The Pet Owners Guide to Keeping carpets clean

By Carolyn McFann
Anyone with pets knows how hard it can be to keep the carpet clean. The more pets you have, the more it feels like keeping a clean carpet is an impossible job. After years of cleaning up after my three pets, it was time to take the bull by the horns and end this problem, once and for all.

My much loved old cat had died recently, after an abrupt deterioration in his illness. Blackie had been once a fastidiously clean animal who never did his business away from his cat box, but in the end his lack of bodily control was rough on both of us. The carpet needed daily cleaning, but the old wipe up routine sure got old after awhile. After my cat's passing, I decided to spring for a new vacuum cleaner, hoping its power would at least help me get the carpet in better condition after all it had been through.

Enter the Beast. The "terminator" of all vacuum cleaners; the big, gleaming new Hoover Steam Vac with Surge Clean arrived in the mail a month ago. At first, I thought, "Oh great, it needs assembling. What's a mechanically challenged single woman to do with this?" but after sitting down and reading the directions, I had the whole thing up and running in a half hour.

And run, it does. Just fill up that handy water tank with fluid and hot water, and the machine storms through the worst of stains? Cat barf, be gone! It charges along like a raging bull, destroying scuzz and pet residue right and left. Not bad, considering I was skeptical about paying a little under $200 for it. A normal vacuum wouldn't do, and this was the answer to all my prayers. I chose the model just below the "All Terrain" variety, which was a hundred bucks more. The medium quality one had all the bells and whistles I needed for my humble living space.

Now my floors are unbelievably clean, the rug looks like new again and smells great. The cats may have accidents on the rug in the future but now, I'm fully prepared. I bought extra jugs of the cleaning detergent as ammo, and with this machine in my household; nothing can stop me from keeping the carpet sanitized and fluffy. My two cats look at the vacuum in awe, as if somehow they know that they have finally met their match. Such a sight is enough to bring a tear to the pet owner's eyes.

The battle of the carpet is now won. Bring it on, dirty pets; I feel the power of the Premium Pet Formula Carpet Detergent. Thank you, Amazon.com! It was more than worth having to get out that screwdriver, read instructions and actually need to assemble something with hand tools. Mission accomplished, and who knew there would be such satisfaction in staring at a newly washed carpet? I've found my zen. Life with a spotless carpet is very, very good.