How to Know if Those Carpet Cleaning Extras Are Worth It

With kids, pets, and regular family spaghetti nights, your carpets are bound to see some wear and tear. Luckily, you can treat yourself to a professional carpet clean on occasion to get your space looking fresh again. 

Professional carpet cleaners do an unbelievable job at giving your carpets a much-needed refresh, but they often come with unexpected costs. Companies may charge extra for services like stain removal and staircase cleaning. Before hiring a carpet cleaner, know which extras you need to avoid confusion when you get your final bill.

How Much Does Professional Carpet Cleaning Cost?

Professional carpet cleaning costs range from $120 to $230, depending on the size of your home, type of carpet, and which add-on services you choose. Carpet cleaning companies typically have a flat rate for standard cleaning, with average costs ranging from $25 to $75 per room.

Research Extras Before Hiring a Carpet Cleaner

When your carpet cleaner suggests extra services after looking at your carpets, they aren’t necessarily trying to upsell you. Stubborn stains and odors can come from your toddler spilling a cup of juice, the puppy having an accident inside, or a glass of red wine toppling over. Whatever the case, your carpet cleaner will have to pull out all the stops to remove it completely. That requires extra labor and special supplies, like bacteria-killing enzyme solutions and heavy-duty scrubbers.

Responsible carpet cleaners aren’t trying to trick you into springing for extras, but the cost can add up, so be cautious before committing to a slew of add-ons. Look at your carpet and note any stains, odors, or otherwise problem areas, like layers of dirt hiding under the couch.

After you generally assess the condition of your carpet, find a local carpet cleaning pro and look at their offerings. Ask about their extra services and determine which ones you want to pay for and which ones you can DIY, either with a rented steam mop or a commercially available spot cleaner. You can remove some small stains yourself, but leave the stubborn ones to the pros.

Common Carpet Cleaning Extras

There are a few add-on services that cleaners commonly try to tack on to your carpet cleaning service. Beware—they cost extra. Look out for these add-on services when you go to hire a professional carpet cleaning service.

• Staircase cleaning: $3 per step or $45 for a 16-step staircase

• Stain removal: $25+ per stain

• Carpet sanitizing: $25 per room

• Carpet deodorizing: $20 per room

• Stain repellent application: $35 per room

Carpet Cleaning Extras Are Often Worth the Cost

To determine whether you really need those carpet cleaning extras, take a look at your budget, time availability, and cleaning skills. Most of the time, carpet cleaning extras are worth the extra cost, but there are a handful of situations where you should just say no.

Carpet cleaning extras are worth it if:

• your carpets are super dirty and need an experienced cleaner to get them up to snuff.

• you’re busy and short on time to DIY.

• your carpets are older, and you want to revive them.

• you’re willing to pay for convenience.

• you can’t get stubborn stains out yourself.

Carpet cleaning extras might not be worth the cost if:

• your carpets are new and don’t need a ton of deep cleaning.

• you’re a cleaning fiend and get a thrill from stain removal.

• you’re on a tight budget, and you’re ready and willing to DIY.

DIY Carpet Cleaning vs. Hiring a Pro

If you’re one to find deep cleaning exciting, try DIY carpet cleaning before hiring a pro. Some cleaning supply stores rent out steam cleaners, allowing you to tackle basic carpet cleaning on your own. To remove stubborn stains and odors, you can also purchase your deodorizer and detergent. The total cost of DIY carpet cleaning is around $50 to $75. 

While DIY carpet cleaning is half the cost of professional cleaning, it takes a lot of time and energy. Consider hiring a professional carpet cleaner to make things easier for yourself. Pros will have all the right tools to refresh and rejuvenate your carpets efficiently. You’ll be stepping on plush, like-new carpets before you know it.