Carpet Cleaning Comparisons

Regular cleaning prolongs the life of your carpet.

A clean carpet depends both on good maintenance and regular cleaning. The Carpet and Rug Institute recommends having your carpets professionally cleaned every 12 to 18 months. When taking estimates from carpet cleaning professionals, inquire about the deep cleaning method they plan to use.

Basic Methods

All carpet cleaning methods fall under two basic categories -- wet or dry cleaning. Dry cleaning provides the easiest method and has the least potential to cause damage to the carpet, but it does not clean the carpet fibers deeply the way wet cleaning methods do.

Wet Cleaning Methods

Wet methods include aerosol spray foam, shampoo and steam cleaning. Steam cleaning works best for heavily soiled carpet, but can leave excess water in the fibers, especially if not performed by a trained individual with professional equipment.

Tips

Hire a professional recommended by friends or family to steam clean your carpets. Ask for references and inquire about the use of fans to reduce the drying time of the carpet. Maintain your carpet with weekly vacuuming and immediate spot removal as needed.

References

• Carpet and Rug Institute: Basic Cleaning
• Carpet and Rug Institute: Deep Cleaning and Selecting a Carpet Cleaning Professional
• Utah State University: Carpet

Resources

• Michigan State University Extension: Carpets Cleaning -- General Information