In every walk of life, there are professionals who offer a service and people who would prefer to do it themselves. This is true of carpet cleaning as well, many people believe that hiring a carpet cleaner is easier and cheaper than hiring a professional to do it for them.
DIY carpet cleaning might not be as straightforward as they previously thought though and most of those same people regret not just hiring a professional to come and clean their carpets.
In this blog post, we will compare DIY carpet cleaning with a professional company. There are advantages to both, but only if used under the right circumstances.
What are the disadvantages of DIY Carpet cleaning?
There are many reasons why DIY carpet cleaning is often a mistake:
Carpets will get too wet and may take days to dry
Hired carpet cleaners such as rug doctors are not strong enough to clean dirty carpets
It is often more expensive than you think
You have no insurance if the damage is done
Are there any advantages to DIY carpet cleaning?
If done properly and the correct methods are used, then DIY carpet cleaning is a great option. The biggest thing to remember is, never to try to clean heavily soiled carpets on your own with the wrong equipment. Doing so will only lead to a wet, dirty carpet that smells like a wet dog.
As long as you do DIY carpet cleaning as a freshen-up and not a deep cleaning solution, there are a few benefits:
Cheaper than hiring a professional
You can do it in your own time. No need to wait around
Carpets can be cleaned more regularly
Stains can be resolved immediately
Is it worth it to clean your own Carpet?
Yes, cleaning your own Carpet is definitely worth it as long as you are maintaining an already relatively clean carpet rather than attempting to professionally deep clean one on your own.
There is a reason why professionals spend thousands on carpet cleaning equipment, and that’s because it is absolutely necessary to ensure a deep clean.
Believe me, even if the cleaning equipment was cheaper, plenty of customers would still prefer to get a company to do it for them so we aren’t just saying this for self-aggrandizing purposes!
What’s the best method of DIY Carpet Cleaning?
For do-it-yourself carpet cleaners, we highly recommend using the dry carpet cleaning method. It is a foolproof way of cleaning your carpets and can give you great results. You won’t be able to deep clean a carpet with a rug doctor anyway.
Dry carpet cleaning will actually give you slightly better results than using a hired carpet cleaner.
Dry carpet cleaning does not rely on much water (as the name suggests.) This makes cleaning your carpet a much safer task if you don’t have experience with a machine.
It is also pretty cheap to do, all you need to do is hire or buy a wet and dry vacuum and purchase some dry cleaning powder to do the job.
Is it easy to clean carpets yourself?
Cleaning carpets is not easy for professionals and it will be even harder if you try to do it yourself with inferior equipment. The easiest way to clean carpets yourself, however, is with the dry carpet cleaning method which is also the safest.
It is doable with the right techniques, but as we said previously, you will not be able to achieve the same results as professionals.
It’s always better to get a professional in to deep clean your carpets at least once a year, then you can go about maintaining it through the rest of the year.
Why choose professional carpet cleaning?
The reasons for using a professional company to clean your carpets are bountiful. The main reason is that you will never be able to achieve the same results using DIY methods and equipment as you can with professional equipment and experience.
Aside from that, here are some more reasons why you should choose professional carpet cleaning:
They are insured for worst-case scenarios
Carpets will be dry much faster
No back aches for you
Can be completed at a time and date suitable for you
You can carry on with your day while it gets done
The only way to make your carpets look new again
Professional carpet cleaning is the only way you can extract enough dirt to make your carpets look like new again. It is always amazing how much dirt comes out of carpets, even when they look relatively clean, to begin with.
What is the best kind of professional carpet cleaning?
In most cases, a mixture of steam and shampoo carpet cleaning is the best way to deep clean a carpet. This isn’t always the case though. For example, if you have a wool carpet then a low-moisture carpet cleaning method is safest.
If the carpet being cleaned doesn’t have heavy staining, then a dry cleaning method might be best used to avoid longer drying times, especially in the winter months, or if it is an end-of-tenancy carpet clean and you don’t have access to the heaters.
This is another reason why professional carpet cleaning is always better than DIY options, we know the correct and safe method for any situation.
Professional Carpet Cleaner Vs Homemade DIY Cleaning Solutions
When it comes to pre-treating your carpets before extracting them, professional carpet cleaning solutions outperform homemade DIY cleaning solutions by a considerable amount. There is no way that vinegar and baking soda can compare to professional cleaners, and it is potentially dangerous for your carpets to suggest otherwise.
Having said that, there are some decent homemade carpet cleaners that can help to clean your carpets without damaging them. Have a look at our ‘Homemade Carpet Cleaners: do they work?’ guide for more information.
Final Thoughts
We are sure that you will make the right decision for your carpets. Professional carpet cleaning may not be as expensive as you think, there are plenty of companies who offer great rates for your carpet cleaning needs.
More often than not, hiring a professional is only a bit more expensive than hiring out the equipment and buying the cleaner yourself.
If you want to know more, don’t hesitate to browse our blog on advice on how to clean carpets yourself, or why a professional is the best option for you.
