How often do you steam clean your carpets?

[emily_hope]

Our bedroom carpets need cleaning. That is the only areas where we have carpet. The rest is hardwood. Just wondering how often everyone steam cleans their carpets. And do you do it yourself or hire a professional?

[The Muse]

I don't have carpets, but I do have area rugs which I steam myself in the spring and fall.

[cab54]

Here at our cabin (MI) we have pine wood floors.

But at home (OHIO), almost all floors are carpet. I have a steam cleaner of my own (BIG $$ saver, even with buying soap), and most of the rooms get cleaned 2 times a year.

Some rooms which have less traffic (my sons rooms ---they're away at college) get it once a year or less.

I do the areas that the dog lays more often sometimes.

[Sassyclass]

We have carpet through most of our place. We own our own carpet steamer and I do the carpets in the spring and fall.

Cat

[TexasPeanut]

We also have our own cleaner and I usually do the bedrooms twice a year (spring and fall) and the living area about 3 times a year depending. Sometimes I drag it out to clean out just a small spot instead of letting it set or getting on my knees and scrubbing it out.

[amanjud]

Any luck with homemade cleaners for the steamcleaner? I really need to do mine also, my sister has one I can borrow.

[staceyy]

Once or twice a year, professionally done.

[cheles2kids]

*When* we do ours, we normally just rent one, I feel like those have much better suction than the store bought ones? That's just me though.

I like to do mine at least once a year, preferably sometime in the Early summer, once most of the rain has stopped.
But we just moved into this house in April, so I may not have to do them until next year?

I really do love having carpet after having a houseful of laminate and tile flooring in our old house, I can't believe I'm saying that, but it's true.

Yes, we have 4 large dogs & 1 small dog and yes, they all stay in the house.
But Greyhounds are such clean animals, I don't have much in the way of muddy foot prints or anything.

[santoria]

we do them every 6 months. but one time is only a traffic zone cleaning, the other is a complete

dh has a professional machine from his carpet cleaning and upholstery days.

[Amanda W]

Once a year, profesionally done. I have a steam cleaner, and I've borrowed several different ones from friends, but I've found the cleaning that professionals do is far superior.

[Domestic Gal]

Any luck with homemade cleaners for the steamcleaner? I really need to do mine also, my sister has one I can borrow.

I have used cascade before without any problems. (NOT the kind with bleaching agent though)
I just dissolve it first then add it to the machine.

[Marie78]

I borrow my mom's steam cleaner for the spring and the fall when I do my big cleanings. My carpets were brand new when I moved into my apartment 3 years ago and we clean them 2x a year and they have stayed pretty nice.

[Michelle]

Usually about 3-4 x per year (runners in foyer and carpet in living room), twice per year upstairs (where we have it everywhere except for the bathroom.)

[madhen]

I have mine done professionally once per year. I am in the process of replacing the carpet with hardwood, though, because it is really not practical to have carpets where I live and how I live. When you are tracking firewood in all winter, the beige (or is it oatmeal) carpet in the hall starts to look bad FAST.

Downstairs, I have one room left - the livingroom. Want to re-do that all hardwood. I may leave the carpet upstairs, as it is used less frequently, and not subject to the outdoor to indoor traffic that tracks in all the dirt.