Dry Carpet Cleaning vs. Steam Cleaning
The carpeting in your home provides comfortable flooring for you and your family. Carpets also add color and texture to the interior appearance of your home. Maintaining the quality of your carpets with regular cleaning will extend the lifespan and deliver several essential benefits to your home.
What You Need to Know
Clean carpets are healthier for you and your family. Carpet cleaning removes bacteria, dust mites, and other allergens that regular vacuuming can’t pick up.
The air in your home is fresher with clean carpets. Dust and dirt on carpeting will slow airflow through a house, particularly along the walls where air circulation is most important. Carpet cleaning makes your home smell clean and less stuffy.
Cleaning also improves the look and feel of your carpet. Dirt and dust can flatten carpet fibers, making them rougher, and look worn.
You have several options for keeping your carpets clean. The most popular methods are dry cleaning and steam cleaning. We’re often asked about both approaches and have compiled a few insights to help you make an informed decision.
How Does Dry Carpet Cleaning Work?
Dry carpet cleaning uses a powder made of solvent, detergent, and a little moisture. After sprinkling the cleaner on the carpet (usually with a rotating machine), and letting it dry for 15-20 minutes, a vacuum removes the powder and accumulated dirt.
Benefits of Dry Carpet Cleaning
For you, the most significant benefit of dry carpet cleaning is time. You can walk on the carpeting almost immediately after cleaning. This method doesn’t use much moisture. It’s an excellent choice for area rugs, carpeted wooden floors, or other specialty carpets that shouldn’t get wet.
How to Dry Clean Carpet at Home
Hardware stores and larger retailers will carry dry cleaning powders and foams that you can use on your carpets. Each brand has slightly different directions (including drying time before vacuuming), so be sure to read the guidelines carefully. You may need to apply the foam or powder more than once to get good coverage.
How Does a Steam Cleaner Work on Carpet?
A steam cleaner sprays hot water (between 65° and 90°C) mixed with a detergent or cleaning solution onto your carpeting. The high-pressure spraying action helps loosen dirt. Then, a vacuum picks up the debris along with the water and stores it in a holding tank.
Does Steam Cleaning Remove Carpet Stains?
The short answer to this question is: sometimes. If a stain is water-soluble, like soda, mud, or foods, then steam cleaning can easily tackle clean-up. Other stains, like oil, tar, vomit, or urine, require pre-treatment with cleaners that will break down the contents before steam cleaning. Solids like gum, glue, or wax also need pre-treatment to remove as much of the debris as possible before cleaning.
Is Steam Cleaning Good for Carpets?
Steam cleaning is an effective method for deep cleaning (and sanitizing) your carpets. Because steam cleaning relies on water, carpeting cleaned with this method takes longer to dry. Controlling the amount of water and having a powerful extraction system can shorten the drying time with steam cleaning.
Clean Freaks New Technology Steam Cleaning gives you the drying-time benefits of dry cleaning with the deep clean of steam cleaning. Our team of stain removal experts knows how to tackle the tough spots, too. Locally owned and operated in the Ottawa area, Clean Freaks is ready to make your home healthier and fresher with clean carpets.
Visit us online or call us at 613-421-5854 to book Ottawa’s best in carpet cleaning.