I was on the hunt the other day for some shampoo for my carpet steam cleaner and ended up doing a couple of days worth of research just trying to figure out all the options that are out there. There are some that are approved by 3m not to void your scotch guard warranty, some that contain very toxic chemicals, some that don't clean so well, and some that are considered "green" and environmentally friendly as well as same for your family.
With all of that information out there it was really hard to figure out what is really the best type of carpet shampoo for cleaning my carpets. Well, after sifting through all this information I decided to sit down and review the best of each category and assemble a sort of plan of what was the best and who each would best suit.
Hoover has two different lines of their carpet cleaning products. One line, their standard grade is called their Premium line and their other, the top line, is called the Platinum Collection. The subdivided into both lines they have different formulas for pets, deep cleansing, or multi-surface cleaning.
Some of the pet products do contain enzymes that will help break down organic pet messes, but there are products specifically designed on the market to do pet mess cleanups that will more than likely work better than one of the all in one product solutions. We'll get to some products later in the article that will hand pet mess clean up much better.
Hoover Platinum Collection Carpet Shampoos
Pros
Hoovers Platinum Collection is a professional grade carpet shampoos that claim to remove some of the well know toughest stains in the industry; like wine, coffee, grease, and cosmetics. Users that have reviewed these products do say they clean exceptionally well. All these products are approved by the Rug and Carpet Institute.
Cons
These products do get really good reviews from users. But, sometimes, the price is over twice the amount per fluid ounce as their premium grade. At twice the price they should clean twice as good. That seems unrealistic to me. If you want a professional cleaning product, there are some that you can purchase on the retail market.
Hoover Premium Carpet Shampoos
Pros As Hoover's basic carpet shampoo it seems to perform reasonable well, and at a good price for a gallon of solution. Their deep cleansing formulas is strong enough for cleaning heavy soiled carpets, but gentle enough to clean upholstery and drapes. It also includes a FiberCoat protectant which cleans as it protects. These ares an effective, but yet fair valued product.
Cons
These are the basic carpet cleaning shampoos. So, professional quality should not be expected here.
Bissell 2X Carpet Cleaning Shampoos
Pros
Bissell has a good healthy green policy going on and almost all of their products are earth and health friendly with almost no phosphates, dyes, or heavy metals which are often linked to health hazards and environmental destruction. These products are also listed by the EPA for their DFE (Designed For Environment) program. Bissell has several scented product if you prefer different scents on your cleaned carpeting. Many of these products get excellent reviews and should do an excellent job cleaning your carpeting.
They also have a line of unscented for those who have allergies for certain scents. Their packaging has 25% post consumer plastic.
Bissell also has their own line of Professional grade cleaners that do have a Scotch Guard additive to protect your carpets from spills. According to Bissell, using these cleaners with their line of carpet cleaning machines will not void the Scotch Guard warranty on your carpet.
Cons
The same problem exists with the Bissell Professional grade products as with the Hoover products, they are twice the cost as their standard line of cleaners and I wonder if the added price will add extra value to the cleaning process.
The Magic Wand line of Carpet Shampoos
Pros
Magic Wand is a janitorial supply company which handles a line of professional grade carpet shampoo. All of these products get great reviews from previous customers and are designed to break down and extract some of the heaviest stains. These products have dilution ratios of up to 64 to 1 and can be mixed in heavier solution for spot cleaning of heavy stains.
Their Trashed Neutral product is a prespray and detergent all in one. It is gentle enough for cleaning on upholstery and drapes, but yet heavy duty enough to tackle carpets in restaurants and bars.
Cons
These are a professional cleaning product so they are sold in larger quantities and because of their dilution ratios you probably will have quite a bit left over if you only clean your carpets once a year.
Although some products are listed as being safe for both upholstery and carpeting, I would use caution and test surfaces first before using on entire piece. Some of their products are formulated with citrus which can be acidic and could possibly harm certain materials.
Some of their products contain very high PH levels and extra safety precautions may be necessary.
Biokleen Carpet and Rug Shampoo
Pros
This is truly a "green" carpet shampoo. It is non toxic, biodegradable, all natural shampoo. It has no artificial colors, or fragrances which mean it can be friendly to those with allergies. It contains all natural surfactants with extracts from coconut and corn. Although these are considered a professional grade cleaner, they do not contain some of the high PH caustics that other cleaners have.
Their product line varies for different applications or types of messes that need to be cleaned up. They are also safe for natural fibers such as wool or cotton.
Cons
Some users reported that since it is a green cleaner they did not feel it did the same quality of job that a chemical cleaner could have done, but was happy with the fact that there were no chemicals in the cleaner.
Nature's Miracle Stain & Odor Remover
Pros
Nature's Miracle is an enzyme based pet stain and odor remover which actually breaks down organic messes to leave no odor or any mess behind. I have used similar products before and the enzyme based products are the only ones that have totally eliminated smells and mess. I believe these are a must for any pet owner to have in their pantry.
Cons
Because this is an enzyme based cleaner you may still want to use a regular carpet shampoo to clean the entire floor. I don't believe in universal products that can do it all. This product may be harmful to some materials so testing an inconspicuous spot before cleaning the entire area is a good idea.
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