I purchased a Hoover model several years ago for less than $300. I feel like it paid for itself the first time. We had around 2,000 feet of carpet. After I used up the original chemicals, I just used Simple Green. I know the instructions say not to use anything else, but even a very mild solution of detergent worked well. I rinsed several times.

Our carpet was also worn out (four kids here) so it didn't always look so great, but I could definately tell it was cleaner. I really liked not having to clear everything out like you do with professional cleaners. I would just hit the traffic areas, which was all that was needed. It came in handy to suck up water when the washer hose came loose, too.

Gloria

I have a Hoover also and think it does a good job. A friend of mine uses nothing but vinegar as a carpet cleaning solution and she says it does a very good job. I use the Hoover cleaning solution with Oxyclean mixed in with it, then rinse with either clear water or some Oxyclean in the rinse water. I have 4 dogs and a cat so your kids have nothing on my gang.

Well, DH ordered a Hoover from Amazon.com today, and with $4 overnight shipping (DH pays for Amazon Prime with his home business) and a $25 rebate with a promotion they're doing, we're getting it for something like $135 shipped. Woo-hoo!

Thanks so much for the feedback. That, combined with the awesome amazon reviews, was just what I needed. :o)

As Andy Griffith would say, "Call the man" = hire it done.

I have a cleaning recipe which I was told was better than anything you can buy. I can't vouch for that as I have not tried it yet , but here it is if you would like to try it yourself. Mix the following ing. into 1 gal. hot water, 1/2 cup liquid Tide, 1/4 cup clorox 2 color safe bleach, and 1/4 cup vinegar. You can also put some in a spray bottle and pretreat spots with this if you like. I am planning on using this today. Hope it's as good as I hear it is. marymac

I like my carpet cleaner & use it often, but I have found NOTHING that compares to the rug doctor rentals..for $20 a day you will be amazed at how good of a job it does!

Woolite makes a good carpet cleaner for steam machines, it's the Woolite Oxy. My mother has a Hoover Steam cleaner that works pretty well. Have trouble cleaning her family room berber tho. Too many peaks and valleys in the carpeting. If she has any spots or in high traffic areas (near the door) I have to use the hand attachment with spinning brushes to better get between the peaks/valleys of the fibers. Helps with the Hoover to do a light rinse cycle with clean water (you'll be amazed at the dirty water still pulled into the tank) and really do a lot of suction laps, then put a dehumidifier out and whole house fan on to help it dry faster (including padding).

I highly recommend the Bissel ProHeat Upright cleaner. And if you have children or pets it is an absolute must. When our home was on the market in DC, the white carpet throughout looked brand new. You would have never known we had an incontinent dog and a bulimic cat. LOL!

Our current home has tile throughout, so I gave my beloved Bissell to my father who is eternally grateful for it since he has a senior dog that has lots of accidents.

This machine will pay for itself in no time and you will wonder how you ever lived without it!

-Lisa

I, too, have a Hoover model. It has a separate "rinse only" function and a hose with a spinning head cleaner. I got in sale at Sears for approx. $265.

I use the "pet cleaner" type of soap, whichever is on sale. When I don't use Hoover-brand products I also add a squirt of the "anti-foam" additive to the dirty water bucket to cut down on foam... I've had it be a problem with some brands (but don't remember which ones right now... I think the "pregnant brain" is taking over!)

This is my second Hoover. I did alot of research on epinions and other review websites, as well as consumer reports and similar before purchasing. I do my furniture, my carpets, and the carpets of my family all the time (ok, so I let them borrow it... I don't do it for them. ha!)

I would strongly discourage you from making your own carpet cleaner. There's a number of reasons for that. 1st, the way chemicals & cleaning products may react to your carpet may not be what you want. You don't want to discolor anything or cause any damage. Next, if your carpet had ever been cleaned with anything, and that previous cleaner might be lodged in your carpet somewhere, it may react to what you have made. Seriously, you do not want to play with your carpet like that. Another problem may exist if you have pets. So many people WRONGLY suggest ammonia or vinegar. If you have pets, you should never use this as those chemicals have some of the same compounds that are found in urine. If your pet smells this, they are very likely to urinate in the spot where the odor of vinegar or ammonia is coming from.

Seriously, you can cause far more damage then harm mixing your own things. You are far better off buying a good, reliable cleaner. I personally use Genesis 950. It cleans the carpet, takes out stains - from the pets and kids, it smells good, and it is environmentally friendly.

I will agree with the post about the Bissell Pro heat. Someone at work recommended it to my husband and I told him there was no way it was as good as a rug doctor. I was wrong. With three dogs, I use it all the time and it is both easy to use and works. great. I love that I clean up a mess right away, almost as easy as getting out the vacuum cleaner. I am such a huge fan they should hire ,me for advertising! I have used it on my car too. Not quite as easy there, but it did do the job!

I think you'll be happy with the Hoover, I used (when we had carpet) the Hoover Dual V with separate rinse. IMO that is an essential function as rinsing the detergent afterwards prevents dirt from sticking to detergent buildup. If you don't have that function, shampoo the carpet and later rinse the hot water container and fill with water only, then go over everything again with water.

I used the Hoover platinum formula detergent it worked great - minimal smell and got all the dirt out. You should pre-treat any bad stains with a mix of the detergent and water spray on a bit and let sit for 15-30 minutes before shampooing the carpet.

I know this is an old post - but for any new readers who come across it (like I did) I do NOT recommend the Bissell pro Heat I have the Pet version and it's pure JUNK! I've had it 2 years and it's not used heavily (meaning I'm not using it every month) I try to scrub the carpets every 6 months - I have a hand held for spills! - It has broken down on me more times than I'd like to count 1st it stopped sucking up water, fixed that, 2nd the water tank that you put clean water into a "bladder" and the dirty water is supposed to go into the tank the bladder sits in - well it doesn't it all goes into the "bladder" (The clean water) so I have to empty it more often because it says it's full which it is but it's because it has more clean water than it picked up dirty but since it mixed together it's all dirty! - it's not supposed to do that , Third and most current issue(as of last night 2/6/18) The dispenser where you put your "shampoo" is not spraying out. I put a home made pre-treatment on before I used it (I just mixed generic oxy clean and water in a spray bottle, and soaked all the stains) I didn't have much carpet to clean in the room I cleaned but I'd say 4x4 area if that - I had to empty out the water tank 4 times! That should of not been emptied once room wasn't big enough to need to empty it out - when I was done, I took both canisters out so I could put just plain water, and do a rinse to get any left behind residue (I use LA Totally Awesome all Purpose Cleaner in mine, not any store bought rug cleaning solution) my solution was not used at all it was still 100% full , but I didn't know this until the end!

However with my home made stain remover and just plain water the carpet does look a bit better! but it had nothing to do with the machine! I will go back to Hoover and Never buy another Bissell product again I swore off that brands Vacuum cleaner years ago! Yes in the after picture the carpet is still dirty but stains came almost all the way out without using any actual cleaning solution in the machine., So now I have to spray the cleaning solution all over the carpet by hand and then use the scrubber to suck it up, hopefully that'll get it the rest of the way clean