No, as long as the carpet cleaner is low foaming (most of it is). All carpet cleaning chemicals tend to be based on the same chemicals. All cleaning machine manufacturers want the best chemical, so they all tend to use the same chemical or chemicals anyway. That depends on the type of detergent that use.
There are some dry shampoos you can vacuum up, such as the baking soda and salt method. However, most of the cleaning solutions you would use with a carpet steamer are designed to be rinsed. Fortunately, the machine will do this for you, so recheck areas where you've used soap using only water. In the battle between carpet cleaners vs. In shampoos, the main differences lie in their cleaning performance and ease of use.
Carpet cleaners provide deep cleaning and effective stain removal, while shampoos are more affordable and suitable for light cleaning. Consider the type of carpet and cleaning needs to choose the right option. If you want, you can use carpet shampoos between each cleaning. However, just because they can be used doesn't mean you can buy any carpet shampoo. There are several things to keep in mind so you don't accidentally damage your carpets.
When you buy through the retailer links on our site, we may earn affiliate commissions. The largest carpet cleaner in our ranking, the Rug Doctor Mighty Pro X3 Commercial Pro, weighs 65 pounds when full and can be difficult for a person to maneuver. One of the lightest models we tested, the Hoover PowerDash Pet FH50700, weighs just 12 pounds when empty and 17 pounds when the tank is full. Of course, its handle makes it easy to transport the machine, so look for a model that has it if you're worried about weight.
I needed a carpet cleaner or shampoo that would fit my limited storage space without having to play a lot of Tetris. If the carpet is still dirty, repeat the wet and dry steps until the cleaning solution you removed from the carpet comes out clear. Don't use carpet cleaner or carpet shampoo on carpets, as the chemicals can be too strong and damage the fibers. Professional carpet cleaning services are the best way to keep carpets clean and fresh, but shampooing them with shampoo between each cleaning service can help carpets stay fresh longer.
Each carpet shampoo contains different ingredients, and depending on the material the carpet is made of, some ingredients may be more harmful than others. While they have a similar profile to that of an upright vacuum, “carpet cleaners are nothing like a standard upright vacuum,” says Larry Ciufo, who oversees carpet cleaner testing at Consumer Reports. If the floors in your house are covered with carpets and there are a lot of feet or legs to get them dirty, a specific carpet cleaner can be a good addition to your cleaning arsenal. There are also carpet cleaners that can only be dry-dried so you can suck in more water after the initial cleaning, which can speed up drying time.
It's not necessary, but if you want to keep your house clean and your carpets in better condition, it can certainly be beneficial. The fastest and most affordable way to clean a carpet is to rent a steam cleaner at a hardware store. A carpet cleaner could be your new best friend if your carpets are like mine and are frequently exposed to dirt and stains. I've found that scheduling professional carpet cleaning once or twice a year helps my carpets look their best. They use a carpet cleaner on the carpet for four wetting cycles and four drying cycles to simulate that a consumer cleans a particularly dirty area of a carpet with a lot of traffic.
