Price is what you pay - Value is what you get.
When you select a carpet cleaner, you'll choose from a wide variety of cleaning methods and prices.
Shaw Industries, the world's largest carpet manufacturer, recommends hot water extraction and here's why: A twin vacuum system unit cleans much better than a hire (or DIY) machines for three reasons:

1) It heats the water to a higher temperature. For every 10 degree increase in temperature above 50 degrees C, you double the waters cleaning ability. So if the water temperature is 60 degrees C, it will clean twice as well as water that is 50 degrees C, and so on.

2) It shoots the cleaning solution into your carpet at higher pressure, which breaks up dirt, bacteria, pollens and chemicals. 7 to 14 Bar (100 to 200 pounds per square inch) is the optimum pressure for hot water extraction û Hire machines only run at 2-3 Bar (30-40 psi).

3) The machine uses stronger suction to draw the dirt, chemicals, pollens etc. out of the carpet.

Not surprisingly, having your carpet thoroughly cleaned with hot water extraction costs more than renting a shampooer at the corner grocery store.

If you bought the cheapest carpeting you could find, then renting a small shampooer might be all you need. No question, it will get out some of the dirt û but the key word here is 'some'. It will not get out many of the pollens, chemicals, bacteria and dust mite residues.

On the other hand, if you want your carpet to look good and give you years of dependable service, then you need to take extra care of it. This means you need to have it cleaned by a skilled, qualified technician at least every six months to one year, depending on the amount of soiling and foot traffic it receives. And you need to have it cleaned thoroughly and disinfected, as only a hot water extractor can do.