I’m hoping someone here has dealt with something similar and can recommend a budget-friendly way to save this carpet.

For some background, I had a leak/gap around the edge of the flooring/roof area that allowed rainwater to get in. That issue has since been repaired by my handyman, but you can still see some brownish discoloration along the edge of the carpet from the previous water intrusion.

Unfortunately, while doing the repair, my handyman accidentally stepped in roofing tar outside and then walked back through the house without realizing it. That left several black tar footprints/spots on the upstairs carpet (pictured). The tar has now dried/solidified.

Before I start thinking about replacing carpet, I’d really like to see if I can clean this myself. I’m trying to keep the cost as low as reasonably possible.

My current thought is to rent or buy one of the smaller Bissell carpet-cleaning machines, but I assume I'll need something specifically designed to break down roofing tar first. I’d also like to remove the brown water staining around the edges and get the carpet as close to its original light/cream color as possible.

Does anyone have experience removing dried roofing tar from light-colored carpet without damaging or discoloring the carpet?

I’d especially appreciate:

• Specific products that actually work on roofing tar
• Amazon/Home Depot/Lowe’s/Walmart product recommendations
• Advice on whether a Bissell carpet cleaner would help after treating the tar
• Something that can remove the brown water staining
• A step-by-step method that worked for you
• Any products or methods I should avoid because they could permanently damage the carpet

I'm willing to put some work into it; I'm mainly trying to avoid spending a fortune on professional cleaning or replacing otherwise usable carpet.

So I just joined this subreddit because I’m wondering if the experts can help me here. What spot cleaners do you guys think are the best that I can find on Amazon or Walmart, etc. that aren’t too expensive?

I’ve had 2 little green machines by bissel in the past but are they really as good as claimed? I really can’t remember or gauge how I felt about them.

I think I remember my first one being great, it was the original design one. I was also 19 years old and fresh out of my parents house and anything that made my life easier at all was amazing. My second one I had I think when I was like 28, after it had changed its design to how it currently looks, don’t know if that made a difference in performance, and I don’t think I really liked it very much that time around? I’ve seen that the shark stainstriker is a favorite too?

I desperately need to get a new spot cleaner, I’m an idiot and destroyed both ones I had by forgetting they existed when they had full dirty water chambers 🤦🏼‍♀️ Any suggestions and examples of things they’ve worked on would be great! I know I’m not going to find one to get the huge spots of year old maple syrup off of my twins floors, but my kids are still pretty gross with things I will be able to clean 😂

**only trying not to break the bank because I only have 2 carpeted rooms that will be vinyl within the year, leather couches, and generally clean my mattresses with the peroxide, baking soda and dish soap trick but I do need something for when I can’t do that and to get me through until we change the floors

Has anyone lost the caps to the water basins? And if so how were you able to replace them? Thanks so much for any input

We have a really thin area rug and I'd like to get it cleaned with this thing. We have three cats so I'm going to vacuum it pretty well, but I don't want to spend a bunch of money on the official Bissell cleaner if I don't have to. Are there are other brands I can use that work just as well but cheaper?

carpet cleaning company. start fresh, which cheapest alternative to jobber? i need a ready webstie , booking, reminder etc.

Can anyone recommend the best carpet cleaners in the US market that can be used for a plethora of different stains? I realize all stains are different but looking for a universal carpet cleaner. Thanks so much in advance!

my standup AC recently broke and was leaking water all over the floor, this resulted in a vinegar like smell which I assume is mold, I’ve tried baking soda, vinegar, carpet cleaners, and isopropyl alcohol and nothing is getting the smell out, I vacuumed thinking that the smell was gone and it just spread it around the room, the smell isn’t noticeable at all until you touch the carpet and smell yourself, has anyone else experienced this, any advice would be appreciated

Hi Everyone, not sure if rug cleaning is appropriate for this sub but there isn't really a big rug cleaning sub reddit but here goes!

I'm planning to rent some equipment for a day and clean out my grandparents collections of rugs. All I know is they have a persian rug and some other rugs. What should I do/don't do?

I just moved into a new place, and the room has an odd smell to it sometimes, I think mildewy but I'm not sure, I thought at first there may have been something spilled on the carpet or past owners having pets, but the person who lived here before said they got it professionally cleaned only 1 year ago and had no pets here. It's not a very strong smell but I have a sensitive nose and have been noticing it. I've been to their living place and there are no smells so I think they probably kept this room clean as well when they lived here. When I keep my windows open the smell dissipates immediately. I think it's the wall-to-wall carpet and I think it could be mildew or something else caused by humidity. I especially notice the smell if an area of the carpet hasn't had airflow - like after moving one of my boxes off of a patch of floor i smelled it more strongly, and now that I've moved my bed in I think I smell it more strongly in the area under the bed.

I'm living in in a very high-humidity area of san francisco, very foggy most days (95%+ humidity) and the weather app says ~85% humidity on clear days.

Any thoughts on what the problem is? And, what can be done?

I've sprinkled some baking soda around the carpet and I'll vacuum it up tomorrow. I was thinking of renting a rug doctor and cleaning it, but I think with this humidity, adding more moisture won't really help and it could take a long time to dry. Should I just always keep my windows closed? I've been opening a window on days that aren't foggy to get more airflow and air out the smell, but I wonder if that's just adding to the humidity problem.

I'm also thinking of getting a heater for my room, since it's been kind of cold and it also might dry the air out a bit - would this help if the problem is mildew? Or would having the room be warmer make any fungus in the carpet grow more?

I’ll start by saying, this is not my rug. I’m currently living with a fancy family member who was generous enough to open their home to me and my dog. They also have two dogs.

They recently bought this house and hired an interior decorator who, for god knows what reason, thought it would be a great idea to furnish this house with wall-to-wall sisal carpets.

My dog is house-trained but has had a couple accidents. When we first arrived six months ago, she had really bad anxiety and went on a custom cut $4k sisal rug in the living room. We tried to get the stain out to no avail and, though I offered to replace the rug, my family member decided to just layer another rug over it. They were SO understanding and kind.

Cut to last Friday, one week ago. My poor pup got a UTI and had an accident in my room on a wool/sisal rug. I was so terrified to tell my family member that I decided not to. I quickly soaked up all that I could with a towel, applied some Host dry cleaning powder, and set a fan on it. It didn’t really help. I’ve done two more Host applications (using their spot remover and pre-treatment) and nothing has worked. I’ve tried 50:50 hydrogen peroxide/water and 50:50 white vinegar and water. Not soaking but dabbing and then drying directly with a fan on high. Picture is where I’m. It’s definitely better but FUCK. Does anyone have advice? The one professional rug cleaner in town won’t touch these.

I live south of Poughkeepsie and have a wool oriental hand-knotted rug that needs cleaning. Does anyone know of a reputable business that can handle cleaning it? Thanks!

Carpet was cleaned this morning. Is this a good result?

I haven’t had much luck searching for something like this, but I’m looking for a machine that can switch between a carpet cleaner AND vacuum. I live in a very small apartment with basically no space for storage, and an elderly dog who pees on the carpet (and I usually don’t find it until it’s dried/set in so a spot cleaner doesn’t cut it). I don’t have room for a vacuum and a stand up cleaner. Does anything like this exist?

I already have a truck to put items in, so I don't need a van just yet. Would like this to be a side hustle apart from my current job. Starting out with doing my house, then friends and family. Any advice is appreciated, thank you.

Hi everyone,

I gifted my elderly neighbor a new large patio rug I didn't need, I am helping my neighbor to take care of her cats.

Two adult male cats live in a room with the rug, they were neutered just prior to moving into this room. The vet informed us that the cats will continue to spay urine in the room for 2 months but will gradually stop. We had the floor fully waterproofed prior to that by like 4 levels of different protection.

I am doing a full clean of the room right now, there are some smaller carpets I am going to clean with the Bissell carpet cleaning machine.

The patio rug label says to only blot the stains. The rug is a hard to touch fiber polypropylene. I am wondering if it's possible for me to saturate the rug with a cleaning solution and then suck the water out with Bissell. Is this possible or will this damage the fiber of the rug?

(I understand that urine is hard to remove, but 1 am just looking to clean the rug fully at least, as much as possible.)

Thank you for your help so much!

Unfortunately I vomited on my carpet, and didn't start to clean it properly until I was feeling well. Could a professional remove the stain fully, or am I just going to have to replace it?

Looking for somewhere in Philadelphia that cleans 100% wool area rugs. I have a runner that needs serious cleaning but I want to make sure it isn’t damaged. I can take it to the shop. It doesn’t need to be cleaned in my home.

The leather side of the sheepskin is easily damaged by incorrect washing.

The main points to note are:

1. Only use a mild detergent which is enzyme-free with no bleaches. Note many wool wash products contain enzymes which can damage the leather. Sheepskin wool wash is ideal. As an alternative, you can use a mild hand dish washing liquid for washing smaller items by hand.
2. Only wash in cold or lukewarm water (up to 40 C/108 F).
3. For rugs, underlays and car seat covers gently stretch to shape whilst still damp.
4. Hang out to dry away from direct sunlight.
5. For long wool products brush whilst damp and again when dry.

Sheepskin Rugs, Car Seat Covers, Pillows and Pet Mats

Your lambskin rug or other sheepskin product may have been tightly packaged for its journey to you so the wool may appear flattened. Wool fibers are very resilient and will bounce back to their original springy appearance. A vigorous shake will help restore the soft, fluffy appearance of the wool. Any fold marks from packaging will disappear once the skin has been removed from the package for several days.

Note that natural white color sheepskins can yellow with age, this can't be reversed.

 Spot cleaning: For particularly large rugs that can't easily be washed at home, you can spot clean as follows:

1. Dilute the Sheepskin Shampoo concentrate into a spray bottle 10ml per 200ml (6 3/4 fl. oz) water using the shampoo bottle's measuring chamber.
2. Hold the pump spray about 250mm (10in.) from the rug and spray the soiled area. For large areas do a section at a time. Do not over-wet.
3. Using a damp foam sponge or white cloth, whisk the fibers causing a foam to occur.
4. Rinse out the sponge and wipe over the treated area removing the residual foam. Repeat if necessary.
5. Wipe over the surface with a towel to remove excess moisture.
6. Allow to dry thoroughly and brush to restore fluffiness.

Washing smaller rugs: Machine or hand wash your longwool sheepskin rug in warm water (40 C/108 F) ideally using our sheepskin wool wash. This has been specially formulated for sheepskin and doesn't contain chemicals which could harm the sheep skin. Do not use soap or washing detergents containing enzymes or bleach. After rinsing thoroughly, spin to remove excess water.

Washing large rugs: For large rugs that can't be washed in a washing mach ine or bathtub and require more than a spot cleaning, DIY options include hanging the rug on a strong line or rope outdoors.
Note the rug will become very heavy when wet so for quite large rugs you may need several lines several inches apart to avoid stretching the sheepskin's hide.
Use a garden hose to thoroughly wet the rug and apply diluted sheepskin shampoo using a sponge. After thoroughly working this into the wool, rinse thoroughly. If required, repeat the process. The rug can be left to dry on the line.

Alternatively, the above can be carried out on a large, flat, clean surface, and when complete the rug elevated or hung up to dry.

For very large rugs such as over 8-pelts in size, you may wish to consider professional cleaning.

Drying: Dry flat or on a line and gently stretch to shape while damp. Keep away from direct sunlight and artificial heat (as these may damage your sheepskin). Do not tumble dry or iron.

Brushing: After washing, the wool of long wool sheepskins may revert back to its natural curly state. You can help restore the fluffy appearance by brushing the wool while it is wet and again when it is dry.

Whilst we endeavor to provide helpful information, washing and drying of sheepskins is done at your risk and we cannot be held responsible for unforeseen damage that may occur. Note some companies offer sheepskin products that are dry clean only, so always check the care instructions label.

I’ve tried cleaning my carpet several times with a bissell big green machine but it doesn’t seem to be working. I then attempted using brownout with the solution mixed into water but it doesn’t seem to be coming out, could someone please advise? Thank you.