There’s no doubt that professional carpet cleaning services provide unmatchable deep cleaning power and pristine results. But we all know just how costly it can be to regularly have the pros come out. For London homeowners looking to keep carpets relatively fresh between professional cleanings, renting a carpet cleaner machine can seem like an affordable DIY solution.
Rental carpet shampooers from your local shop certainly have their place for basic surface cleaning and tackling smaller messes. However, there are some important tricks and hacks to be aware of before tackling a full DIY carpet cleaning job. Doing it right can maximise your rental machine’s capabilities while avoiding some major potential pitfalls.
If you plan on hiring a carpet cleaner in London, read on for the essential DIY carpet cleaning hacks that will help you achieve better results and steer clear of amateur mistakes. With some expert-approved tips, you can get more cleaning power out of that rental unit.
Rent the Right Size Carpet Cleaner One of the first missteps DIYers make is renting a carpet cleaning machine that is too small for the job. Most hardware and grocery stores offer compact rental units designed for quick, light-duty cleanings. But if you’re planning on deep cleaning multiple rooms or a large area, these little machines simply won’t cut it.
For bigger DIY carpet cleaning jobs, you’ll want to size up to a beefier rental model that can handle long sessions without overheating or losing suction power. Always check the tank capacity and square footage recommendation before renting.
The general rule is to rent a mid-size or full-size machine for your carpet cleaning in:
- Homes with an area bigger than 1,000 sq ft
- Multiple rooms
- High-traffic spaces
- Homes with heavy carpet soiling
While more expensive, the extra cleaning performance of a larger tank and brush will be well worth it versus having to keep refilling and re-renting smaller units. Look for rental centres that specialise in heavy-duty, professional-grade carpet cleaning equipment for the most capable DIY machines.
Master the Carpet Cleaning Process Simply running a rental shampooer over your carpets isn’t enough for quality results.
There are some important steps that should never be skipped:
Vacuuming: Always start by thoroughly vacuuming carpets to remove any loose dirt, debris and surface soil. This preps carpets and prevents the loose particles from becoming muddy when wet.
Pre-treating: Next, use a quality pre-treatment product to spray on any spots, stains or high-traffic areas that need extra attention. Let it dwell for the recommended time to start breaking down the soiling.
Manage water usage: One of the biggest mistakes is over-wetting carpets. Only do a couple of passes while cleaning each section. Going over the same area repeatedly will leave carpets soaked, which can risk mould/mildew issues.
Extract: Extracting as much water and solution as possible from the carpet pile is crucial. Go slow and make multiple dry passes after each wet one to maximise water removal and prevent over-wetting.
Edge cleaning: Most rental machines struggle to reach and clean along baseboards and carpet edges. Consider renting or buying a separate hand tool specifically for this, as skipping these areas leaves carpets looking sloppy.
Work in sections: Rather than randomly crisscrossing carpets, work methodically in straight lines and sections. Start in the room’s farthest corner and work your way backwards towards the exit for clean results.
Finishing up: Be sure to groom carpet fibres with a brush tool after cleaning to realign them and hasten drying time. Lift up any furniture legs and lay down fans or dehumidifiers to accelerate air circulation.
Mastering each of these steps is key to getting a true deep clean versus just wet vacuuming your carpets. Take the time to fully extract as much dirty solution as possible for maximum cleaning performance.
Don’t Forget to Protect Yourselves When using rental carpet cleaning equipment, it’s important to think about protecting your home – and yourselves – during the DIY process.
Always thoroughly read the rental company’s carpet cleaning machine instructions to understand proper operation, solution mixing ratios, and safety guidelines. Many units require specific solutions or warm water temperatures, so never use random household cleaners.
Wear protective gloves, shoes and clothing you don’t mind getting wet or stained. The dirty extracted water gets messy, so you’ll want to avoid soaking through to your skin. It’s also a good idea to open windows or use fans for proper ventilation if you’re indoors.
You’ll also need to take precautions for drying time. Most rental carpets will take 8-24 hours to fully dry depending on temperature, humidity, airflow and how much solution was used. Avoid heavy traffic on the cleaned areas, close off spaces to pets/kids, and use fans or dehumidifiers to accelerate carpet drying.
Consider Upgrades for Tougher Jobs
Sometimes standard rental carpet cleaning machines just aren’t enough to get the job done if carpets are extremely soiled or stained. For tackling really tough jobs, there are some DIY upgrade options that can boost your rental unit’s cleaning performance:
Spot bots: These specialised spot cleaning machines use spinning brush heads and concentrated solution to really grind out deep stains and high traffic areas. Renting one in addition to the main unit helps rejuvenate problem areas.
Truck-mount: While expensive, hiring a truck-mounted carpet cleaner provides the same professional-grade power and heat used by the pros. With proper technique, the hugely amplified suction and water pressure can produce near-commercial level cleaning results.
DIY cleaning products: Basic rental solutions may not be potent enough for tackling heavy soiling or getting out set-in stains. Investing in higher-quality specialty DIY carpet cleaning products like oxygenated solutions or enzyme treatments can really amp up your cleaning game.
Of course, any DIY upgrades will entail extra costs on top of the standard rental fees. But they can be a wise investment compared to constant rental charges or calling in professionals for situations where serious carpet cleaning is required.
The Limitations of DIY Cleaning It’s important to keep expectations realistic when undertaking heavy-duty DIY carpet cleaning with rental machines. Even with mastering techniques and premium accessories, rental units can only achieve so much when operated by amateurs.
If carpets are extremely soiled, stained or haven’t been cleaned in years, there’s a high likelihood rental machines won’t fully restore them. Issues like stubborn odour problems, mould, or carpets that have been rented also typically require professional-grade carpet cleaning solutions and equipment.
For periodic maintenance cleans and light duty refreshing, hiring rental carpet cleaners can be effective and economical for DIY homeowners. However, at a certain point of carpeting damage or indoor environmental conditions, you’ll ultimately need to call in the expert technicians and truck-mounted systems of the top professional carpet cleaning services in London UK.
With reasonable expectations and a bit of preparation, renting a quality carpet cleaning machine can be a cost-effective option for keeping your floors relatively fresh between pro cleanings. Just be sure to follow best practices and properly use quality solutions to get the most performance out of your rental unit. A little elbow grease and know-how can go a long way in DIY carpet cleaning – or at least buy you more time before needing the pros like Vip carpet cleaning London again.