On Jan 15, 3:58*am, Ape wrote:
I am frustrated. *I have a situation here at home that causes me to
have to try to protect my walltowall rugs. *I never should have bought
the expensive, plush rugs that I did, but now that that is a done
deal, I need to try to keep them from getting stained. *The cleanups
are getting too frequent and are too hard and are too frequent *for
this old man care giver.

I have tried a few fabric runners from Lowes, all on the order of 2' X
8'. *So far they all quickly 'bunch up' because they seem not to like
laying on the rugs. *That causes a dangerous situation that is very
dangerous when walked on, and is something I should avoid.

Anyone suggest an alternative? *How about plastic runners? *Do they
have similar problems?

The Apeman

I highly recommend BUY your OWN carpet cleaner! Use it instantly, just
like a wet n dry vacuum, for any spill.

Years ago, I bit the bullet and bought a professional rug cleaner.
Around $4,000. This thing is robust, but big and LOUD! Uses two heavy
line cords that MUST be plugged into AC outlets on different breaker
panels, best if plugged in to creaate 220Vac. but I digress. Any type
of rug accident? Even spilled bleach gets sucked up instantly, no fuss
no mess. The unit heats the cleaning solution up so can get 'burnt'
on the tubing supplying the wand. Wand is rated at 1200 psi so the
cleaning solution penetrates down into and through the fibres. The
vacuum extraction will rip curtains off their poles. Extraction so
complete that the rug will be damp to the touch instantly, dry in a
few hours.

The unit looks a lot like a rental unit, except big with the major
advantage that you own it, get to keep it clean, and store it so it's
handy. Found that doing our carpets every few months keeps them
looking new. I even use it all over our travertine flooring.

Brulins out of Indiana makes [IMO] the best carpet cleaner [built in
mildew resistance and sanitizer compounds] which doesn't need rinsing
as much as others [Translation, doesn't destroy the carpet, nor
destroy the pad - years ago I think it was Rug Doctor and poor rinsing
that turned our expensive multi-bond pads brittle] Brulins makes a
carpet cleaner pet version [which I haven't tried] but may be useful
[based upon the assumption that the products I have tried and work
well represent those I haven't tried.]

At least with your own carpet cleaner unit that actually works well,
you can leave the flooring in the original form - the form you have
grown accustomed to. Sadly with age, keeping the floors clear has
become important. I'm starting to catch my shoes in our carpet and
even catch my shoes in those 1/8 inch deep grout lines betwen the
travertine slabs. Can't imagine what it would be like to add more
barriers to what already is starting to become a nuisance.

I'm am firmly convinced that a really good carpet cleaner unit is more
useful than a vacuum cleaner. Certainly not as dusty.