If you are someone who has a carpet in your home or place of business, you will know how useful a carpet can be. Not only are carpets comfortable to walk on, they help to keep the place a bit warmer and generally more welcoming. That being said, carpets can be challenging to keep clean. They require pretty continuous time and effort to be provided to keep them clean. Or, alternatively, you can hire a pro.
If you do decide to hire a carpet cleaning professional, though, you might run into a common issue: evaluating carpet cleaning prices. The cost of cleaning a carpet is dependent on many factors, but for some, it can be hard to justify the price that you are being charged for that particular cleaning service. With that in mind, then, let us look at the truth behind carpet cleaning prices.
This should make it easier for you to understand what you are paying for, and why the price is as it is.
First off – are carpet cleaning prices worth it?
Before we look at things like the average cost of carpet cleaning in the UK, you need to determine if this is a worthwhile service. After all, could you not simply clean the carpets on your own?
You could but you will no doubt find that the benefits are not quite as obvious as they first appear. For example, if you do decide to get your carpets cleaned by a professional, you will pay a set, agreed price. If you decide to clean the carpet yourself, you run into three issues:
ï You need to find the time – often hours – to give the carpet a thorough clean and dry
ï You need to buy cleaning products which will clean your carpet to a high standard
ï You need to invest in equipment to use for the cleaning, which can be pretty varied
As you can see, then, there are some reasons why you might consider carpet cleaning prices to be worthwhile. Factor in the ‘time is money’ argument, too, and the time you lose cleaning your carpet could be better spent elsewhere. This is something to focus on because your time is precious. If you buy all of the cleaning equipment and reagents, too, it can cost quite a lot of money. So, is it worth it?
You might find that when you factor in the time and the cost of equipment, it is cheaper to hire a carpet cleaning professional.
What is the average cost of carpet cleaning in the UK?
The challenge with finding a set price is that the UK is a massive country geographically. This means that everything changes price from one town to the next: food prices, travel rates, house costs – everything. Well, carpet cleaning is no different. For example, hiring a local carpet cleaner in a town of 10,000 is going to be cheaper than hiring a carpet cleaning company in a metropolis like London.
That being said, you will find that there are, on average, rates that tend to be stuck to by many carpet cleaning companies. Typically, you should expect the hourly rate of a carpet cleaning firm to start at £60/hour and top out at around £120/hour.
If you are receiving a carpet cleaning fee for less than £85 per trip, though, you should query the overall quality of the carpet cleaning service being provided in the first place. For smaller rooms, though, you could expect the general cost to be around £50 for a space of around 4m x 4m. It simply depends on where you are based, though; again, a carpet in a bigger city will cost more to clean than a carpet in a smaller, rural town.
Is it cheaper to simply replace my carpet?
So, for some, it can feel like it is easier to just rip out that old carpet, get rid of it, and replace it. The reality is that this is nowhere as successful as it might first sound!
Factor in the cost of a new carpet. Even a standard carpet will set you back three to four figures. A higher-end carpet with proper underlay and protection will comfortably break into the four-figure margin. Then, you factor in things like the time it takes to have the carpet fitted. Before you know it, the cost of a new carpet is nowhere near as cost-effective as it might sound. Factor in the cost of carpet disposal, too, and you are dealing with a headache and a half!
For the most part, then, you should not expect that replacing your carpet is going to be cheaper than having it cleaned. Even the most thorough cleaning of the largest carpet should be cheaper than a full-on replacement.
Can I get away with a ‘soft wash’ carpet cleaning service?
If you are looking to be safe with your money, one carpet cleaning option is known as a ‘soft wash’ carpet cleaning service. These are generally much quicker and simpler, and they tend to be a far less thorough process. Soft washing basically the ‘quick’ mode and will simply involve someone using a steam cleaner. It simply cannot provide the same level and depth of carpet cleaning care as a more thorough clean.
The thing to ask yourself is this: how bad is the carpet? If your carpet is still quite new, then frequent soft wash services can keep it looking spectacular. If your carpet is dated and needs a thorough cleaning, though, soft washing is not likely to restore it back to the quality you demand.
Thorough carpet cleaning goes to a much higher level of detail. It involves things like vacuuming, pre-spraying of the carpet, mechanical cleaning, and steam cleaning as well as assistance with drying. This means that you are left with a carpet that, if cleaned by the right professionals, should look as good as new once again. Unless your carpet is near-new, then, a thorough clean is always the better option.
So, if you are uncertain about what to do, think about the carpet cleaning costs you have in mind. You can use these ideas to your advantage to make sure you can get the best end results and make sure that you feel like the carpet cleaning service that you hired was capable of providing meaningful value for money moving forward.
