Do carpet cleaning companies really clean heavily soiled carpet? (flooring, ceramic tiles, staircase)

[forestgump]

I have a rental that has the most stains I have ever seen on a carpet.
Now I have my own Bissel carpet machine, but just doesnt seem to be taking the grim and stains out. Of course now Im considering replacing the whole carpet to ceramic tiles.
But if I can get away with it, I'd rather the carpet be professionally cleaned and I would save money from the replacement.

So my question is: do these professional carpet cleaning companies really do a good job, or are they rush and go, upsell types?

[TheWayISeeThings]

First, are you the landlord or the tenant? If you are the tenant, why are you doing anything with the carpet?

I'm not a landlord, and Chett will likely be along soon with sage advice. If you are the landlord, I can tell you that a good carpet cleaning company will be honest with you. They will understand how carpet is manufactured, differences in fibers, know concepts like de-lamination and the difference between dyed fibers (red cool-aid) and just plain dirt.

Do you know about this carpet? What type of carpet is it? Who is the manufacturer? How much did it cost per SF? When was it installed? $1.00 / SF carpet only lasts about 7 years in normal traffic areas. After that cleaning it just doesn't do much good. I've read a number of times on landlord forums that they usually skip the $1.00/sf stuff because it doesn't last as long.

If the carpet is better quality, maybe it could be salvaged, but it all depends on what you mean by heavily soiled. I'd have a couple of reputable cleaning companies give you a quote and see what they tell you.

[Bakeneko]

Originally Posted by forestgump

I have a rental that has the most stains I have ever seen on a carpet.
Now I have my own Bissel carpet machine, but just doesnt seem to be taking the grim and stains out. Of course now Im considering replacing the whole carpet to ceramic tiles.
But if I can get away with it, I'd rather the carpet be professionally cleaned and I would save money from the replacement.

So my question is: do these professional carpet cleaning companies really do a good job, or are they rush and go, upsell types?

I think that ceramic tiles are way too slippery for a staircase,IMO. If I was pregnant or had a baby/toddler there is no way I'd consider a rental with tiled stairways.

[TheWayISeeThings]

Originally Posted by Bakeneko

I think that ceramic tiles are way too slippery for a staircase,IMO. If I was pregnant or had a baby/toddler there is no way I'd consider a rental with tiled stairways.

Huh? I didn't see anywhere in the OP's post about stairs. Am I missing something?

[forestgump]

Yes I am the landlord and it is a one story house.
I do not know what type of carpet it is, but it has been at the house for 9 years.
I got pics to show, but dont know how to post them on this forum....but gosh, its bad. I got one cleaning company said it would be 250 and no guarantee to its removal.

[00molavi]

9 years and dirty carpets-probably done for good. Our experience in one place we rented was that the surface dirt was cleaned nicely, but the dirt resurfaced one month later due to foot traffic. The landlord himself agreed that they had to go.

[Bakeneko]

oops - I don't know why I thought the OP had stairs ..

In any case, if it's a one story place - tile might be the way to go. We recently has some flooring done thru Costco and were pleased with both the price and workmanship of the contractor they sent,

[elnina]

I would replace the carpet. Nine years in a rental place made the carpet pretty much impossible to clean...

[CheyDee]

I've heard of people dyeing stained carpeting with Jello. I don't know how they did it, how they got a consistent color throughout, or if it bled afterwards when wet, but that may be an option to investigate.

[TheWayISeeThings]

Originally Posted by CheyDee

I've heard of people dyeing stained carpeting with Jello. I don't know how they did it, how they got a consistent color throughout, or if it bled afterwards when wet, but that may be an option to investigate.

Ewwwww... who wants to live on a carpet that is so dirty you had to dye it. I'm grossed out just thinking about it.

That's one of those novelty ideas often becomes a lesson in hind-sight. I doubt very much that jello is color fast. I'd hate to have a tenant sue me for having color transfer from the carpet to furniture, pets, children, apparel, etc.