So why are FOAM cleaners such a resolve so popular? Is it just good marketing or good products? There are way too many to choose from, but all seem to have one significant problem (get to that in a minute. First, listed below are the different types of foam cleaners sold on the market today.

  1. Resolve

  2. Resolve with OXY

  3. Arm & Hammer OXY Foam Cleaner

  4. Clorox Foam Carpet Cleaner

  5. Bissell Foam Carpet Care

  6. Great Value Foam Carpet Cleaner

***I’m going to stop now…you get the point…I hope!

As you can see, I just mentioned a few and there are plenty more to choose from! So what’s the deal here? Why do so many companies insist on making foam carpet cleaners. To answer, we need to look at it from several different view points. Many companies making foam cleaners look for “Ease of use” for the consumer and product effectiveness. After all, without these attributes…it will not sell…period! So making a foam cleaner that is simple and effective makes sense…right! Exactly, this is the target audience companies look for. The question is, the product might be simple to use and “YES” it works, but what are the drawbacks.

Here’s where it gets tricky! Yes, foam carpet cleaners do work for the most part! But, can they cause other issues after being used? The answer is “YES” many issues! Here are the main concerns.

  1. Too much used “Just a Dab Will Do Ya” please…stop using sooo much!

  2. Over saturation can cause the latex backing (on the carpet) to delaminate

  3. Leaves residue in the carpet such as (Detergent or Solvent)

  4. Treated spot will attract dirt and debris

  5. Not particularly safe for kids and pets (the residue left behind)

  6. Detergents and solvents can remove color from carpet and upholstery

  7. Foam cleaners are expensive

Sound to picky here…not really, as a carpet cleaner we see this daily! I’m not kidding, all the drawbacks listed above are very common! We typically have to clean the affected area several times to flush all the detergent or solvent from the carpet. Many times, there was so much used, it will foam-up in our vacuum lines causing vacuum loss. Yes, foam carpet cleaners are so concentrated that it foams up our vacuum lines! This tells you how much residue was LEFT IN YOUR CARPET! Don’t get me wrong here, foam cleaners are what they are…just use them in moderation!

Exactly, it not necessarily the foam cleaner that’s causing the problem! Many time, is so over used that it created another problem. Many times you can avoid this by reading the direction thoroughly. Yes, I’m being serious, most people do not read the directions on how to use a product properly. This alone should solve many of the issues listed above. Try using some liquid carpet cleaners to achieve the same result. Many times, just using a warm (white terry cloth) and some lemon juice will get the same result without the harsh chemical residue.