Can you really do your own Persian rug cleanings?

Yes. Although there are Persian rug cleaning services that come and pick up your carpets, they don’t use a special dry cleaning solution (as some people erroneously believe), rather, the secret to Persian rug cleaning lies in washing them with a mild cleansing solution and lots of water, then drying them thoroughly, usually by hanging them from strong clips on racks, or laying them flat in the open air. You can do the same thing if you have a place to spread your rugs. Use Joe Campanelli’s Shampoo, which is great for wool (also deodorizes and brightens the colors), and a large bristle broom / brush, and your garden hose. Yes, wash your Persian carpets or rugs while they’re lying flat on a firm surface, rinse clean with water, then let the rugs dry in the sun (on a summer day) until they’re completely moisture-free. After, bring them indoors and vacuum.

Large Persian Carpet Shampooing Projects

If your Persian rugs or carpets are large and can’t be moved, or if they’re on a stairway, then you can use your home carpet cleaning machine, like a Hoover, Electrolux, Bissell or even a Dirt Devil, and clean using Joe Campanelli’s products, which are formulated for most of the brush-style shampooer machines on the market.

Why do we keep mentioning Campanelli’s shampoo? Because it’s one of the best carpet shampooing formulas available for wool rugs. Why can’t you use oxy products? Because, unless they’ve been specially formulated for wool, oxy shampoos damage wool fibers, and could even cause dyes, used in many Persian rugs, to bleed or run together, destroying the carpet.

Joe Campanelli’s carpet shampoo preparation doesn’t contain soap or bleach that will harm natural carpet fibers or dyes. The shampoo doesn’t leave a sticky residue either.

What about lifting stains from a Persian rug?

Buy a bottle of Joe Campanelli’s Professional Stain Remover, which is a proprietary formulation to quickly eliminate just about everything that might have stained your rug.

It’s used to get rid of:

1. blood
2. grease
3. urine
4. grime from heavy traffic
5. mud
6. vomit
7. pet stains and odors

Read the label because just a little goes a long way.

Where to buy this carpet shampooing formula

If you’ve seen the Joe Campanelli products advertised on the Home Shopping Network, TV shopping channel or QVC, but didn’t buy, you can order online now.

Best Value Offers:

(A) Joe Campanelli’s Carpet and Upholstery Shampoo Professional Formula in the large bottle for $14.25.

(B) The stain remover formula comes in a 32 ounce trigger pray bottle and costs $15.95.

(C) Order Joe Campanelli’s Carpet Shampooing formula and the stain remover together for $30.20. (Products may ship from MoreQualityLessMoney or GoVacuum)

Products recommended in this post:

1. Joe Campanelli’s Carpet Shampoo Professional Formula

2. Joe Campanelli’s Stain Remover Formula 32oz Trigger Spray

3. Joe Campanelli’s Carpet Shampooing Formula and Stain Remover

The products I discuss in this article are ones that are available at many different home improvement centers and supermarkets and the brands are recognized in many different regions and countries.

Nature’s Miracle Carpet Shampoo

If you can find the product called Nature’s Miracle carpet shampoo, this would be a good choice because it penetrates carpet and upholstery fibers to clean and to remove bad odors as well as dirt and grime. It is good also because it does not foam up very easily and so requires less rinsing. This product is especially designed for water based home carpet shampoo machines and for rental steam cleaning machines.

Bissell Pet Odor and Stain Removal Formula

If you have pets there is a product called the Bissell Pet Odor and Stain Removal Formula that will work really well with a Bissell Little Green machine or even a Bissell Spot Lifter that you may own. It can also be used in other carpet shampooers that require a water based carpet shampoo product.

Encapsulating Carpet Cleaning Detergent

There are some good low moisture encapsulation carpet shampoos that are rather innovative when it comes to carpet cleaning products because the cleaner actually encapsulates the dirt and lifts it out of the carpet fibers more easily than just regular shampoo and water. Most of these Encapsulating Carpet Cleaning Detergent will have a hydrogen peroxide and an anti-resoiling crystallizing polymer as a base so that your carpets will stay fresh and soft longer and will not get dirty so quickly as with other types of carpet shampoo.

Parish Carpet Extractor Detergent

For hot water and steam carpet cleaning machines there is another product that might work well, called the Parish Carpet Extractor Detergent, which is a liquid emulsifier that is said to produce very little foam and leave behind a minimum of residue that can build up in the fibers.

Fiber All Carpet Liquid Cleaner

If you need a general all purpose upholstery and carpet shampoo you may want to give Fiber All carpet liquid cleaner a try. It is highly concentrated and can be diluted to use for sofa covers and cushions and even overall carpet cleaning carpet cleaning. It is also an emulsifier specially designed for delicate fabrics and carpets that may not take well to harsher chemicals.

Biodegradable Carpet Shampoo

There is also a green biodegradable product that is called Second Nature and may be available in your area. It is one of the few natural products that is a tough enough carpet shampoo to handle ingrained pet odors and eliminate the unwanted smells that sometimes persist even after a steam cleaning by professionals. Don’t try to cover up pet odors with deodorizers and air fresheners. Get the carpet fresh by using the right carpet shampoo that will eliminate the germs that cause the odor.

Making your own Carpet Shampoo

If you live in an area where it is difficult to purchase specific carpet shampoo or carpet cleaning products, then you may choose to make your own from things you have in your home. You can use laundry detergent and bleach, very little bleach, just a teaspoon or so per gallon to disinfect. Vinegar is a great carpet shampoo replacement because it helps to eliminate odors as does baking soda, just make sure it’s very well diluted. The other thing to remember is that you may not need carpet shampoo at all. If they have been previously cleaned with shampoo there is probably enough shampoo residue in the fibers that the carpet will even foam while it’s being shampooed just from the residual product at the base of the fibers. It’s a good idea to clean your carpets every other time with only water and no shampoo just to lift out the residue. So don’t worry too much if you can’t find specific carpet cleaning products, use what you have on hand or just warm water.

Steam carpet cleaning involves extremely hot water being sprayed and then immediately extracted or sucked up by a pump. The carpet shampoo solution is pressurized and therefore will penetrate through the thickest types of carpet. The heat and pressure of the water, as well as the special formula in carpet shampoos loosens grime that may have been ground deep into the carpet fibers.

The best results will be achieved if a high powered extraction vacuum system is used to remove the water that has been infused into the carpet. In fact it is imperative that the water be removed to ensure a healthy carpet after shampooing.

Professional Carpet Cleaning or Home Carpet Shampoo

The process of steam carpet cleaning with a carpet shampooer can be done by a team of professionals who use commercial grade carpet shampoo cleaners and carpet shampoo machines that are industrial strength.

Carpet shampooing can also be done by a home owner if he/she has a portable carpet shampoo machine like the Kirby carpet shampoo machine or the Hoover or Electrolux carpet shampoo equipment that is readily available. Carpet shampooing can also be done DIY by getting a carpet shampoo rental from a supermarket or other rental location.

Since there are so many choices, from portable steam carpet cleaners to powerful truck-mounted units, it may difficult to decide how best to spend your money. Since one steam carpet shampoo cleaning may cost over $100 and buying some of the portable machines may be only $200, it really comes down to how often you need to have a carpet shampooing treatment. Because the same basic result will be achieved whether you buy a portable carpet shampoo machine or hire a professional to do it for you.

The basic principal is based on hot water, carpet shampoo and some form of extraction method. (There is also dry foam carpet shampoo but that is another article.)

What you want is to remove stains and generally make your carpet come back to life. You also want to care for your carpet so it lasts longer and carpet shampoo cleaners help to achieve this.

Problems with Steam Cleaning Carpet Shampoo methods

The major problem that arises with steam cleaning your carpets with carpet shampooers are that often the carpets are left too wet and may a long time to dry and thus cause potential problems with mildew or mold. If the suction, or extraction of the water, is done with proper equipment, this side effect can be minimized greatly.

What kinds of Steam Cleaning is Best

When looking for the best carpet steam cleaners for your home you must consider that there are two main forms of steam cleaning currently in use. The first sprays hot liquid into the carpet, then with agitation brings up grime and dirt, and finally is extracted with more hot water. This is an effective carpet shampooing option as long as the carpet is properly rinsed; otherwise there may be residue in the carpet that makes it more prone to re-soiling afterward.

The other carpet shampoo method is to use an emulsifying pre-spray which is applied to the entire carpet, the fibers are moved and brushed, and then the fluid is extracted with a wand while a special solvent rinses the residue from the fibers. Because of the final step with the use of a rinsing agent, this form of steam cleaning, or carpet shampooing, is the most effective of the “wet” methods.

…My husband and I moved into a rustic country house in Spain. It was exquisite because it came furnished with Spanish antiques and carpets that were perfectly suited to the region.

We were both delighted until we couldn’t stop scratching the little red bumps that seemed to appear like magic every time we sat on the beautiful antique rug in the salon. After mush speculation we determined that the carpet was infested with fleas!

No more fleas please!

My husband’s first instinct was to toss the rug into the garage and forget about it, but the rug was so lovely that I decided to attempt cleaning it. There had to be a carpet rug shampoo available somewhere that killed fleas. Since it was a rural mountain area, this proved harder than expected.

Carpet shampooing was almost unheard-of in the south of Spain and most people either did not own carpets or only had small area rugs that could be easily washed or shaken. So, I applied a variety of flea sprays that did absolutely nothing and finally decided to do some research on carpet shampoo. Since everything is available by online, I set to work.

Here’s what I discovered:

Carpet shampoo for flea control is not only available but highly effective if used several times and if the carpets are regularly cleaned and if pets are also regularly treated for fleas. Hot water steam cleaning, along with a carpet shampoo usually destroys fleas. I also discovered that flea control carpet shampoo on the market today is not laden with toxic chemicals as I had supposed.

Okay, so I made a makeshift carpet shampoo machine by heating water and adding the carpet shampoo I had bought online. I then drenched the rug with this solution and used a wet- dry-vacuum to suck out all the water and fleas.

I used this odd carpet shampooing technique several times over the course of two months and vacuumed the rug daily with my Electrolux. The carpet fibers were starting to get a little stiff from all the water and I was wondering if I hadn’t ruined the carpet while eliminating the fleas.

Then I found that there was a dry foam carpet shampoo available in the UK, so I ordered some and gave it a try.

Since I didn’t have the compressor to make the foam I had to improvise, but I eventually had lots of foam which I spread over the rug. Since dry foam carpet shampoo crystallizes, it didn’t stay wet and I was able to vacuum up the granules. The rug regained its soft texture after doing this only twice.

The rug now rests in the salon in front of the fireplace, flea free!

How Not To Clean Your Carpet

For carpets that are removable, I’ve tried rolling them up and taking them outside to beat them with a stick like a furious granny. I’ve tried spraying small carpets with a garden hose, disinfecting with liquid detergents and spraying with Lysol, only to find they sometimes shrink or don´t dry completely and later have a musty smell. For areas in the house where carpet has been professionally installed and can´t be moved for cleaning, its even a bigger challenge to keep them fresh and toe-snuggable.

So in the quest to have super fluffy, soft and daisy-fresh carpets, I vacuum lots, blot spills so they don’t cause stains and, and have tried a bunch of different carpet deodorizers to keep them smelling nice. Carpet deodorizers consist of granular powder you sprinkle onto the carpet and then vacuum up. The problem is that they leave a powdery residue and if there’s humidity in the air, the carpet soon has a sticky feeling. If there’s no humidity the powder settles into carpet backing and rises when you plop yourself down on the carpet causing a little dust cloud that makes me sneeze.

So I’ve tried to get rid of the dust and deodorizer residue with liquid carpet shampoo only to find its impossible to rinse out completely and often leaves carpet even stickier and sometimes the fibers often have a crunchy feeling. Unsatisfied with all my attempts to clean my carpets, I began researching what I was doing wrong and asking others what they do to care for their carpets.

Removing old Residue before Carpet Shampooing

Everything I read, and everyone I talked to, agreed that the only solution to carpet cleaning was dry carpet shampoo sold from most vacuum cleaning stores. For sure it is a great way to keep new carpets perfect, but what about those of us who have carpets already filled with sticky powders and crunchy fibers from attempts to clean using liquids. How could I remove the residue already built up in the carpet fibers?

Someone recommended a trick and I tried it and it worked. Here’s the secret:

The first step is to get a regular shampoo machine that cleans with water. These machines can be rented at department stores, supermarkets and other vacuum shops. Where normally you would pour the liquid carpet shampoo, use a vinegar solution instead.

The formula is: 1 cup of vinegar for each 2 ½ gallons of water.

Usually these machines use warm water or steam and vapor to penetrate down into the deepest darkest fiber regions of the carpet and suck out all the grime. When you use them with shampoo, the shampoo doesn’t get totally rinsed out, and that causes the crunchy carpet syndrome, but since you’ll be using only vinegar and water, it will act like an astringent removing the powder deodorizer muck and liquid shampoo residue.

After using the vinegar solution over the entire carpet, do it once more with only warm water. The old liquid shampoo that remains in the carpet fibers will probably bubble and become active once again as you pass over the carpet with water, so it may not be enough to do it once or twice but continue using fresh warm water until the dirty water is almost as clean as when you started. Now you can be sure the residue of old products has been removed.

Once the carpets have completely dried, and appear clean from residue, it’s likely they will not feel soft and plush to the touch because you have used water, and the drying process can make them stiff. But now you can use a dry foam carpet shampoo effectively to restore the soft texture and silky smoothness of the fibers.

You may choose to call professionals to perform the final carpet shampooing procedure or you can do it yourself with carpet shampoo machines specifically designed for dry shampoo.

If you also give the carpets a scotchguard treatment after the final carpet shampooing, maintaining them will be easier and stains will not penetrate the fibers so easily.