Berkely, Michigan residents know when they’re up against when renting a steam cleaner.
Whether it’s accidents from the new puppy, spills from the toddler, or a misstep when the Michigan weather moved the barbecue indoors, sometimes your carpets need a little extra care. Or maybe it’s just been a while since the last deep clean. Either way, an annual deep-cleaning can extend the life of your carpet, keeping your home looking great. But should you rent a steam cleaner or hire some help? Here are five things to consider while making your decision.
What is your time worth?
If you’re considering renting a steam cleaner, consider what your time is worth to you. Would you rather spend the day with your family or lugging around a heavy cleaning machine? And it’s not just the time it takes to do the cleaning: it’s the time it takes to learn to do the job right. Carpet cleaning includes a few crucial elements that are tricky if you don’t do it every day. For example, getting the correct ratio of detergent to water, knowing if the machine isn’t running properly, and recognizing when the detergent and water are sufficiently removed from the carpet—all this takes skill, which comes with practice.
Rented carpet cleaners can be heavy.
Some rental cleaners can weigh 40 pounds, and that’s before filling the tank with water and detergent. Water weighs about eight pounds per gallon, so a four-gallon tank can easily add another 30 pounds to your load. That’s as much as 70 pounds to contend with as you try to steam clean your carpets.
It’s important to consider what you’re comfortable lifting. Heavy equipment can be difficult and dangerous to maneuver, especially if you’re not trained and experienced in using it. You can count on sore muscles, and you risk a serious injury. The last thing you want is to be laid low for weeks on end because of a slipped disk in your back.
Who knows a rental machine’s history?
As with any rental, you don’t know the machine’s history, and it’s common for steam cleaners to endure harsh treatment. How old is it? Who’s rented it? Has it been treated roughly? Does it still work, or will you have to return it to the store and negotiate for your money back? Those questions aren’t easy to answer.
Added costs can be deceptive.
You should expect to rent a steam cleaner by the hour or day, so you’ll need to estimate how long you’ll need it. If you don’t steam clean often, that estimation can be tricky, especially since the time is so variable. Depending on factors, including the surface area you intend to clean, steam cleaning can take a day or longer.
You’ll also need to budget for detergent, which you will usually have to buy separately. It can be difficult to know which product is best for your carpet, and what you can use safely with the steam cleaner. For instance, a vinegar-water solution is a common alternative to expensive detergent. However, it can be hard to get a clear answer about whether it will damage the rental machine.
A rented machine may not clean your carpet as well as you need.
Temperature is important when cleaning carpets: rented steam cleaners often don’t have the power to keep the detergent solution hot enough to kill the bacteria and allergen proteins in your carpet which are most responsible for the allergens in your home.
They also lack the power to sufficiently remove the detergent and water from your carpet. This is critical, because detergent and moisture left in your carpet fibers can cause mold to grow. Without the appropriate treatment, the expense of replacing moldy carpeting could overshadow the cost you hoped to save through renting a steam cleaner.
Hiring a professional cleaning service can ease these concerns.
At Modernistic, our certified technicians will take care of all the heavy lifting, saving you the risk of injury and the hassle of loading a bulky machine into your car. They come with extensive training and experience, so you can trust that they’ll do the job right the first time. We keep our gear in top-notch condition. Our truck-mounted cleaner provides about 20 times the power of a typical rented machine and contains a vacuum system capable of lifting a 15-pound bowling ball. If it can do that, it can clear the soil and detergent out of your carpet.
And at the end of the day, we will leave your carpet so clean you’ll be walking barefoot on it for the rest of the week.
So contact us today, by phone or using our online scheduler, where you can also get a quote to better estimate cost. Don’t forget to check out our coupons, which make it even easier for you.
Our work comes with a 100 percent satisfaction guarantee. So instead of renting a steam cleaner, let us save you time, money, stress, and sore muscles.
Your carpet will thank you.