I have a Bissel Pro Heat steam cleaner which seems to do a good job.

I have borrowed my daughter's hoover steam cleaner and it does an okay job. I'm very fussy and so I don't think these cleaners do as good a job as a professional that come with the equipment on his truck. It seemns that they don't suck out all the water very well .
My daughter was cleaning her carpets every few months in her last house. It seems that once she did them the first time they got dirty faster and so she was forced into doing them every few months.

I forgot to add that we had rentals for 20 years and I used the chem dry method one time on one of them and was not satisfied with it either .

I may just be too hard to please.LOL

A good friend of mine used to own a steam cleaning business and he told me the truck mounted machines have much more power than any machine you could ever buy. I think that is why you hear better things about the companies that clean rugs as opposed to the personal machines.

I have an Oreck steam cleaner which does an okay job. I used to have a Hoover. Neither one ever does a really terrific job. Maybe I'm hard to please too (nah!)

I also got tired of paying those guys to clean my carpets, so I went out and bought a Bissell Power Steamer Pro Deluxe. It was an impulse buy -- unusual for me. I didn't spend two weeks researching prices and reviews, I just bought it because it was on sale at Kohl's.

Well, now he admits he was wrong. We've had it for three years and we love it. Our entire upstairs floor is beige carpeting. It was so dirty when we moved in, I initially though we'd have to replace it... but the Bissell cleaned it up just fine.

It doesn't actually use steam, it uses hot water -- but it does everything I want it to, including upholstery.

mclarke - my friend swears by her Bissel Pro Deluxe....she has five kids and four BIG dogs and her floors are always gorgeous!

I swear by my Bissell, too! I have always washed my carpets and then last year, for the first time, I had my home professionally cleaned. What a rip-off! $200 later and the carpets were barely clean. I ended up cleaning the carpets with my machine after they left. I will not spend that kind of money again on professional carpet cleaners when all it costs me is a bit of time and shampoo to do a much better job. Get the machine - you won't be sorry.

mclarke here is the Bissell web site. Could you tell me which is closest to the one you have. They don't seem to make the Pro Deluxe anymore.

Here is a link that might be useful: Bissell

Wow, I guess they DON'T make it anymore. That's a drag. I don't know which one would be comparable, but after looking at the website (thanks for the link!), I might check out the Proheat Clearview -- it seems to have a water heater onboard, which is a neat feature.

Sorry, I can't find a list of the Pro Deluxe's features to compare them to the currently available models.

Here is a link that might be useful: Bissell steam cleaner

We have a 7 yr old Hoover Steamvac Widepath. It's passed around among 3 rentals and sometimes a family member who needs it. It does a good job. Recently I had to clean a rental that had an unbelievable amount of candle soot on walls, so knew it was in carpeting. Didn't want to run soot through the Hoover so rented a Rug Dr. It did a good job, but I did not see a great deal of difference in the end result of that and the Hoover we typically use. (Oh, and there's newer steam cleaner solutions out with "oxy" in their name, they seem to do a better job at stain removal.)

If you have berber carpeting anywhere, tho, Hoover doesn't cut it. (Not sure about other brands.) It just can't get in all the lower area of the carpet patterns. My mom has one room in berber and always has to hire someone for that room.

I broke down and bought a cheap Bissel about 5 years ago. It doesn't have the upholstery attachments, which I greatly regret. I use the Bissel cleaner, which I purchase at Target, and they also have a Bissel Power Booster, very hard to find (I bought it online). The Power Booster is a powder which you add a small scoopful of to the hot water and cleaner into the machine. Makes a huge difference.
I love my Bissel, and it's one of the best investments I've made. Like I said, if you can purchase the upgraded model, do so. I only spent just under $100 on mine, and I think it does a pretty good job. In fact, I loaned it to a friend with 4 dogs and a cat. She used it once and was shocked at how clean her carpets came out. She went out the next week and bought her own.
This past weekend, I spilled most of a bowl of salsa on my wool carpet. I scooped up the solid stuff, and steamed it right away. The spot is completely gone, and though I had cleaned the rug about 5 months ago, you can't believe how dirty the water was when I dumped it.
One more tip, I only steam my carpets late at night before I go to bed. That way, nobody walks on them and they are dry in the morning. Works especially great in the winter, when you have the heat on. Sure beats what the guys with the truck charge!

I own a Bissell also and would recommend it but I have to be honest and say that you should not expect cleaning with it to be a simple job. It is very time consuming and if you have a bad back you may find it too difficult to use. You do have to carry the water container back and forth to a sink as the carpet is cleaned and you have to slowly move the unit back and forth over the carpet to remove as much water as possible. I think it will bother your back in the long run and cleaning 90% of a 4200 sq foot home will take several days. To thoroughly clean my carpet, which includes moving rugs and furniture, I can only do one room a day since I too have a 'tricky' back.

Since money is tight I would suggest you use your vacuum more often and spot clean any spills and accidents. An 8 yr old and one dog and cat shouldn't be making that big a mess : )! I used to foster animals and never needed to clean my carpet on a yearly basis, so it can be done.
For spot cleaning, I find Capture to be the best.

Thanks everyone for all the great info. I am a clean freak and vacuum at least once a day (mostly twice a day)and I have a "Spot Bot", which works well on small messes. I'm definitely going out today to purchase a Bissel Pro-Heat - and I'll pace myself. :)

I have a Hoover steam vac and I love it! I will never be without one. I remember reading somewhere that a pro told someone to never use detergent or cleaning fluid on your rug because it always leaves residue which then attracts more dirt. This may be why the carpet seemed dirtier the more the one poster's daughter cleaned it. I think it's true because I always only use straight hot water. But there is one spot in my bedroom where I did once use detergent years ago and every time I steam clean that area, it still gets sudsy so I know the soap is still there and it probably is attracting dirt. So you might want to try it first with just hot water. I find that it works great and never need to add anything.

I have a Bissell ProHeat 2X. Got it three years ago and absolutely love it. I keep it in a corner and anytime there's a spot or spill on my beige carpet, I whip it out and take care of it. Sometimes I just use hot water in it.
I love it!

I bought a Bissell a few years ago and I wish I'd bought it when my kids were toddlers. I don't use it often but it really comes in handy sometimes. I would definitely recommend it.