Underlays

What is the best way to clean my carpets on a budget?

The hallway in my house and a number of rooms have carpets that have not been cleaned for a long time, and now there are a number of nasty stains that have built up over time. Please can you suggest the best way for me to clean these carpets without having to go to a professional carpet cleaning company (which seems a bit expensive). Thanks.

Public Comments

1. Just throw water over them- use a bucket
2. Get one of those Woolite Rug Sticks- that will help you to get the whole hallway clean. If you were to spot clean only, I'm afraid you would have really clean polka-dots on dirty carpet!
3. I would rent a carpet cleaner from a grocery store or hardware store, but you can buy a can of Woolite carpet cleaner from WalMart and try that on each spot.
4. I once had the same problem, and found that buying a Bissel Quicksteamer that was on sale @ Sears for $69.00 was one of the best purchases I've made. It does a great job and though it may not clean all the way down to the padding immediately, using it regularly over time it seems to clean my rugs perfectly. They always look and feel clean afterward w/o fail. Then you could always rent one at a store, but between the cost of detergent needed and all, it can add up, only to have to rent it again next cleaning. For spot cleaning stains, I use Resolve Carpet Cleaner that comes with a brush. You can get it @ Walmart for the best price. Hope this helps some and good luck.
5. You can rent carpet cleaners from stores like Homebase.