Should I Rent a Steam Cleaner or Just Buy a Steam Cleaner?

Pets, kids and spouses can all do some serious damage to carpets. Whether you are getting ready to move out or just want your home to look clean again, steam cleaning is an effective way to make your carpet look almost like new. You might even get used to this whole having your carpet look clean thing. This is when you may start to wonder what are the benefits of buying versus just renting.

I'm going to go through some of the pros and cons of buying a steam cleaner versus owning a steam cleaner. I have person experience renting and buying steam cleanings, but I eventually opted to buy a steam cleaner for my home after renting one a couple times. At the bottom of the page you can check out different types of steam cleaners to consider for purchase. 

Pros of Renting a Steam Cleaner 

• It usually only costs around 30 bucks to rent a steam cleaner for the day. There are lots of different locations that you can rent steam cleaners from including Rug Doctor, Home Depot, Lowe's and various moving companies. I highly recommend Rug Doctor, because they usually have a plethora of convenient locations in most areas.  
• If you have extremely messy carpets this is usually the way to go, because when you rent a steam cleaner you get a professional grade quality steam cleaner. This means that any tough stains you have will actually come up. You can actually buy a professional grade steam cleaner, but it will cost you around 500 dollars when you include tax. 
• You don't have to worry about repairs or replacement parts. All appliances eventually break, steam cleaners are no exception. 
• If you only plan on using the steam cleaner once, there is no real reason to buy one.

Cons of Renting a Steam Cleaner 

• Picking up and dropping of a steam cleaner can be a pain. Between gas, squeezing it in your vehicle and time spent, sometimes it is just better to cut your losses and buy one. 
• If new stains up you have to go rent a steam cleaner again. For people who want to keep their carpets looking new and stain free after they give it a deep cleaning, this can be a deal breaker. 
• For those wanting to give their carpets a deep clean more than once a year you'll end up spending about half of what it costs to get a low grade steam cleaner.

Pros of Buying a Steam Cleaner 

• It is available for you whenever you want it. Next time the cat, kids or whoever makes a mess, you can easily get rid of the stain. 
• If you give your carpets a deep clean once or twice a year, it keeps your carpets looking fairly new. This can be great news for people who may plan on selling soon, or if you simply don't want to play for replacement carpets for a long time. 
• Cleaning your carpet regularly is great for people with allergies. I personally have mild cat allergies and three cats. Deep cleaning the carpets is one of the many ways I can actually keep the allergies at bay. 
• You don't have to pick up or drop of the steam cleaner ever again. 
• You can lend the steam cleaner to your friends, family or neighbors as a favor. 

Cons of Buying a Steam Cleaner 

• Buying a really cheap steam cleaner will just not work as well. You may find that your purchase is a waste since it won't get out the tough stains. 
• It can be a high up front cost to get a good steam cleaner. It can be tempting to invest that money in other parts of your home. 
• Steam cleaners do eventually break. The cost of repairs and replacement parts can quickly add up. 
• If you end up never using the steam cleaner despite all your plans for clean carpets it can end up being a waste of money. Make sure to set up a schedule to deep clean the carpets, so your steam cleaner doesn't gather moth balls in the closet. 

Different Steam Cleaners for Your Consideration

Below are pictures of different types of steam cleaners for you consideration. Left click on the picture to get details about the different products.

The Dissel Upright Cleaner is a great option for people who have lots of semi-tough stains they want to address in their home. Dissel offers lots of different upgrades and versions, but this one costs a reasonable $169.99 at Best Buy.

The Portable Deep Cleaner is a great option for people who only have a couple of tough stains they want to address. This is also a great option if you want to clean out any stains in your car. You can find it at Best Buy for just $149.99.

The Rug Doctor is a professional grade cleaner that you would actually rent from most Rug Doctor locations. If you want a serious cleaner for some serious messes this is your steam cleaner, but it comes in steep at $400 for Lowe's.