How much does carpet cleaning cost?

When its finally time you decide to have your carpets cleaned, you may be wondering how much it costs. To determine the price of a carpet clean, there are a few factors we need to consider. Here, we will look at the different things that may affect the price of a carpet clean.

Before we start, we will look at the different choices you have. Clean them yourself or hire a professional.

DIY Carpet Cleaning

Do it Yourself carpet cleaning is usually the choice that springs to mind when you want clean, fresh carpets. This can be a great way to save money. There are pros and cons to consider which we will cover.

DIY carpet cleaning is often cheaper than hiring a professional if you already have a carpet cleaning machine, if so, then you are already halfway there. If not, you may need to purchase one. The average cost of a home carpet cleaner typically starts from around £200. Products for these machines are between £5-15 which will be enough to clean 2-3 rooms, depending on size.

Alternatively, you can hire a carpet cleaning machine, such as a Rug Doctor, from your local hardware store or tool hire company. The typical cost for a 24-hour hire is around £25, and 48-hour hire around £40.Products for these machines range between £10 – 30 (1L/5L bottles) which will cover between 1- 5 rooms depending on size.

If you are relatively local to the store from which you will hire, you also need to consider the time and cost of fuel collecting and returning the machine.

Professional Carpet Cleaning

Professional carpet cleaners, much like DIY hire, can range in price significantly also. The difficulty lies in determining which offer the best value for money. This will take a little effort on your part to research each company you are considering using and understanding what sets them apart.Unfortunately, some companies aren’t forthcoming with information about themselves so it can be difficult to compare ‘apples to apples’ if you don’t have all the information.

What could determine professional carpet cleaning companies’ prices? 

·     Training

·     Experience

·     Equipment

·     Overheads

·     Location

Training

Being an unregulated industry, anyone can call themselves a professional carpet cleaner without training. Unfortunately, many do. Those that do invest in training, however, gain more knowledge, understanding and are less likely to damage your carpets through lack of training.

Experience

A carpet cleaner who has been in the industry for 10 years has a better understanding of what it takes to run a successful cleaning business than a new start-up company. They have already adjusted their prices to suit the current market.

Equipment

There are various ways to clean carpets involving different machines. Here we will focus on the most common type, Hot Water Extraction(commonly known as steam cleaning). A plug in, electric portable machine, uses the client’s electricity and water. Has little running cost except maintenance of small parts and a replacement motor every few years. A truck mounted, industrial grade machine is petrol driven. So, the cost of regular service, oil change and fuel are considered.

Overheads

Day to day costs of running a business are considered here.Vehicle hire, insurance, tax, cleaning products all play a part. One company may use cheap products and get average results, while another may use expensive products and get great results. Ultimately affecting the overall cost of your clean.

Location

Where you are in the country can affect the price of a carpet clean. Large cities may be more expensive than rural areas. This could be due to parking charges, green zones, cost of living in that area. Fuel prices etc.

So, how much does it cost to clean a carpet? 

I know, you were probably hoping for a simple answer. It costs £x to clean a carpet. But the reality is it is difficult to say based on the factors mentioned above. But don’t worry, we have done the hard work for you.

We have taken ‘whole room prices’ and ‘charge by square metre’ prices and averaged them out based on various company price structures for carpet cleaning. Listed below are averages of several different companies to give you an indication of what you can expect to pay.

As an indication, based on a standard 3 bed property:

Living room £50.

Dining room £40.

Lounge diner £80.

Hall £20.

Stairs £24

Landing 20.

Bedrooms (Cleaning visible areas around the bed)

Single £15.

Double £20.

Master £25

We hope you have found this useful, and should you have any questions, feel free to contact us using the form on the website.