Cleaning carpets and upholstery: borrow the equipment

What you need

A spray extractor sprays cleaning solution in and sucks it back out with the dirt — for carpet, sofa, car seats and mattresses. A steam cleaner loosens without chemicals; a wet/dry vacuum takes up water.

How to go about it

1. Furniture off the carpet, then vacuum thoroughly — whatever stays in now becomes mud later.
2. Pre-treat stains, mix the cleaning solution as the machine's instructions say.
3. Spray and extract strip by strip, overlapping, without soaking the carpet.
4. Windows open, let it dry six to twelve hours, only then move the furniture back.

An afternoon for the living room and sofa — plus drying time overnight.

Spray extractor

Sprays in and sucks out: carpet, sofa, mattress, car seats.

Wet/dry vacuum

Takes up water and coarse dirt — before washing and after mishaps.

Steam cleaner

Loosens stains and smells without chemicals, in joints and upholstery too.

What a day costs

Per device, the range a renter pays for one day at the catalogue's suggested prices — and, for comparison, what the cheapest device of that kind costs new.

Catalogue ranges, not current offers: what a neighbour actually asks is on their listing. The new price is the approximate value of the cheapest model in the catalogue.

Rent or buy?

A spray extractor is needed once a year and costs several hundred euros new; a day's rent is a fraction of that. With pets and pale carpets you might calculate differently — most people do not.

What matters

Vacuum thoroughly first, then wash. After extraction a carpet needs six to twelve hours to dry — ventilate. Usually bring your own cleaning solution; ask the owner what they recommend.

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