this cost effective).

Do those $50 Home Depot carpet steam cleaners work well?

Do they work better than Bissel home steam cleaners?

Do they compare to Stainley Steamer/commercial companies?

I've got pet pee, water leak stains, and misc. crap on the carpet. I've used Stanley before and had success in removing similar stains, but the house is huge and Stanely gets expensive with my large square footage. The deals I've seen don't cover anywhere near the square footage I've got. And it's beige carpet throughout. Like I noted, replacing the carpet is not an option right now.

Is there really a noticeable difference between Stanley Steamer, Bissell home steam cleaners, and $50 rent a steamer (SteamDoc?)

[Pat L.]

We have used all the local 'splash & dash' $99 special crowd but they are useless. I threw the last crowd out of my daughters home because it was a mess.

I mix Fabuloso in with a chem cleaning agent we get in 5 gall pails from a local chem company as little else was working on tough stains, like red wine, dog & cat etc etc. I then borrow this (10 yr old) machine a fellow investor bought & it has been unbelievable. It has also been very effective on the carpet areas in our commercial properties as well.

[Jon K.]

That RugDoctor looks just like the $50 Home Depot one here. I'll have to try it.

What kind of cleaning compound do you use? Fabuloso... just the multi-purpose cleaning spray?

[Sean Kuhn]

I use a local steamer. He charges on average 50 dollars a room and I can't believe the stains he can remove. For that price I'll leave it to the pros.

[Jon K.]

Originally posted by Sean Kuhn:
I use a local steamer. He charges on average 50 dollars a room and I can't believe the stains he can remove. For that price I'll leave it to the pros.

Nice. How'd you find him? If I paid $50 a room, that would run in the hundreds. Tempted to rent the $50 steamer at Home Depot and do the whole house myself.

[Ann Bellamy]

I've used the Home Depot type that looks just like the Rug Doctor above. (not the grocery store type) It does a good job, sometimes you may have to go over it twice. Does a decent job of removing the water afterward, too.

One note about pet pee odors: Once you have used any chemical cleaner on the stains, it is then too late to use the enzymatic odor removers. The chemicals interfere with with enzyme process. I use Urine Gone, but I'm told Natures Miracle does a good job too. So take the time to first use the odor removers, and let those dry. the drying process is what removes the odor. Then go for the cleaning part.

[Pat L.]

Originally posted by Jon K.:
That RugDoctor looks just like the $50 Home Depot one here. I'll have to try it. What kind of cleaning compound do you use? Fabuloso... just the multi-purpose cleaning spray?

pic worth 1000 words. Fabuloso is a great cleaner & it smells good. We also use it on windows (no streaks like windex) & granite etc.

I use well dissolved TSP in the Rug Dr for bad stains esp the stairs but the Deca Clean product is fantastic if you ca get it. They also have a carpet rinse product.