Carpet cleaning – Hire a professional or do it yourself?

Even if you've had your carpet sprayed with Scotchgard when it was first installed, kept on top of keeping it clean by blotting stains and removing them as soon as you noticed, there will come a time when professional carpet cleaning is necessary.

Sometimes this is because you are having holiday company or moving out of the house, but the end result is always the same, you'll have to make the decision as to whether or not to have the steam cleaning done professionally or to do it yourself.

There are pros and cons to both sides. Having the carpet cleaning done professionally can be costly, and if you get a less than reputable company in your house the result can be ruined padding and floors, stained carpet and all hope lost of getting your damage deposit back if you are a renter. The up side is that if you hire a good professional, your carpet will be left healthy, look almost like new and come with a guarantee that you can hold onto.

If you choose to do the carpet cleaning yourself, you could save a lot of money - if you know what you are doing, how to do it and if you do not believe in magic. Otherwise, renting a carpet cleaning machine which you don't know how to work can damage the carpet and soak the floor, and you will be out of cash and still have a less than attractive carpet.

If you choose to do it yourself, do a little research as to the different chemicals used in professional carpet cleaning and keep the kids out of the house for the night afterward. Didn't know that one did you? Some carpet cleaning commercial products can contain chemicals which can hurt the kid's lungs and cause mold to develop in the carpet if it isn't suctioned or dried properly. You can look for chemical names on the container such as solvents and mildewcides, but any of these chemicals can irritate the tissue in the lungs or cause asthmatics to have a reaction. Best to keep everyone out until the carpet is completely dry and use a mask while you are carpet cleaning.

Use fans to speed drying or open the window/switch the central heating on. Professionals use big industrial fans which work well but are expensive for the average person to afford. Another thought is that the kind of carpet cleaners which can be rented at the local hardware store are a roulette as to whether or not the guy before you cleaned it properly before returning it. You can't be sure that they did, even though there is an added cost if they returned it dirty. You may end up spreading around someone else's carpet dirt instead of removing your own.

The bottom line in carpet cleaning is that given all the downsides to the process, you may be better off hiring a professional to do your carpet cleaning, but make sure that you ask questions about the types of chemicals that they use. If they are reluctant to discuss this, find someone else, a reputable company will be able to answer all of your questions to your satisfaction.

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