Everyday Cheapskate

I have a love-hate relationship with carpet. I love how it looks, how it feels under my feet and how it warms up a room. But I hate dirty carpet. The thought of what lurks between those fibers gives me the heebie-jeebies.

The two enemies of clean carpet are soap and water. The problem with the soap is the residue that remains. Any soap left in the carpet becomes a sticky dirt magnet. Huge problem.

The problem with water is that it is not extracted fully, leaving the carpet wet for too long, which causes mold and mildew. That sets you up for an icky mess.

Carpet is just downright troublesome. I do not even trust commercial cleaning companies. Most leave soap and residue in the carpet. But, I am so proud to say, I've licked the problem. After more than five years, my light tan carpet is still lovely. I owe it all to my Hoover SteamVac with Clean Surge.

This home steam cleaning machine, which is cheaper than one visit from a carpet cleaning company, is truly an amazing machine, but only because I have made a few adjustments to the way I use it.

First, I do not use any soap or detergent in the machine. None. Nada. I know that I never will be able to get that soap out, no matter how hard I rinse. Instead, I use a good liquid spot remover called Spot Shot. I'm sure there are others, but I love this one. I vacuum often, which is very important.

I treat any spots or dirty areas with Spot Shot. Then I fill up Hoover. The instructions say to fill the top canister with hot water. I go one step further. I boil the water and pour it in there carefully, boiling hot. Do not worry. This is OK! After all, what do you think steam is? It's very, very, very hot water! Most home cleaners do not use the power of boiling water, but I do.

With no soap at all, only the power of the spot remover, I go to work. It is truly amazing how that hot water pulls out everyday dirt and dust. Because the water is so hot and it gets sucked back up so quickly, the carpet dries in no time. I know, you are suspicious about this, but it is true. Hoover has such a powerful extractor that it removes nearly every drop of water, leaving no sticky residue. I never buy soap or cleaning solution for Hoover. Ever. Poor guy. Starves on water only.

My big payoff is the feel, look and smell of beautifully clean carpet! Yes, my Hoover SteamVac is the best thing I ever bought.

What's the best thing you ever bought? Visit my blog, at http://www.MoneyRulesDebtStinks.com, and let us all know about it!

Mary Hunt is the founder of www.DebtProofLiving.com and author of 18 books, including her latest, "Can I Pay My Credit Card Bill With a Credit Card?" You can e-mail her at mary@everydaycheapskate.com, or write to Everyday Cheapskate, P.O. Box 2135, Paramount, CA 90723. To find out more about Mary Hunt and read her past columns, please visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

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