Steam cleaning carpets?

@regen99 I cannot answer about steam cleaning the carpets - we use hot-water extraction & have a home machine that I can use, though I usually leave that to my husband. Actually, he cleaned our little patches of carpet - stairs, one hallway and a lower level family room, last night. He vacuums thoroughly after it dries with a HEPA filtered vacuum.
As for steam cleaning, we steam clean the hardwood, tile & stone (which is most of our house) with a steam mop and distilled water and have done for years. The stone is a bit hard on the mop heads, but I just buy replacements on line. The amount of steam produced is minimal, and I figure by the time it reaches head-level it is well dispersed. I have looked for a larger steam unit, which I assume would take less time, but all of them have a separate tank & wand and use tap water, which is a problem where we live due to minerals and would be a storage nightmare in our small home.
I have always felt the tradeoff between clean (steam is a good sanitizer if you go over each section 5-6 times) and potential low exposure to steam was worthwhile.

In an ideal world, I would hire this done, and be out of the house for that day, but this way it is done frequently and to our standards.

What does anyone else do?
Sue

Hi.. we have a so called steam cleaner but fill tank with hot water and definitely no “steam” comes out; we just use tap water last few years. Odd thing happened. We cleaned living room carpet after our dog passed away with a tiny bit vinegar in the water, and many patches showed in the beige carpet: quite a mystery! We think, as we used to put her ear meds in her ears that over the months maybe some leaked out or got on carpet when she lay there and perhaps the vinegar interacted with the meds... otherwise dont know what it was. She did not go to bathroom in the house but now we are wondering if leakage or something, but really doubt it. I feel carpet is the dirtiest thing to have around but house had it when we moved in and wood floors underneath would all have to be sanded and restrained and just cant do it. I read the worst thing can do is wear outside shoes in our homes, the germs etc. On soles of shoes surprising. Doubt if I have helped by my nattering but many years ago another country raised in a home where we wore our outside shoes in the downstairs and of course never put anything on the floors.... knew they were not sanitary and treated the that way, if that makes sense. Upstairs, bedrooms, no shoes!

Thank you Sue. I'm a bit confused: do you have two different machines? We are just needing to
clean stone, wood, and a cement floor, no carpets.

Well water here, I don't think minerals are a problem. We've looked at small cleaners on line, but there are so many negative comments these days about parts not working, etc. that we're thinking of renting a machine.

Can you tell me the brand names of the unit(s)
you have?

Thank you!!!

We use a very simple Shark brand stick type steam mop, with a tank right on the unit - no hoses, pumps, etc to worry about. Ours is close to 10 years old and has never been a problem, we routinely clean 500 sf of wood and ceramic tile flooring with it, plus an occasional run over a small stone floor. This is house often run through by kids and pets, so it gets a pretty good workout. No heavy dirt though, except in the entryway - we are a shoeless household. We have a second unit we have been using for over 5 years to clean 350 sf of solid vinyl laminate floor in our winter home.
We have always followed the directions to use distilled water, my sister had issues using tap (well) water and it not running well after a couple years. The $2 or so a month for water is a cheap cleaning solution - no soaps, detergents, waxes, etc needed - just 2-3 new pads a year (under $20 online.)
Sue

Sue, thanks so much. A big help.

Karen

Hopefully the last question: why no cleaning soap or solution? I usually clean everything with a mix of
water, white vinegar, grapefruit seed oil, tea tree oil, , etc. I could understand the few drops of oil might cause the machine a problem? but white vinegar is such a good cleaner....

I can tell you after 10 years, it is totally unnecessary to use anything other than the distilled water. The steam is an excellent cleaner and disinfectant without anything else (it even cleans dried kibble, icing and cookie dough off the wood floor.) Heating any of the above substances to steam creates volatile chemicals in the air and on the surfaces. By the way, white vinegar is not recommended by either the guys who installed and finished out wood floors or by the manufacturer of our sold vinyl plank flooring.
So, I save a fortune on cleaning products and keep the air cleaner too. Even when I spot clean with a cloth, I use just water as much as possible. Maybe sometimes a drop of soap if I have spilled grease.
Sue

oohhhhKAY. Think I've got it.

Here is another one; have you explored phage
therapy or the Jewish Clinic's work with MAC?
do you walk out doors without a mask when it is not windy? what kind of mask do you use? because I am 85 and have both copd, bronchiectasis, and strongly suspected MAC, I
keep myself in a bubble: we are moving to a small rural community where we have owned a sweet historic and carefully updated home for years. I can't wait to get out of the city. I miss
gardening so much, it has been hard, but I do a
minimal amount and that helps.

There is no one here, including my doctors and nurses, who are really interested (or knowledgeable?? ) or have the time for details; when your time is short you want to make the very best of it and know what you are doing to your odds by taking some well-educated chances. For instance: my body craves swimming. I know I can't. This move is incredibly difficult for us physically as we both have substantial physical issues and can't get any help.
Stay with me, Sue! Thank you.

Hmm, no wonder you are having a hard time - preparing to move and trying to "keep myself in a bubble..."

The very best advice I ever got came within a few weeks from two people I trusted very much - my primary provider of 20 years, and my infectious disease doc.

Both of them told me "Bronchiectasis is a disease you live with, not die from. Take care of your health, take reasonable precautions, but go out and live your life." I have done this for the last 4 years.

I do my airway clearance, eat healthy, stay away from sick people, exercise and try to get enough sleep. I also keep my asthma controlled, keep my immunizations up to date, and keep my chronic pain (and thus a lot of my stress) under control.

I don't wear a mask outdoors unless the air quality from the fires is really bad, or if I am working directly in the dirt in my gardens - then it's an N95 with a breather valve. Nope, I didn't give them gardening, but I leave the digging and mulching to a young assistant.

I swim - in an outdoor pool, lakes or the ocean. My ID doc approves - he says the wide open air dilutes any germs. I do miss the hot tub! And going to the indoor pool at the Y.

I see friends and family regularly - we are all careful to keep to ourselves if ill. During cold & flu season, we get more selective about who we gather with - or try to gather outdoors. It helps that we spend our winters in the South so, the patio is the most common place to gather. We also dine out occasionally, we go to a lot of outdoor events and activities, and a few large indoor events. But we are likely to choose places with lots of space so the air is well-circulated.

I have chosen to prioritize a full life that maybe is more risky than some would choose over perhaps living a little longer but being isolated. My 96 yo godmother/aunt is my example here - when we get out to Washington, we have to make appointments to see her to fit into her schedule.

Feel free to visit with others in our group - thay maybe can offer suggestions about how they manage to stay healthy.
Sue

Sue: I just noticed you refer to having bronchiectasis: do you also have MAC?

Re: asking others about this: you are the only one to respond, maybe I am doing something wrong
with the site. I don't mean to be a nuisance....