Getting carpet professional cleaned

[JanetRose]

I usually clean the carpets using the rental machines from the local grocery store.

I have someone coming next week to clean the carpets in four rooms for about $300. Wow. He said their machine is mounted in their truck.

I'm assuming for $300 it will be a good job done.

[Gumbo4x4]

One thing about those folks - assuming they're good at their job - is that they know how to treat stains & other issues that you'd never be able to get clean on your own with a rental unit. If your carpet is just "dingy", I'm not sure how much better it'll look after a pro vs. the rental though.

[themilesfamily]

We get ours professionally done about every 6 months. (Cream-colored carpet + 4 cats + 1 child + neighborhood kids galore = many stains.)

We pay about $350 each time and I will say, our carpets look brand-new after he's gone. It's necessary for us until we can afford all new floor-covering.

[usnuzuloose]

Originally Posted by JanetRose

I usually clean the carpets using the rental machines from the local grocery store.

I have someone coming next week to clean the carpets in four rooms for about $300. Wow. He said their machine is mounted in their truck.

I'm assuming for $300 it will be a good job done.

How big are your rooms? And is it heavy soiled?

[RNMOM]

We used to self clean our carpets also. When we got new cut pile carpet we were advised to use only steam methods. It is better. There is no soap residue which holds on to the dirt, IMHO.

Be warned, they will try to sell you all kinds of stuff during the visit. We have 2 cats, one big messy dog and two adult sons living with DH and I. I know about dirt and messes. DH had them do the 'scotch guard and deodorizing' treatment to the tune of an additional hundred or so. It didn't make any difference at all. The house doesn't smell, even with the cat boxes cause we keep them squeaky clean.

I did buy the spot remover spray and it is really worth it. We use Stainmaster and I have been pleased with them and the spot remover.

Word of caution, I am missing a couple pieces of jewelry. I have no idea if the guy who was cleaning in the bedroom while the other guy was trying to talk me into the extras is responsible and when it even happened. I don't have a dresser top jewelry box but one in my armoire. I now put anything of value like electronics, jewelry and medicines in there and use a small zip tie on the knobs. Anyone could open it by cutting the tie but they couldn't deny they had done so. I hate having people come in. I have never had any problems except for this. How can you prove who took something?

[Christine]

Probably the best thing about the truck-mounted cleaning services is the amount of water they can pull out of the carpet when they are done.

The machines that you rent often do a fine job of cleaning but because they don't have the power to suck out all the water, the carpets stay very wet for awhile (increasing your chances of having mold/mildew issues) and they don't pull out the cleaning residue as well. That just makes the carpets look dirtier faster.

[Pea-n-Me]

Originally Posted by Christine

Probably the best thing about the truck-mounter cleaning services is the amount of water they can pull out of the carpet when they are done.

The machines that you rent often do a fine job of cleaning but because they don't have the power to suck out all the water, the carpets stay very wet for awhile (increasing your chances of having mold/mildew issues) and they don't pull out the cleaning residue as well. That just makes the carpets look dirtier faster.

+1

You also may be able to "shop around" for a better price and/or find coupons.

[Cinerbelle]

Wow, I think that is expensive. We get our 4 rooms of carpet and all of our tile (another 4 rooms) cleaned for $255. This is also a truck mount. We've used the same company for 4 years and it always looks brand new.

[minniecarousel]

In our previous house, the last time I used a pro, he left one room's carpet so wet that it smelled like a wet dog in there (we don't have dogs!)

I'll be using a guy who uses the "Host" system, a dry/no water system. My sister really likes her carpets done this way, so I'm willing to give it a try. I've been using my Hoover carpet cleaner and get black water up in this house! The carpets were filthy when we moved in a year ago, but we didn't have time to have them cleaned before we moved in.