carpet shampoo vs. steam clean

[stonekicker]

i live in a rented house with old but ok carpets and two cats (who are clean, but nonetheless hairy!). would it be better to borrow a steam cleaner or a carpet shampoo vacuum thingy off friends? never done this before, so any advice and experiences would be appreciated in my decision making process! there are some very wise people on this site and i would value your input. many thanx...

[Ethel]

Carpet shampooer

I find steam cleaning carpets to be very frustrating.

If you want to steam clean from a hygiene point of view (kills bugs and bacteria) you could do it after you have thoroughly vacuumed and shampooed your carpet, I suppose.

[BuzzNitemare]

Internacionale/ Au Naturale or whatever they're called these days are selling a Vax carpet cleaner for �60 at the moment. I got one this afternoon and will be giving it a go tonight. With 2 cats and 2 kids, my carpets get very grubby so I'll let you know tomorrow if it's a great bargain or a waste of time.