Moved Into New House - Carpets Are Disgusting (help)

[jimman92]

As the title says, I just moved into a new house and the carpets are filthy. I'm sorry if this is the wrong place to post this, but it would be great to get some help from the experts.

I was thinking of hiring a carpet cleaner just to go through the whole house, but then I considered trying to do it myself. I've got a decent hoover, but I was thinking of getting a steam cleaner to clean the carpets and then following up with a good vacuuming session. I could then use some sort of stain remover for the worst bits.

I've got my eye on the Karcher SC1 (which I found on this list), but I realised there was a newer version (the SC2) so I'm a little stumped now.

My question is: are steam cleaners "good enough" for cleaning carpets? Or do I really need to hire a carpet cleaner? And what's the best process for cleaning stains (they look like a mixture of dog urine and spilt drinks...not nice).

Thanks!

[encapman]

DIY tools are wimpy. They may be useful for doing maintenance on clean carpet. But that's not what you're describing. I would would recommend hiring a professional. Let someone help you who has proper training, equipment, and experience. A good carpet cleaner can work wonders on a soiled carpet. Then after the carpet is in shape you might perform periodic touch ups with the DIY tools.