Professional carpet cleaning vs rental

[sleepypeanutsmom]

Hi Mamas~
Our carpets desperately need a cleaning. I have always hired someone to come and do it but I'm considering renting a cleaner and doing it ourselves as I'm guessing it is less expensive.

Do you have any experience with this? Would you recommend it? Any tips or recommendations for brands of cleaners to rent?

Thanks!

[ASusan]

DH does the rental. It worked fine on our 18-month-old carpets. But on our previous apartment carpet, not so much. But, then again, the professional job at the apartment wasn't that great, either. (Cleans the top fibers, but after a week or so, the fibers get mashed and the dirt from below starts to show.)

It's my understanding that the tools the professionals use have much greater suction than the rental units, so that it can get more dirt out, and leave the carpets much drier. This was my experience in the basement of a house I once owned.

Another advantage of the professional I used was that he used only hot (VERY hot) water, which killed all the buggers in the carpet, but, obviously, left no chemical residue or smell. He also offered "green" cleaners, which I did not use.

[busymama77]

The only kind of cleaners that we've ever rented have been from a local grocery store. I'm guessing that it still available, but am unsure and how much they cost these days, as shortly after we rented one, we bought one and have been using one of those for the past 7 years. We recently just got a new one, so that tells you how long they last.

[ASusan]

To really answer your question, we rented at Lowes, which had the Rug Doctor. Kroger also has Rug Doctor. There were no other options available. I think it was just under $50 for 24 hours. Once, we shared this with friends, so we could split the cost.

[Isaac'sMa]

I've used the rug doctor in the past with wonderful results. http://rent.rugdoctor.com/

I thought it did a great job though it is time consuming to DIY. I was happy with it b/c I didn't want a lot of the chemicals that I figured I'd get if I used a commercial cleaner. I used a hot water/borax mix instead of the stuff they recommended to go with it.

[josie143]

I Love the Rug Doctor ! It takes a while but cheaper and I use Baking soda and water!

[MsVyky]

I won't even bother with the rug doctor (especially if you have pets). We just had a professional cleaner come by to do some spot cleaning (crusted-in dog diarrhea that we came to. Our house sitter didn't do a very good job) and the difference is unbelievable. Plus the carpet was dry when he left. NOt having soggy carpets is a definite plus.

We've rented rug doctors numerous times a they don't even compare.

[sunnysandiegan]

I have a friend who owns a flood restoration company. They deal with all sorts of cleanup. The biggest difference in the professionals and DIY is the amount of water left behind. We live in a dry climate, so it isn't as critical, but it can be annoying. If too much water is left behind (and it doesn't dry fast enough), then you can end up with mildewing and mold and other nasty smells and such. If you DIY, make sure you have good airflow.

[RainbowTurtle]

Before you rent, ask if they have deals on certain days. One store here offers 48 hours for the price of 24 hours on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Their standard price is $30 for 24 hours.

[busymama77]

We just cleaned our carpets - two floors worth (7 rooms including the hallway and stairs) - with our Bissel home cleaner and it took maybe 2 hours to do. The smell and feel of clean carpets is unbeatable.