Cheap Carpet Cleaning: What Is the Best Choice?

Have you noticed lately that your carpets are a little dingy? Or maybe there are some stains from the kids and pets over the last few months. If so, it’s probably time to clean your carpet – especially if it has been a few years since the last cleaning.

Your next step is to decide what is best for your home and family budget. You want a professional-grade clean, and you want it done right, but don’t want to overpay. So, you have to decide: should I rent a carpet cleaner or hire a professional? In this article, we’ll go over some things to think about before you make your final decision about carpet cleaner rental vs professional carpet cleaning.

Carpet Cleaning Topics We’ll Cover In This Article:

• The Difference Between Carpet Cleaners and Steam Cleaners
• How Much Does Carpet Cleaning Cost?
• Carpet Cleaner Rental: Cost & Benefits
• Buying a Carpet Cleaner: Cost & Benefits
• Hiring Professional Carpet Cleaning Services: Cost & Benefits
• DIY Carpet Cleaning vs. Professional
• Affordable Carpet Cleaning: Our Recommendation

The Difference Between Carpet Cleaners And Steam Cleaners

Actually, there is not a difference in the DIY machines – a lot of people call it ‘steam cleaning’ but it’s in fact a hot water extraction machine. The usual process to clean carpets is through machines (like our upright carpet cleaners) that spray down hot water and then suck it back up. It is generally acknowledged that the term steam carpet cleaners really indicates hot water extraction machines.

How Much Does Carpet Cleaning Cost?

How much carpet cleaning costs depends on the amount of time that you want to rent a carpet cleaner, if you want to purchase a carpet cleaner and/or how many rooms you want to have a professional service clean for you. It also depends on how much you want to spend on cleaning all at once and how much time you want to devote to the project.

Carpet Cleaner Rental: Cost & Benefits

Renting a carpet cleaner is a simple and easy way to get the carpets in your home clean. You can find a Rug Doctor® by BISSELL® carpet cleaner rental near you and pick it up at any of our thousands of retail partner locations.  We offer 24 or 48 hour rentals (48-hr availability may vary by retailer) giving you enough time to check off multiple tasks on your cleaning list.  Not sure which machine you should rent? All our upright carpet cleaner rentals are full-size carpet cleaning machines that will give you professional-grade carpet cleaning results. They are designed with the DIY homeowner in mind.

How Much To Rent A Carpet Cleaner

Our rental machines are $39.99 for 24-hour rentals and $49.99 for 48-hour rentals*. If you’re looking for a cheaper carpet cleaning option, this could be the way to go! We recommend cleaning your carpets at least once per year, but you could need to do it more often depending on how many people and pets live in your home and what kind of messes get on your carpets.

Benefits Of Renting A Carpet Cleaner

• Cost-Effective – At only $39.99, renting is an affordable way to get a professional-grade carpet clean.
• DIY – Get your carpet clean on your time. Don’t worry about the hassle of quoting the project, scheduling time for cleaning, and getting your family out of the house during business hours. Just clean when it is best for you.
• Clean to your standards & get professional-grade results – You know exactly where your dog always sleeps and where your kids snack by the TV. With a carpet cleaner rental, you have the time to pay special attention to those areas that really need to be cleaned.
• No maintenance or storage – Don’t worry about machines breaking or where to keep them when you aren’t using them. Just drop it back off at the store when you are done. No fuss!

Buying A Carpet Cleaner: Cost & Benefits

Purchasing a carpet cleaner is handy to have on-hand for pet messes and quick clean-ups but consumer-grade machines don’t clean as well as professional-grade rentals and services. Plus, there are maintenance and storage issues to contend with.

Cost To Buy A Carpet Cleaner

Carpet cleaners cost anywhere from $100 to $600. This is more of an upfront cost investment, but you could reap the benefits of clean over time.

Benefits Of Buying A Carpet Cleaner

• It’s always available – There is no need to call a professional or go to a store to rent a machine when there is a mess on your carpet.
• DIY – Get your carpet clean on your time. Don’t worry about the hassle of quoting the project, scheduling time for cleaning, and getting your family out of the house during business hours. Just clean when is best for you.
• Clean to your standards – You know exactly where your dog always sleeps and where your kids snack by the TV. When you own a carpet cleaner, you have the time to pay special attention to those areas that really need to be cleaned.

Hiring Professional Carpet Cleaning Services: Cost & Benefits

If you don’t want to spend any time cleaning your carpet, then hiring a carpet cleaner is for you. The work will usually come with a warranty and guarantees and, if you work with a reputable company, their employees should be licensed and insured.

Professional Carpet Cleaning Cost

The downside of hiring a carpet cleaner is the cost. The cost of professional carpet cleaning services will depend on the number of rooms you want cleaned but expect somewhere between $200-$330 (potentially higher in some areas of the country). This cost doesn’t include cleaning any furniture.  Also add-on treatments can increase the cost quite a bit.

Benefits Of Hiring A Carpet Cleaner

• No work is necessary – You don’t have to set aside time and put in effort to clean your carpets because it is done for you.
• Get clean carpet – Look forward to the easiest way to get clean carpets in your home
• No maintenance or storage – Don’t worry about machines breaking or where to keep them when you aren’t using them. Just drop it back off at the store when you are done. No fuss!

DIY Vs. Professional Carpet Cleaning

Why would you choose to clean your carpet yourself instead of having a professional come into your home? There are several reasons. You might be going back and forth on a few yourself.

The biggest thing is cost. It’s a lot cheaper to rent or buy a carpet cleaner than to hire a professional to come into your home. On the other hand – do you have the time to clean your own carpets? If you do, you might want to save that money and do the job yourself. Once you’ve done it, you’ll see it’s not hard at all. It just takes a little time and care.

Another factor is having people in your home. Are you comfortable having people you don’t know in your home for an extended period of time? If you are, then this might not be an issue for you. If you aren’t comfortable with that, then maybe renting or buying a carpet cleaner is better for you.

You may not be able to ‘do it right.’ Don’t let the professionals scare you. Carpet cleaning machines are easy to use and achieve professional grade results. With easy-to-follow directions and a little time, you can do DIY carpet cleaning without any problems. See how easy it can be to use a machine here.

Carpet Cleaning Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Is It Better To Clean Carpet Yourself Or Hire Someone To Do It?

A. Although only you can decide what’s best for your home, we know our Rug Doctor® by BISSELL® rental machines will give you a professional-grade clean at an affordable price. Professional carpet cleaning will also clean your carpets beautifully, it will just cost you more money.

Q. Is Professional Carpet Cleaning Worth It?

A. A professional carpet cleaning service may be worth it if you don’t want to spend the time cleaning carpets.

Q. Does Renting A Carpet Cleaner Work?

A. Yes! Rental carpet cleaners work well, and they are a much more affordable option than hiring a commercial carpet cleaner service.

Affordable Carpet Cleaning: Our Recommendation

At the end of the day, we want you to get the best option for the lowest cost and our recommendation is to rent a Rug Doctor® by BISSELL® carpet cleaner. For only $39.99 you can rent an upright carpet cleaner for 24 hours and get professional-grade carpet cleaning in your home within your budget. Our rental machines are available in thousands of stores around the country. Find a location near you today!

*Pricing and availability of 48 hour rental may vary by retail location.