Last month we wrapped up spring cleaning by renting a Bissell Big Green machine so we could clean all the carpets (I should say my guy did 100% of the cleaning and I did most of the moving and rearranging of stuff.)
Our carpets are original to the construction of the house, which means they're twenty-seven years old. I've been taking care of them for nineteen years by vaccuuming every room weekly, and we had them cleaned about every one to two years. The last couple of years we've done the cleaning ourselves because it's just gotten too expensive to have the pros do it.
Anyone who has cleaned their own carpets knows what a huge pain it is to prep for it. Yet once we had the machine and he got going, we were able to clean all the carpets in the house in about eight hours.
We live with two dogs, so keeping the carpets perfectly clean is pretty much impossible. But we do our best, and keep them in generally acceptable condition. I think we've gotten the most life out of our carpets by regularly cleaning them. The house always smells wonderful for weeks after we do this too.
This may be the last time we clean any carpets. We've been talking about tiling the house next year, and if I have my way we'll eliminate all the carpeting.
Comments
I love carpeting, but with dogs it's a nightmare. I was glad when I did half the house in tile.
I've got three bedrooms that still have carpeting. I must admit that in the one bedroom that I use, I throw old sheets on the floor. This way the dogs can sleep with me and I don't have to worry about fur and smells.
Every week I throw the sheets in the laundry. It looks weird, but I'm the only one who sees it. If guests come over and I have to give up my bedroom I can do so knowing the floor is fresh.
Weird, I know, but it saves me time (and wear and tear) in the long run.