The Challenges of DIY Carpet Cleaning

We would all like to have clean carpets that look like they have just come from the seller’s shop. It’s good for your health and visitors will be impressed.

You can clean your carpet yourself by hiring machines to get the professional touch too. You would expect to get the best results using this approach. However, more often than not it will not be possible to do so. There are a number of reasons why things can go wrong. Here are a few:

Hiring a small machine allows you to fit it into your car. Using this approach means that you will get a low powered cleaning machine resulting in huge differences as opposed to using a large and more powerful one. A more powerful machine performs better under adverse conditions. It has more water pressure, heat and vacuum. You carpet will be left dryer, brighter and cleaner.

It may not always be wise to follow the adverts on TV or online videos regarding small machines because they do not produce the same results as professional machines. Remember hiring a machine is a business deal and it’s about making money from the client. As such, there will be adverts and images focusing on the exemplary performance of even the smallest machine that is not up to the task.

You could also ask yourself why there is such a huge variance in the price and size of carpet cleaning machines. There are professional carpet cleaning companies that acquire large machines for good reason. They get the job done well and according to the customers’ expectations.

Challenges

There are several challenges that arise when cleaning machines are hired. Some are rectified in good time. Others are identified long after returning the hired equipment. Among them are the following:

• A high content of residual detergent leading to quick re-soiling of the carpet.
• Excessive moisture left in the carpet resulting in shrinkage.
• Discoloration due to over wetting.
• Peeling off of carpet fabric due to the use of too much water.
• The wrong cleaning approach leading to the development of mold.
• Smell caused by dampness.
• Mediocre results as a result of using an under powered machine.
• Stubborn wine stains are difficult to remove – so keep it away from your carpet.

In terms of health, it is very risky to use a carpet that contains mold spores. The carpet will be damaged and inhalation of the mold spores will result in a serious deterioration of your health. It may force you to replace the carpet at a significant cost. Consequently, you will have incurred expenses on buying a carpet cleaner that does not serve its purpose and you will have to go shopping for a new carpet again. That in itself is reason enough to make you think twice about the DIY carpet cleaning approach. You may be fortunate to find that a professional cleaning carpet can undertake a salvage cleaning job and restore your carpet to pristine condition. Hence, the age old adage that ‘cheap is expensive’.