Don't Rent a Carpet Cleaning Machine
Before you Read This Article
Deep carpet cleaning is the process of removing all the accumulated dirt, bacteria, stains, odors, and oily residues that have bonded to fibers below the surface. Regular maintenance tasks like spot cleaning and vacuuming will slow the accumulation of soil below the surface — but cannot remove it.
So periodically, you'll need a deep cleaning.
Sometimes homeowners question whether they should try to tackle this job themselves with a rental machine from a local store, or whether they should hire a professional carpet cleaner. That's a reasonable question.
As you read our article below, I'm sure it'll be no surprise that we cannot recommend the rental machines from a store. In our client's best interests, we honestly think that the problems and sub-par results you will achieve with a rental machine are not worth the cost savings.
In fact, we think that the only advantage to DIY cleaning is that it's a little cheaper. We'd like to frankly discuss this important choice, and we appreciate that you're taking the time to read this article and explore your options in order to make the best decision for you and your home.
Carpet Cleaning Rental Machines
Carpet cleaning rental machines are an inexpensive way that can periodically give your carpets the deeper cleaning they need. Rental machines can seem like a good option as they are available at many local stores like Walmart, Kroger or Home Depot.
However, there are several costs and trade-offs that are worth considering when you are deciding which route to take for your home. Rental machines are typically between $35 - $50 per day. So, you can save some money in exchange for your time, trips to the store, and a lot of messy work.
However, if you choose this route, you truly need to make sure you perform the job correctly, or you can damage your carpet, and actually create a situation where your carpets end up dirtier due to rental machine sanitation and detergent residue issues.
Rental Trade-offs
With rental machines, it's up to you to learn the proper cleaning decisions — like which cleaning solutions and anti-foam agents to use, and how much to dilute them — and what adjustments you need to make depending on the age, soil level, and fiber material of your carpeting — be it olefin, nylon, polyester acrylic, wool or a blend of fiber types. Every unique carpet calls for unique solutions — varying levels of heat, agitation, dwell-time, suction power, solution blends, and drying time to achieve the best results. Also, the nature of the spots and stains in your carpet require a high level of knowledge to take the best course of action to remove them.
A rental machine usually only has a one-setting-fits-all when it comes to heat, agitation, and suction power. They come with their own brand of several cleaning solutions, anti-foams, and other additives that you have to choose from. Are you confident that you can make the best choices? This is why it's so easy to make mistakes using rental machines that lead to over-saturation, days of drying time, mold, mildew, fiber damage, and high amounts of residues left behind.
A rental machine has a very weak vacuum with inadequate extraction power to remove the dirty soap and water during the cleaning process. Among other problems, poor extraction can be a common cause of a sticky residue that leads to rapid carpet re-soiling and premature aging. Within a few weeks, your carpet could actually become dirtier than it was before cleaning.
Temperature is another major component to proper cleaning. Most rental machines don't produce their own heat. You have to add hot tap water to the tank, which instantly begins to cool. The hottest tap water is typically about 120 degrees to begin with. By the time you're done with a single cleaning pass, the temperature has easily dropped below 100. Therefore, you're going to get highly variable patchy results due to lack of consistent high-temperature water.
Plus, you truly have no way of knowing the condition of the last home or space in which the rental machine was used. Renters are supposed to clean the machine before returning it to the store, but they're big and bulky machines that are not easy to clean. Take a look at the bottom of a rental machine, and you'll often see a layer of mysterious dirt and hair and pet dander. You cannot guarantee the cleanliness and effectiveness of the rentals you bring into your home. It can lead to the spread of dirt, grime, pet hair, and odors from other people's homes.
Also, a bulky rental machine can be difficult to navigate. Small spaces, awkwardly shaped rooms, and maneuvering around large furniture like entertainment centers, pianos, and couches can lead to uneven cleaning and a considerable amount of missed areas.
It's a lot of messy work, then you have to clean the machine, and return it to the store, and stand in line to get your deposit back.
Is it truly worth the savings?
Reasons to Hire a Professional
On the flip side, professional technicians have the industry expertise, training, and experience to identify the optimal cleaning method, heat, solutions, and extraction power to apply to your unique carpet type, soil levels, and any spots and stains.
Extracting virtually all of the dirty water during the cleaning process is very important for a successful deep cleaning. At One of a Kind Pros Carpet Cleaning, our powerful carpet cleaning equipment uses the highest industry standard method — Hot Water Extraction — to remove virtually all the water and dirt. This process leaves your carpet not only much cleaner, but also allows your carpet to dry faster, and leaves behind virtually no soil-attracting residues, so your carpets stay cleaner longer.
Here's an article
on methods of carpet cleaning
that professionals use
and which one is "best".
Very hot water has a cleaning effect which is a major key to optimum carpet cleaning. Hot Water Extraction methods apply consistently high temperature cleaning power — up to 200 degrees or even higher — to every single inch of your carpet.
The high temperatures can better sanitize the carpet, kill dust mites, and effectively remove sticky oily residues and dirt that are bonded to the fibers. Also, at these high water temperatures, the drying time is much faster due to increased evaporation.
With One of a Kind Pros Carpet Cleaning, you are guaranteed high-quality service. With our powerful equipment, operated by a highly-trained expert with years of experience and the knowledge to adjust their techniques and solutions to achieve optimum results for your unique carpet situation, soil level, and degree of matting in high traffic lanes — we leave your carpet beautiful, thoroughly clean, soft, and odor-free — with virtually no residue left behind.
And as for clean equipment — after every service, our technicians completely clean and sanitize all the equipment to get rid of any previous home's residual dirt.
Conclusion
In the end, choosing a rental machine means you're often spending money on an ineffective solution. Professionals deliver a total deep clean that lasts — and can help extend the life and quality of your carpet.
The Honest Truth: while the DIY method is cheaper, and is often better than nothing, rentals simply can never be as effective as hiring a highly-trained and experienced professional — with the most powerful equipment available — who can achieve the delightful results that you'll truly feel good about.
If you have any questions about this article, or anything related to cleaning carpet, upholstery, tile and grout, and maintaining a healthy home, please feel free to give us a call, and let's talk!
To your healthy home,
