The two primary ways to clean carpets are steam cleaning and dry shampooing. Neither name describes the cleaning action correctly. Professional carpet cleaners often use steam cleaning, with chemicals sprayed onto the carpet and hot water injected into the rug. Usually, a rinse cycle is done. The machine then extracts most moisture so the carpet dries quickly, at least in less than 24 hours.
But dry shampooing is not dry; it uses less water and chemicals, but the residue of shampoo and chemicals dries quickly. Dirt sticks to it, so it must be vacuumed out the next day by the homeowner. Since less water is used, the carpet will dry in a few hours. Even though the professional carpet cleaning method is not quite as good as steam cleaning, there are times when choosing a professional service, such as commercial cleaners, is better.
- After you have finished renovating and want to get the dust and grunge out of the carpet.
- If you expect visitors the next day and realise the carpet looks grubby.
- You’ve had tradespeople in and forgot to cover the carpet.
- You’ve had a party, and the carpet got sloshed as well.
- You need to freshen the carpet up but don’t have time to wait for it to dry.
There is also a process of dry cleaning that allows you to walk on the carpet immediately afterwards. This relies on an industrial-strength vacuum cleaner to remove loose dirt and dust, spot cleaning for stains, and then a particular application that brightens the carpet and restores it to the original chemical balance and colour. This also removes bacteria and any mould from the carpet. Afterwards, the rug is ‘groomed’ to reset the pile and ensure it looks good.
Of course, you can hire a carpet cleaning machine and do the job yourself, but this idea has two problems.
- The machine you use will not be of industrial strength, so it cannot clean the carpet to the same extent as an industrial cleaner.
- You risk using too much water. If you saturate the carpet underlay, water will get to the floor below and damage it. Also, it will take a lot longer to dry, and this can cause mould to grow under and through your carpet.
Some types of mould release dangerous toxins into the air that can cause allergic reactions or problems with your immune system, but once it is in your carpet, you won’t be able to get it out. The only remedy is to throw that carpet out and have professionals treat the floor to kill the mould spores.