Okay, so last weekend I decided to tackle a job I'd been putting off forever: cleaning the tile floors. I'm talking kitchen, bathrooms, the whole shebang. Instead of getting down on my hands and knees like my grandma used to do, I figured I'd rent one of those tile cleaning machines.

First thing, I did a quick search online for "rent tile cleaning machine near me." A couple of places popped up, mostly big box hardware stores. I checked their websites to see what they had available and, more importantly, how much they cost. Prices seemed pretty similar, so I picked the store closest to my house. Figured less driving is always a win.

Headed to the store Saturday morning. Went straight to the rental center. There were a couple of different machines. One was a smaller, upright kind, and the other was a bigger, more industrial-looking one. I asked the guy behind the counter which one he recommended. He said the bigger one was better for really dirty floors, and since I hadn't cleaned mine properly in, uh, a while, I went with that.

Filled out the paperwork, paid the rental fee (plus deposit, of course), and they wheeled the beast out to my car. Thing was heavy! Had to get the guy to help me load it into the trunk. Note to self: next time, bring a friend.

Got it home and wrestled it out of the car. Read the instructions carefully – didn't want to break anything or, worse, mess up my floors. Basically, you fill the machine with water and cleaning solution, then you run it over the tile, and it scrubs and sucks up the dirty water.

Before I started, I did a quick sweep and vacuum to get rid of any loose dirt and debris. Then, I mixed the cleaning solution according to the instructions on the bottle. Some solutions are stronger than others, so make sure you’re not using too much.

Started in the kitchen. The machine was actually pretty easy to use. You just push it forward, and it does its thing. The dirty water tank filled up surprisingly fast! I had to empty it several times just to do the kitchen. Yuck! It was so gross to see the amount of dirt that came off the tiles.

Moved on to the bathrooms. Same process: fill the machine, run it over the tiles, empty the dirty water. One tip: be careful around the toilet and other fixtures. You don't want to splash dirty water everywhere. And wear old shoes or slippers – your feet are gonna get wet.

Finished all the floors in about three hours. Not gonna lie, I was exhausted. But the floors looked amazing! They were so much cleaner and brighter. Definitely worth the effort.

After cleaning, I emptied the dirty water tank one last time and rinsed it out thoroughly. Then, I wiped down the machine with a damp cloth to get rid of any residue.

Packed the machine back into my car and returned it to the store. Got my deposit back, no problem.

Overall thoughts:

• Renting a tile cleaning machine is a good option if you don't want to buy one. Especially if you only need it once in a while.
• The bigger machines work better for really dirty floors. But they're also heavier and harder to transport.
• Read the instructions carefully before you start. You don't want to damage the machine or your floors.
• Be prepared to empty the dirty water tank frequently. And wear old shoes!
• The results are worth the effort. My floors looked so much better after cleaning.

Would I do it again? Absolutely. Next time, though, I'm bribing a friend to help me load and unload the machine. Maybe pizza and beer?