Carpet cleaning questions...

[megnog]

Hi all, our flat has cream coloured carpets, as far as I'm aware they are pretty much 100% man made fibres. They're stained from every day wear and tear, few minor spills etc, (especially the stairs, which look like they have a darkened runway all the way up...!). I really want to get them cleaned as LO is crawling now and it makes me cringe to think how grimy the carpets are (I know the dirt doesn't matter so much, it's GOOD for him I keep telling myself!), I've just been diagnosed with asthma and also think having the carpets cleaned might help a bit with that.

So - do I rent a rug doctor, or are they a pain in the arse? (I'm quite lazy and DP doesn't have the time to help me out).

Or - pay a local company to clean them for me? Here I have two options - a cheap carpet cleaning place that will do what I need for about £60, or an expensive place that comes with a van with a pump in it and some super duper bog hoses and does everything including moving the furniture etc and the carpets are left dry.

Bear in mind we're quite tight on cash, but I don't want to waste my time and money on the cheaper options if they're going to be crap...

Anyone got any suggestions?

[TheGoat]

rug doctor does appear to get an impressive about of grim out but carpets do not look sparkling new. professional cleaners - same.

yes both options require moving of furnituer and leaving to dry

[megnog]

Can you use a rug doctor easily on the stairs though?

[ANTagony]

I have a vax upright washer that I got in B&Q with a bottle of cleaner for £40. The carpets need doing every 6 months or so with my messy pair of boys, sickness, potty training etc. They aren't that wet after doing and in the summer/ with heating on are dry in a couple of hours so a decent supermarket shop or trip out and its not an issue. I guess its not as good as a professional job but for me works out cheaper as it does need doing relatively regularly.

[TheGoat]

rug doctor has an attachment thing that you can use on furniture which would do the stairs.