Please note: this page contains reviews and opinions sent in by Berkeley Parents Net subscribers. Your own experience may be different. Please always check references before hiring!

• Carpet Cleaning
• Removing red gatorade stain on beige carpet
• Cleaning a Lambskin Rug
• Cleaning Oriental/Persian Rugs
• Buying a Steam Cleaner
• Carpets buying, installing
• Carpet and Rug Repair
• See also: Upholsterery Cleaning

Carpet Cleaning

Is it better to clean carpet by having it professionally done (chem-dry) or do it yourself with a steam cleaner? Has anyone actually bought a steam cleaner? What brand? dirty carpet owner

Can anyone suggest an ecological /eco-friendly/non-toxic carpet cleaning service? Want the kids to be able to roll around on the ground without ingesting chemical cleaning ingredients...Thanks, Sarah Sarah

I do not recommend Carpet Master Chem Dry of Oakland. I recently used them for a toilet overflow that soaked my hallway carpet. They responded promptly and extracted the water and removed the ruined pad, but the service took a deep dive after the first visit. They showed up twice without necessary material and equipment, each time requiring another visit. They missed 2 appointments and were 90 minutes late to another. The dispatcher was very rude, telling me it was my fault the technician made an appointment and didn't tell the dispatcher. The carpet was badly reinstalled, rippled and not attached to tack strips in some places, the technician was unable to correct. It took a total of 4 visits to complete this disaster at an outrageous price. I will now have to have a carpet installer to correctly reinstall the carpet. The owner has yet to return my call and it's been a week. I've used other Chem Dry cleaners before and been pleased. Anon

Does anyone have a recommendation for an affordable area rug cleaning service? The cost for a 9x12 rug at our local dry cleaner is $179 which is more than half the original cost of the rug! But, with a dog and twins, our dear rug is in desperate need of cleaning. Thanks!

I have a 4x6 area rug that needs cleaning. Given its size, I can easily take it to a rug cleaner. All the recommendations in the archives are for services that come to one's home. Can anyone recommend a good rug cleaning place? It's mostly pet hair and rug fuzz that my vaccuum can't get rid of. Lorraine

I noticed that a lot of people on this group recommend Stanley Steemer and I wanted to share my experience with their San Leandro branch. On Monday, April 4 2005, I witnessed Stanley Steemer employees dumping wastewater from one of their jobs onto park property in very close proximity to a creek. This is highly illegal so I called the City of Oakland Environmental Services and informed them of the situation. A warning was issued to the employees and they were forced to immediately abate. When I called their San Leandro office, I was told that the incident had been " complete farce" and that "it never happened". I was also given a story that their truck is equipped with a special machine that turns the waste water into "the same ingredients as macaroni & cheese" and that it is "good fertilizer for plants".

After doing some online research on Stanley Steemer, I found out that they have been in trouble before with the County for dumping wastewater. I thought people on this list should know that while they may do a good job cleaning carpets, they appear to be violating City and County ordinances by improperly disposing of their wastewater. If you call them they will adamantly deny that this is going on. If you are lucky, you may even get the "macaroni & cheese" story. Here is a link to a photo of the incident which they deny happened: http://photos8.flickr.com/9531123_3c2eb32b99_o.jpg Sandy

I just had an incredibly great experience using Stanley Steemer in San Leandro for upholstery cleaning. I read some of the positive postings about them on this network, and decided to give them a try, and also called 3 other companies to compare. I called to make an appointment, told them I had two FILTHY cream-colored couches, one 9' and one 6' that needed cleaning, and they gave me a quote of $150.00, when other companies said that they would have to see ''just how filthy'' they were to give an estimate. They gave me an appointment with a 3 hour window, and called 30 minutes before they arrived to let me know that they were coming. When they arrived they looked at the couches, and got to work. I fully expected them to tell me that ''we needed this special kind of deep cleaning that would be an additional $100,'' like most of the carpet cleaning companies we've used in the past have done, but they didn't say a thing. They set to work, and were done in an hour. They were efficient, professional, and very friendly. It was a really pleasant experience, and I will definitely use them again and again. Request Joe Bayluy to do your cleaning! Erika

I would like to highly recommend IMPERIAL RUB CLEANING COMPANY. They just delivered all of my area rugs (all 8 - 12 ft in dim) and they look and smell terrific! I have been using them for years, and call them every 18 - 24 months. They use only mild soap, no chemicals, and warm water, have good drying rooms and pick up and deliver the rugs for a very small fee. All of my rugs cost between $80 - $120 each to clean, and I have them back within a week to 10 days. My boys spend most of their time with their faces on the floor, driving their trucks or playing with their trains, so clean rugs are improtant to me. I cannot recommend this place more highly. They are located at 1716 San Pablo Ave. a few blocks north of University. jana

We need a recommendation for a professional carpet cleaner (wall to wall and an area rug) that uses a non-toxic process (if one exists) that is, of course, also effective and not too expensive. The two rooms that we need cleaned are the rooms our babies crawl around in the most and I would prefer to use as few chemicals in there as possible. Does anyone have someone they can recommend? Thanks. Sharon

I live in the Alameda area and am looking for suggestions for a carpet shampooing service. I want someone who isn't expensive but who does a good job. I'm renting a place, and my lease requires that the carpet be shampooed before we move out. Thanks for your advice!

We have 3 young kids and beige carpet in our den, which gets dirty often. Rather than having the capets cleaned regularly professionally, I am thinking about purchasing a carpet cleaner. Can anyone recommend a model that is easy to use and cleans well, including stains? I'd also like it to be gentle to the carpet. Thanks very much, Charlotte

Looking for a recommedation for natural carpet cleaners for wall to wall carpets. Somebody who is ecologically minded and uses non-toxic materials.

This is my second plea for a competent carpet cleaning company/outfit that services the Berkeley area. Furthermore, if anyone has an opinion about the chem-dry process versus steam cleaning, I would hugely appreciate the input. Thank Dirtier and Dirtier Carpets

Hi, I am looking for a good, child safe, rug cleaner for a light colored carpet. Thanks in advance. BH

I also like Dr. Bronner's Castile liquid soap, with a 1/4 cup soap + 1/4 baking soda to 5 gallons of hot water, then rinsing with 1/4 cup vinegar + 1 tablespoon lemon juice for better smell in 5 gallons of water afterwards. The vinegar smell evaporates. Rinsing always helps to get rid of soap residues which attrack dirt.

Club soda works to get rid of many stains prior to shampooing. Carpet de-stainers often contain very harsh chemicals such as volatile organic compounds, and is not reccommended for homes with children. Susan

I need to have my carpets and couch cleaned. Last time I used Coit but it always feels like I could have gotten a better deal if I negotiated it, so I don't really know how much the going rate is. I am concerned about safety too. Recommendations? LN

I would like to recommend Stanley Steemer in San Leandro for cleaning of upholstery and carpets. We have a toddler who trails his meals all over the house and have had them come to our house and steam clean the carpets and upholstery for two years now. They are always prompt and very professional, and we have had excellent results with the cleaning. We also had them do a protective coating on carpets and furniture that allows stains to just be cleaned with water and lasted for about a year (though only promised for 6 months) on our light colored carpet. I was about to reupholster two badly dirtied chairs as well, but they cleaned up very well, except where nap of fabric was physically worn (arm ends). It is way cheaper to clean than to reupholster, so I'd try cleaning before committing to redo upholstered furniture. The cleaners were very honest with me when they came about whether or not the damage could be cleaned, and the results exceeded my expectations. Cheryl

Can anyone recommend a good company to clean our carpets or a place that rents steam cleaners? Also, is it advisable to buy a steam cleaner? Any good brands/models? Places to purchase one? hana

I assume that it makes more economic sense to buy a rug shampooer/steamer/whatever they're called, as opposed to renting one. But do they do an adequate job (as opposed to hiring a commercial rug cleaning company)? Melanie

I'm surprised this isn't in the archives yet! Does anyone have a recommendation on where to take a 5x8 rug to be cleaned? It's not delicate or antique or anything, it's just a wool rug. Thanks! Nancy

We desperately need our carpets cleaned after our male cat got a UTI and left inappropriate messages on them. We looked at the previous recommendations and called Golden Bear for our needs. Alas, they botched the scheduling up twice and will not return my phone calls. Anyone have another good company to recommend? We have some wall-to-wall and some similar type not nailed down that needs sme serious attention. Thanks!

I can give you a recommendation of who not to use. I have used a company in Richmond called Chem-Dry. I think there are several franchise companies under this name. They use some chemical to clean the carpets, but whatever they used, it made it worse. I too have white carpet, and for about a week it looked spotless. But after that, all the same stains resurfaced. The carpet looked worse than before, because the chemical they sprayed on left it very vulnerable to new stains. Every time I even spill as much as a drop of milk, it leaves a stain that becomes darker and darker over time. It is as if there is some kind of glue on the carpet that attracts dirt. I had them come out twice to redo the carpet, but within a very short time, it was back to the old dirty carpet.

I have used the Cooperative Cleaning Company in Berkeley for years to clean my carpets and I highly recommend them. I originally chose them when my son was a baby and crawling around because they use a dry cleaning method (with ground corn husks or something like that) and therefore there were no wet chemicals on my carpets. You can walk on them immediately after they leave. They were, as I remember, about the same price as traditional methods and the people I deal with on the phone and who come to do the work have always been friendly and reliable. I am sure their number is in the book.

For wall-to-wall carpet cleaning I recommend Golden Bear Carpet Cleaning. Steam cleaning is 20 cents per square foot and I believe there is a $60 minimum. It is a one man operation and I have used him twice. The instructions that came with my carpet say I should use someone who is IIRC (or something like that) certified--and that narrowed the field considerably. He measured the area first and gave a quote and it was OK with him if I only had certain areas of a room cleaned. (Some cleaners charge by the room and you end up getting cheated). According to the instructions that came with my carpet, it is essential to get up every last bit of soap or the residue will attract more dirt than if the carpet had not been cleaned, and most equiptment that people use to do the job themselves simply isn't powerful enough. For this reason it is better to use a professional cleaner.

I have used Look Carpet Clearners for the last several years. It is a small family business who does the best job I have come across. They are very good with pet stains and spots. They are a steam cleaners with the machine in their truck. Their work is terrific.

Removing red gatorade stain on beige carpet

Help! I've got a stubborn red (now pink) gatorade stain on my light beige carpeting, in a very obvious spot. I've tried all the usual things: steam cleaning, the assortment of grocery store products... nothing seems to get rid of it all. Now I'm left with a light pink stain about 10 inches in diameter. I'm trying to avoid having to replace the entire room of carpeting, and the spot is in a very central location, so covering it with a chair, etc. isn't an option. Your advice is greatly appreciated! Don't even like Gatorade...

Lambskin Rug

Can anyone recommend a dry cleaner that will clean my genuine lambskin rug (4x6) for a reasonable price (what is a reasonable price?)? The only quote I've been able to get was close to how much I originally paid for the rug. Thank you.

Our cat sleeps on the rug for a month or so every winter, so I have to rewash it in the spring, and it always comes out great. The first washing was the only really time-consuming one. Kate

Cleaning Oriental/Persian Rugs

We've got a persian tabriz rug, wool, that would cost about $350 to take to the dry cleaners. The Rug Doctor people tell me that I can't steam clean it with one of their rental machines. Does anyone have any other ideas for how to get it clean? We've got a dog, a hairy one, and it needs something more intensive that weekly vacuuming. Thank you!! grateful for any suggestions

Here's what I've now introduced my new hubby to: pick a warm day. pull the rug to be washed out onto the clean driveway. soak with water. mix mild laundry detergent with warm water. use scrub brush and suds up the rug. rinse. rinse. rinse. squeeze as much water as you can out of the rug - we used a large rectangular tuperware, weighted it, and squished water to the edges. elevate the rug on e.g. plastic chairs or fence or railing to let air circulate and help dry, make sure you move what part of teh rug is taking teh weight or you might stretch it. be patient. It will take a good 48 hours with two sunny days to dry - if you got most of the water squeezed out. but Voila! a clean rug.

the neighbors may look at you funny, but it's cheap and it really does the job! on hands and knees

We need to find a place to have our very large kilim cleaned. It is also fraying at the edges. Does anyone have a good recommendation for cleaning and repairing a kilim? Thanks, Elyse

From: April

Imperial Rug Cleaning does a great job with oriental or other valuable rugs. It's a family owned business and they will pick up and deliver your rug and will come and spot it between cleanings. I've had only good experiences with them.

If your rug has either monetary or sentimental value, I would recommend Talisman rug cleaners. They are based in Santa Cruz but do weekly pick-ups around the Bay Area. Claremont Rug Company, which is a very high-end store, recommended them to me. Talisman did a great job on my oriental rug - it cost about $115 to clean a 5 x 8 rug. Rather than have Talisman pick up the rug from your house, which costs extra, you can take it to Emmett Eiland's Oriental Rug Company on Ninth at Gilman, and they include it in their weekly pick-up.