how long to clean carpets? (staircase, family room, cost, furniture)

[NeedAVacation]

We need to have the carpets cleaned in the home we are buying: family room, staircase, hall and 3 large bedrooms. Does anyone have an idea of how long this process might take? DH wants to rent a machine and thinks the whole process will only take a couple of hours. I'm afraid it will take quite a bit longer and think it might be worth it to pay for a professional to come in right after we close. (I got a quote for $159 to do it all.) Any thoughts?

[StarryEyedSurprise]

At the very least a full day if you are doing an entire house. How dirty are the carpets?

[mommytrish]

It would probably take at least a full day doing it yourself. By shopping around, you can get this done professionally very affordably, often times for less than the cost of renting the machine and buying all the shampoo, with better results as well. I would say it is definitely worth hiring a professional.

[BusySocialWorker]

I would venture to say almost a full day if you are doing it yourself and really want to do a good job... plus dry time... I would hire a professional.

[NeedAVacation]

The family room carpet has some stains and looks fairly dirty, and the staircase is very worn. The bedrooms aren't bad. The house would be vacant so there's no furniture to move around. I'm wondering how long it would take to dry as well.

[mommytrish]

Ours always takes about 3-4 hours to dry.