Woolite cleaners in the blue pump bottle available at any supermarket do a
really good job of spot cleaning. They make one for pets too usually sold
next to each other.

I would get that and a good vacuum cleaner for your next rug. See ratings
in Consumer Reports.

According to their issue on carpeting a long time ago, look for uniform
carpets as ones that clean the best. Ones that have varying height areas do
not allow good suction by vaccum cleaners.

If you insist on cleaning your rug well, I don't think you can beat rug
doctor rentable at most supermarkets. You want the models that vibrate. We
had an incredibly bad mess to clean up that made me want to grab a knife and
cut out part of the rug but I got it clean as new renting a rug doctor.


wrote in message
...
Hi,

We will be remodeling our home soon and eventually replacing the
berber rug that is in place now. We actually wanted to do the remodel
sooner and as a result have been pretty neglectful of the rug thinking
it would be replaced sooner. It is in pretty rough shape (just normal
traffic dirt and grime, no oil-based stains) and certain areas might
need a scrubber machine.

I thought we could rent a scrubber at Lowes and then schedule a
professional to do the hot water extraction just afterwards.

If this sounds workable can anyone recommend a moderately priced
general purpose spot remover and shampoo for a rug destined for the
trash in about four months.

I was going to call on Stanley Steamer for the steam cleaning but
some of the comments make me worry that perhaps the care won't be
taken to get as much water back out of the rug as possible which could
be a problem with berber.

It is a small house (3 bed, hallway, and family room) with about 1000
sq ft of rug in So. Cal.

Thanks for the advice,

Steve