Keeping your carpets clean is a full time job, especially if you have kids or just a lot of traffic through your home. Regular vacuuming can keep them looking fresh but after a while they start to lose their original color. Deep cleaning the carpets will help to restore the color by removing all of the dirt and dust. If you are looking to deep clean your carpets, you are probably going to have to buy a carpet cleaning machine, rent one, or even hire a cleaning company to do it for you. There are benefits to each of these options and it really is preference. It is nice to have a carpet cleaner around your house in case of emergency spills or stains, but they are a little pricey.
Renting carpet cleaning machines is a great way to get the job done if you can dedicate a full day or two to cleaning your carpets. Usually you can rent a machine from a local hardware or grocery store for 1-2 days, which is plenty of time to clean your entire home. Most of the cleaning machines you can rent will be a wet cleaning system. These cleaners work by using very hot water and a cleaning agent to spray the solution deep into the carpet to break down the dirt. After it is loosened up, a brush or rotor will agitate the carpet to free any extra particles still stuck to the fibers. To remove the excess water and dirt, a powerful vacuum is used to remove everything. Depending on the type and thickness of your carpet, the carpets will take anywhere from 5 hours to a full day to completely dry. I always do my cleaning in the morning then get out of the house for the rest of the day to let it dry.
The alternative to renting one every time you need it is to purchase your own. Home carpet cleaning machines can be found from as low as $50-60 for a smaller model. The low priced and small vacuums will not be as powerful as commercial carpet cleaning machines. If you invest in a more expensive cleaning machine, it will likely be able to handle most of the cleaning needs you could have for your home. It’s nice to have your own because if you or someone you know spills something on your carpets, you can quickly grab your deep cleaner to clean it and help reduce the chance of staining. You will also have to purchase a cleaning solution to be used with the machine. You should figure out what type of material you carpet is made of before buying a cleaner because some materials require a special solution. It’s important to find the best carpet cleaning machine for your needs; if you are just looking to spot clean you do not need a huge full size model.
The third way to have your carpets cleaned and probably the easiest is to hire a cleaning company to do it for you. One benefit to this is you don’t have to do any work, and you can have it done while you are away, or on vacation. Most companies will take care of moving furniture out and back into the house so they make sure they clean all of the carpets and you don’t have to worry about anything. Commercial companies can be fairly expensive if you are looking to have your entire house cleaned, but a single large room could be cleaned for as low as $75.
However you decide to keep your carpets looking new, do it! Having brand new looking carpets makes a home look and feel fresh. It’s ideal to have your carpets deep cleaned every 3-6 months, on the lower end if you have children or pets who are tracking extra dirt and grime into your home. The dirt build up can start to cause odor problems and a good deep cleaning will solve these and have your carpets looking brand new.
