Price check: Brooklyn carpet cleaners

When it came time to shampoo a few rugs, why not just call Sears? Here’s why: the last time they came, they left the carpets soaking wet, filling the joint with a musty not-so-freshness for several days. Plus they always try to push Scotchguard and use detergent that smells like dog shampoo. We’ve tried renting our own gizmo but  got lawn stripes on the floor. This time, we decided to shop around—and were amazed at the price differences quoted by various companies that service Brooklyn.

The job: a decent amount of wall-to-wall carpet (yes, some people still have it), 31 traffic-and-coffee-stained steps with two landings, three small synthetic area rugs. In addition to the price quoted for the whole job, included here is an area-rug estimate, in this case a nine-foot-round coil rug that needed cleaning on both sides. A tip: don’t take the first price. You can bargain with any one of these guys.

All-Boro Carpet Cleaning, 1-800-281-1103
Initial estimate: $982. Told we were seeking other estimates, rep came down to $600 for everything, “today only.” Rep also offered steam-only—no detergent!—for $497 total, but did not promise positive results.
Nine-foot area rug: $260

1-800-NY-Carpet
Immediately offered 15 percent off, for $785, then bottomed out at $750.
Nine-foot area rug: $243

A&B Carpet & Rug Cleaning, 1-800-743-0034
Several versions of the estimate, landed at $614.73 Nice rep almost made us want to hire him despite not offering the lowest price.
Nine-foot area rug: $125

The winner: Flat Rate Carpet, 1-888-905-RUGS.
Estimate: $470
Nine-foot area rug: $85.
We went with this company, obviously. For budget reasons, we decided not to clean the wall-to-wall, cutting the cost considerably. The guys were here for nearly two hours on the stairs alone. The football-sized coffee blotch disappeared along with all of the scuff marks. The stain removers left a heady whiff of something that can’t be good for you (the scary-looking can said “Powdered Formula 90”) but the steps look brand new. Nice work.