I've had success with truck mounted carpet cleaning using "Chem Dry" system. But I've heard many others complain about it. For me, they've done good work. If the stains come back after cleaning, so will the company. They'll come back and re-do the job. Also gave me some spot-cleaner for free. I'm not paid to say this, it's just my experience with a particular company/product/system.I'm not a real stickler. I get my rugs cleaned about once a year.

When sweeping, the grit is being flipped along surface of the floor to an area and then picked up in a dust pan. At work or school, if you give the floor a "white glove test" (wipe with a white rag) after a wet mopping the glove/rag will be dirty. In other words a quick slinging of a wet mop across the floor will not remove all of the dirt. If your home floor is cared for in the same manner, it will not pass the "white glove test". I love a clean floor, socks don't get dirty, bare feet do not feel gritty and dirty. Dirt on socks or feet will transfer the dirt to the chair cushions, etc. if you tuck your feet up in the chair or sofa. Think about how dirty chair/sofa cushions will become if there are children running around on the floor and then getting on the furniture. Their little legs are too short to reach the floor in order to sit like adults.

I've got one of the Hoover steam cleaners, and find that it does a fantastic job of cleaning--at least as good, as the very pricey professional job I had done when I bought the house. It's so nice to have it handy and be able to do one or two rooms at a time (rather than having the house done all at once, then not being able to really 'live' there for hours. I use about 1/4 of the recommended (and I use the allergy-free) cleaner. Carpets stay clean far longer that way, because you don't have that residue attracting dirt (like you do from the professional jobs or if you use the 'full dose' of cleaner in your home machine). My white living room carpet stays clean for about 6 months to a year, but in all honesty, no one ever comes in and out my front door, so that helps a lot.

Good point Bruce regarding the anticipation of buyers asking for an allowance to do things. I will bring this up to DH. Most of the upstairs has been detail cleaned. I have a few more little things to finish. As I re-read the posts above, shellac keeps coming up. I need to paint the side of the cabinets next to the stove where the years of crud had built up. It's cleaned, but I think the sealer will help. I don't know about the rest of the lower cupboards. I hope that the lower drawers and cabinets smell better after I used the Pinesol on them. I'll be going over today. The drawers look like they have always been covered. But still that old wood smell is present. I might mix up a bleach solution today and wipe things down if they still smell. The uppers are painted inside, but someone years ago toweled on some sort of adhesive and glued down thick card stock type shelf liner. Who glues down shelf liner. Its curling at the edges, and I've made a mess of it trying to get it out. I'm going to buy some of the nice shelf liner for the uppers and cover it up. I have fresh coffee grounds to place in the cupboards - someone suggested that for odor control. The outside of the house has been washed. The small flower beds have been stripped and mulched. Looks tidy. Termite guy has finished the job. Do people leave the refrigerator running while the house is being shown. Its an older small fridge but its been well cleaned, thought still has an odor inside. I could use bleach water to wipe down that too. Dishwasher has been sanitized with a fair amount of bleach this last cycle. I used a bleach containing Cascade liquid too. But I did pour in about a cup of chlorine bleach in the pre-wash and ran it on "pots and pans". The rinse water was spotless. I made an error on calling the siding steel. Its aluminum. Needs painting very badly, but I believe its in good shape otherwise.