Well, I’ll make a deal with you: I can’t get you out of using a carpet extractor, but I can help you eliminate the soap. The best way to clean carpet is to skip putting the shampoo into the carpet shampooer and fill it with plain old water instead. Cleaning with water will not only get your carpet clean, but will also keep it cleaner longer. When you use soap to clean carpet, you fall victim to soap’s double-edged sword: it works because dirt molecules bind to soap molecules
