Renting vs Hiring vs Buying Carpet Cleaners

It’s a popular question. Should I rent a carpet cleaner? Should I just hire somebody? Should I just buy one? There’s valid reasons and arguments for all situations.

Personally, I like to have my own carpet cleaner at home, for spot cleaning and cleaning my carpets on my own. And then maybe hire somebody to come in every once in a long while to do a professional cleaning.

But, there are lots of opinions out there. Check this conversation out. There’s some pretty interesting comments in support of or against any of these options.

Some arguments that are made against renting a carpet cleaner:

  • Sometimes the machines haven’t been cleaned well by the previous renters.
  • There is a sort of “gross-factor” for some people where they don’t want to use a machine that has been used and maybe not properly cleaned on many different grimy carpets in many different people’s homes.
  • Doing it yourself with a heavy, rented machine can be a lot of work.

Some arguments that are made for renting a carpet cleaner:

  • Rented machines can be pretty powerful and can do a pretty good job.
  • The machines can usually hold a lot of dirty water (less emptying).

Some arguments that are made against hiring a carpet cleaner:

  • Can be expensive to have somebody come in and professionally clean your carpets.
  • You still may have instances where you wish you could spot clean (because of spills or high traffic areas) and it would be overkill to hire somebody to come in and clean that stuff.

Some arguments that are made for hiring a carpet cleaner:

  • They empty the dirty water into their own tanks and take it with them (not dumping it your tubs, toilets, sinks, etc.).
  • They often have pretty powerful cleaning machines, and might even move your furniture around for you (less work for you).

Some arguments that are made against buying a carpet cleaner:

  • Many of the machines that you can buy small dirty water tanks, and you might spend a lot of time emptying dirty water.
  • Doing all the cleaning yourself for a large home with lots of carpet can be a lot of work.

Some arguments that are made for buying a carpet cleaner:

  • You have the machine available at all times, and can use it whenever you need to, which comes in handy for spot cleaning and regular cleaning of high traffic areas.
  • They can be pretty affordable compared to the cost of renting or hiring on a regular basis.

As you can see, there is really no clear answer to which scenario is the best. They all can have certain situational benefits.

Consider these situations:

Maybe you are currently a renter. You don’t have pets. You don’t have kids. You only spend maybe a year at most in most apartments you live in. In this situation, you might be best served by just hiring somebody to come in and clean the carpets when you move out of your apartments. Without kids or pets, there’s less likelihood that you’ll need to do spot cleaning. You may be able to get away with a cheap only-when-you-move-out type of cleaning.

Maybe you have kids or pets, or have high traffic areas where you can tell the carpets get dirty on a regular basis. You feel the need to clean your carpets with a deep cleaner every month, or every couple months. You often have situations where you need to spot clean messes or spills on carpets. You may be best served by buying a good carpet cleaner to keep in your home. It will be there when you need it, which might be pretty often.

Maybe you have the need for somewhat regular carpet cleanings, but you don’t really have the desire to store a carpet cleaner or make the commitment of buying a machine. This could be for many reasons, really. In this situation you may be best served by just renting a machine when you want to clean your carpets.

It all comes down to your situation – your budget, storage options and desire to do the cleaning work in your home. What does your gut feeling tell you, after weighing the options?

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