"Getting rid of everything that doesn’t matter allows you to remember who you are. Simplicity doesn’t change who you are, it brings you back to who you are."

Monday, March 18, 2013

Scrubbing Bubbles - Update

Other than the fact that I have wet carpets on a 40 degree rainy day, (brr) I would have to say that the Chem Dry method of cleaning (bonnet cleaning) appears to have spiffed up the place well enough to at least consider delaying replacing the carpet for the time being.

Which was the point of this exercise anyway. 

The stains that were driving me crazy appear to be gone. 

For now. 

One stain was a black, greasy spot the size of my hand left from SM's weight machine that we'd moved into the garage last year.  Seriously, it's gone.  Pretty impressive, I must say. 

But ultimately, time will tell. 

If the stains come creeping back in a few days then replacing the carpet will move back up to the top of the list.  If not, then I plan on managing the carpets as I always have and include Chem Dry as a periodic deep clean.

I really don't think that there's any good way to keep up carpets.  Lots of opinions out there on the best way to do it.  You can drive yourself crazy researching it.  Guess what?  Carpets are dirt traps plain and simple.  It's likely best just to have hardwoods, if you can afford them.

I will say that I was very suspicious about the bonnet cleaning method.  It's basically a huge buffing machine rubbing the dirt "out" of the carpet.  (Or spreading it around so it's not as noticeable @;)



SM and I were both a bit concerned when we saw this system in action.  We've always used hot water extraction (steam cleaning).  If you're like us and you've never heard of the bonnet method of carpet cleaning, here's a good explanation on how it works. 











I plan on vacuuming everything once the carpet's dry as this article suggests.  The Chem Dry guy said that overall our carpeting is in pretty good shape for it's age, which made me feel a lot better. 

4 comments:

  1. I'd be suspicious about "rubbing" dirt out, myself. Seems to me, rubbing is pressure and pressure means "down". I think that you'd notice if the stains were still there - wet or not. If nothing else, you have nice clean-o carpets for a while. I agree about hardwood - my flooring of choice, but not of pocketbook.

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  2. Gadzooks! That carpet is almost WHITE! You've gotta be some fantastic housekeeper to keep it looking good for as long as you have with all the animal traffic in your house. (Not to mention husbands who occasionally forget to remove boots or those dreaded shoes with the crepe soles that act like sponges.) Hope this Chem Dry cleaning does the trick for you. Gotta admit it's tile or (fake) hardwood floors for us. Can't abide carpeting.

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  3. MP...Ooops! That's not MY carpet, it's a stock photo. We've got the typical suburban beige carpeting that all homes seem to have. (In case of resale I guess...)

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  4. Glad to hear it seems to be a success, at least for awhile ;)

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