Carpet Cleaning Techniques

Comparing Carpet Cleaning Techniques

Keeping your carpets clean is one of the challenges faced by nearly every homeowner. Carpeting is exposed to some contaminants every day ranging from dust and dirt to food particles, pet stains, mold, and allergens.

Regular carpet cleaning can not only help keep your carpet looking new longer, but can increase its lifespan by removing rough dirt, which in turns reduces friction and wear on the fibers. There are two main carpet cleaning techniques that are traditionally used to tackle dirt and stains. These are steam cleaning and dry cleaning. Here is a quick comparison of the two methods:





Steam Cleaning

Steam cleaning uses hot water and detergent to clean the carpet. The name is somewhat misleading since steam plays absolutely no part in the cleaning process. Instead, the water and detergent do all the work and are then sucked up by a wet vac.

While this can be an effective cleaning technique, it is not without its downsides. For one thing, carpets that have been steam cleaned take a long time to dry. It can be hard to avoid walking on them for hours at a time. Not only that, but carpeting that is made from natural fibers can shrink as it dries, which may cause problems with how it fits in the room.

Dry Cleaning

Another common carpet cleaning technique is dry cleaning. With this method, professional carpet cleaners use a small amount of liquid to apply unique cleaning solutions to your carpet that break down dirt, oil, and other contaminants. These broken down contaminants are then vacuumed up, leaving your carpet clean.

The main advantage of dry cleaning is that it doesn't require a significant amount of drying time and won't shrink natural fibers.  The downside to this method, however, is that it relies on harsh chemicals that often carry strong odors. This may be a deal breaker for homeowners who are sensitive to odors or who don't want to use chemicals in their homes.

Hopefully, this gives you a better understanding of the main carpet cleaning methods that are available. When deciding which method to use for your home, think about the type of carpeting you have, whether or not you can avoid walking on it while it dries and whether you can tolerate harsh chemicals inside your home. These factors will help you determine which option is the best choice for your needs.

Learn more: What are Carpet Cleaning Machines...