Dry Vs Steam – What’s The Best?

Even though you may vacuum the carpet on a regular basis, dirt, grime, and stains accumulate over the years. That’s where you need the services of a professional carpet cleaning company. Dry and carpet steam cleaning are two of the most popular carpet cleaning methods out there today. Both these methods have their own pros and cons. You should know the difference between these two methods when choosing the right carpet cleaning company for the job. This article provides information on dry vs. steam carpet cleaning – what’s the best the method.

What is Steam Cleaning?

Many people think that steam is actually used to clean their carpets in the steam cleaning method. But this isn’t 100% true. While the steam machines used for carpet cleaning give out steam, the steam itself cannot clean the carpets. The cleaning machine sprays detergent on to the carpets and the hot water activates the detergent on the carpet fibers. A wet vacuum sucks up the bulk of water from the carpet. Many people think that steam cleaning doesn’t use chemicals to clean the carpets and opt for this method. But it’s not true. Even steam cleaning uses chemical detergents to remove dirt and grime from the fibers of the carpet.

Professionals use a chemical solution that doesn’t harm the delicate fibers of the carpet. That’s why you should opt for a reputable carpet cleaning company when cleaning your carpets. On the other hand, the hot water extraction method used in steam cleaning is powerful enough to remove all cleaning solution from the carpet. It will leave a little residue on the carpet fibers. You should stay off the carpet for 12-24 hours time until they dry. If you use a professional steam cleaning service to clean the carpets, they will use a more powerful machine to dry the carpets. The carpets will take very less time to dry under such circumstances.

What is Dry Cleaning?

Dry carpet cleaning uses dry chemical compounds or cleaning solutions to clean the carpets. The chemical compound will break down all the dirt and grime on the carpet when placed on the carpet. The name dry cleaning is sometimes misleading because the carpet cleaning company will use a small amount of moisture in the form of application solutions to complement the dry compound used for the cleaning process. Dry cleaning takes less time to dry the carpets. In fact, you can use the carpet almost instantly after the cleaning is complete.

The Pros And Cons – Dry VS Steam Cleaning

Steam cleaning needs only hot water extraction and a cleaning machine with detergent. If you clean the carpet yourself, you should wait for 12-24 hours for it to dry. A professional cleaning service has powerful vacuuming machines to dry the carpet in a shorter time.

The dirt and stains that are deeply ingrained in the carpet fibers can reappear after some time with steam cleaning. A professional carpet cleaner can eliminate some of these issues.

Dry cleaning means you can use the carpet as soon as it’s cleaned.

But some dry cleaning methods use harsh chemicals to clean the carpet. Ask your cleaning technician about the solutions they use. Encourage them to use an eco-friendly cleaning solution for the carpets especially if you have children or pets.

Regardless of the method you choose, you need to ensure you get your carpets cleaned regularly to keep them in good condition, check out this article which details how often you should have your carpets professionally cleaned