With the UK economy experiencing the 'green shoots' of recovery form economic malaise, the arguments for renting equipment over buying it are still just as relevant as they were during the recent recession, when hire suppliers experienced a boom in business. More and more people, it would appear, are turning onto the notion that hiring the thing you need as and when you need it, rather than buying it outright and leaving it to gather dust when not in use, makes a whole lot of economic sense. And the humble carpet cleaner is a case in point.
Online suppliers of carpet cleaners reported a 30 percent increase in enquiries in 2009, on top of a 18 percent hike the previous year, which seems to indicate a growing awareness of a) the benefits of hiring over buying, and b) the wide availability of hire equipment in the modern economy. The carpet cleaner is a classic example of the type of equipment that is ideally suited to the rental market. For one, it is not something that is typically used on a daily, weekly or even monthly basis. Barring ad hoc use in case of emergency spillages, most householders only shampoo their carpets once or twice a year. The rest of the year, a vacuum cleaner does an adequate job, and carpets can be kept in good nick with just the occasional but regular care that comes from a 6-monthly deep clean.
Given the sporadic use of the equipment, it makes more sense to hire a carpet cleaner for the day, at a cost of perhaps as little as 20 pounds, than to buy a cleaner outright and have to store, maintain and keep the equipment fully functioning for a whole lifetime, only to bring it out of its cupboard every now and then.
While this is perhaps the most persuasive argument for hiring in the minds of most consumers, it is not the only one. Choosing to rent rather than buy also offers great choice, and the flexibility to change equipment depending on the size and nature of the job in hand. While a routine carpet clean can be done by any bog standard cleaner, the same tool is not necessarily suited to emergency spillages or large-scale, ground in, or otherwise problematic fouling of the shag. In that case, an industrial steam cleaner is probably the best solution. Renting rather than buying gives you the freedom to pick the best tool for the job, every time.
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