Hoover, Panasonic and Eureka are all three highly designed and trustworthy vacuums? You have got to be kidding yourself. And the dirt finders are a joke whether it be the microphone or light sensor. And by the way, the Kirby Generation models do clean better than the older models, they have a better designed brushroll that has more aggressive agitation and they have better airflow as well. While I believe the Kirby is overpriced, it has way more airflow than the other vacuums you mentioned and will clean cirlcles around Filter Queen, Rainbow, Panasonic, etc! when it comes to vacuuming carpet. Having said that, it is terrible as a shampooer as all it does is brush soap into your carpet leaving a residue that attracts dirt. Those that use the Kirby shampooer regularly have tons of soap in their carpet which you will notice if you bring in a quality extractor because there will be tons of suds. It is also not a user friendly vacuum as it is hard for most to hook up the attachments. Also,the newer bags do hold dust better than the older single ply bags so they have improved in filtration as well. I wouldnt buy a Kirby new at the price they get for them and I would never use one to shampoo my carpet. But they do a great job of vacuuming carpet which is really all they were designed for in the first place. Shampooer and the other gadgets were added on to try and add value to the machine. And for those of you that didnt know it, Hoover is now owned by Dirt Devil so when you buy a Hoover these days, you are really buying a chinese made Dirt Devil with the Hoover name on it. At least the Kirby is American made

I've worked in this industry for over 20 years, having owned and built my own business and now I work at training people. I am one of a relatively small group who believe carpet cleaners should be qualified. We are cleaning thousands of dollars worth of carpet and home furnishings. Electricians and plumbers don't deal with property worth as much as what a textile floor cleaner does yet they must have a full certificate and serve an apprenticeship. The Carpet and Rug institute recommends technicians certified with the IICRC (Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification). Most of the Standards boards world wide will only recommend Hot Water Extraction HWE as a full restoration style of cleaning. I think Chem-Dry were losing market share due to this and in more recent years added HWE (They had been using it on carpeted stairs for years). To continue their "Dry" branding they promote their patented Carbonated cleaning method. I have had many discussions with Chem-Dry technicians over the years and they all sprout the glories of their unique system but I've never seen results from them results to go with it. In the end it always comes down to the operator. You need someone who cares enough to pay attention to detail and who wants to be trained in all aspects of their craft = Fibre technology, suitable chemistry for those fibres, stain removal, water damage restoration etc. etc. This often comes from an owner operator of a small business who truly wants to impress you and so do the best possible job. For me it was seeing colleagues who didn't care and wanting to rise above that and restore rather than destroy carpets. May I suggest next time you need your carpet cleaned that you try the IICRC for a recommended cleaner and compare the difference? I'm not suggesting you will get a bad job from Chem-Dry, I am only suggesting you check their qualifications and look for the very best option. http://www.iicrc.org/ All the best

I use Bad Dog Pet Stain and Odor Remover. It doesn't ruin my carpet and has been very effective on pet stains or other non-pet stains. Stains, like bile, from a seriously sick pet (not food related) might not come out but I've found it works better than Resolve and other cleaners available at supermarkets. I think it uses enzymes to remove stains. I order it by calling an 800 number or find it by googling it. I found it while researching and looking for alternatives to traditional methods of steam carpet cleaning.

Here is how I have dealt with a similar situation. The POs were covering up damage on oak hardwoods with area rugs. I am guessing that in addition to their petÂs accidents, they shampooed the area rug in place which further damaged the floors. We found out about the damage two hours before closing on the house during the final walk-through. This is a very temporary solution and is not the correct way to fix the damage; the experts on this board can advise you how to do that. Wash the floor on your hands and knees (or sitting on the floor using a small amount of water, MurphyÂs oil soap, scrub brushes, scrubbies, and old terry towels- whatever it takes to clean the floor. Do a small section at a time, and rinse with clear water using a clean towel and dry each section thoroughly as you go along. Be careful with the waterÂdonÂt pour it onÂyou donÂt want to cause more damage than is already there. This will take a long time as you will be crawling around the floor. With a damp sponge mop using water and vinegar, rinse again. Remember while you need the water to clean the floor, water also damages the floor. DonÂt let pooling water sit on the floor. Dry it with a towel. On the stains you can try several things to at least lighten the color of the damaged spots. I used a combo of lightly sanding and household bleach. The stains have not disappeared, but they are lighter and cleaner. Wait till the next day or several hours to be sure the floor is completely dry and temporarily fill in the spots where the poly is gone due to damage of pet stains, water and sanding/bleaching by judiciously using a small amount of wipe-on-poly. Wipe-on-poly is for furniture and is not recommended for floors, but a small amount can fill in and blend the areas where the floor poly is completely gone. After the poly is completely dry, use a shine product. I used Holloway House Quick Shine for about $9.00 (Orange Glow does not work). I have added a few throw rugs and the floor looks about 50% better and will get me buy until I can have the floors refinished.