Dry Carpet Cleaning vs. Steam Cleaning

By Amy Renken

Ah, the great debate – which one is more beneficial to your carpet, its lifetime, and the stains it holds? Although both methods have their own disadvantages and advantages, the preferred method is steam cleaning – and we’re here to tell you why.

• More chemicals or less chemicals?

It’s up to you! We get asked all the time about whether or not our services are safe for our customers’ pets and children and we’re always happy to answer with “yes!” However, we can’t say the same for dry cleaning your carpet because you need to apply some type of chemical agent to be able to clean it thoroughly.

• How long will I have to wait for my carpet to dry?

Dry cleaning is not entirely dry because it does require some type of “pre-spray.” While most people choose dry cleaning because they’re concerned about the amount of moisture that will be left in their carpet from the steam cleaner, you might want to consider the amount of moisture you’re adding when you use those cleaning agents. When you steam clean, you’re removing almost all of that moisture using the suction versus dry cleaning where suction is not involved.

• What kind of carpet do you have?

This could be the deciding factor of whether or not you can dry clean your carpet. If you have a frieze carpet in your home, you’ll definitely want to consider steam cleaning. Not just buying a steam cleaner from a store either, you’ll want to hire a professional who has an industrial grade unit to ensure all of the dirt and grime is out of your carpet. These types of carpet hide stains really easily. However, a general rule of thumb for cleaning your carpet is; the larger the loop, the easier to clean and vice versa – the smaller the loop, the harder to clean.

Not sure if you should hire a professional or not? Give us a call! We’d love to chat with you about your carpet cleaning needs and we are always willing to discuss the different options you have.