Dry Carpet Cleaning VS Steam Cleaning Carpet
Virtually everyone is aware of carpet steam cleaning and what it involves. This is the old-school, traditional way of carpet cleaning and many people assume it’s the only way. There are actually about six carpet cleaning methods, but some terminology has become interchangeable and some methods are very inferior to others. There’s only two carpet cleaning methods that deliver amazing results, and that’s steam cleaning carpet and dry carpet cleaning.
What Is Dry Carpet Cleaning?
Dry carpet cleaning is commonly known as encapsulation carpet cleaning or carpet shampooing and it's a low-moisture carpet cleaning method. It is highly effective at removing stains and soils while also using up to 80% less moisture than steam cleaning.
This means not only do your carpets dry faster, they are also hygienically cleaned and look great.
How Does It Work?
Your carpets are first vacuumed using machines equipped with HEPA filters to remove small particles such as dust mites and debris.
A specialised cleaning solution is sprayed on the carpet that is designed to loosen soils and stains.
The solution is then agitated into the carpet with a brush on a rotary scrubbing machine and this spreads it between every single fibre in the carpeting, ensuring a truly deep clean.
All non-permanent stains and marks are removed by now and your carpet is looking great.
The technician will now place turbo air dryers to enhance drying time but you can actually walk on the carpets straight away.
What Is Carpet Steam Cleaning?
Steam cleaning is actually correctly known as ‘hot water extraction’, and it involves shooting hot water through a carpet wand and extracting it and the cleaning solution in the same motion.
Steam is simply a by-product of hot water, since hot water creates steam, and it poses no benefit or contributes to the cleaning process in any way whatsoever.
How Does It Work?
A specialised cleaning solution is sprayed on the carpet that is designed to loosen soils and stains. This solution is often more much more harsher than dry carpet cleaning solutions and therefore it must be extracted from the carpet so it doesn’t cause damage by being left there.
The solution is agitated into the carpet to get it between all the fibres and to ensure the soils and stains can start to break down.
The solution is now extracted through a carpet cleaning wand that shoots hot water from a machine that it's connected to and this water is extracted as well while the technician moves the wand towards them.
All non-permanent stains and marks are removed by now and your carpet is looking great.
The technician will now place turbo air dryers to enhance drying time but you can actually walk on the carpets straight away.
Since there’s more moisture used during the process, it also remains in the carpeting for longer which is why it takes longer to dry. Inexperienced carpet cleaners can leave some carpets wet for days!
What's The Best Carpet Cleaning Method?
You're probably wondering what the best carpet cleaning method is. Or perhaps, you've already made up your mind. The truth is, both steam cleaning and dry cleaning have their uses and the best method purely comes down to the circumstances of the situation.
Dry Carpet Cleaning
Can remove stains and marks including urine, tea, coffee, gum, soil, dirt, grime, food, drink, and much more.
Can improve trafficked areas and bring them back to normal condition.
Better for natural carpets such as wool as less moisture is used.
Better for reducing heavy stains as the solutions can work for longer to break down problem areas.
Best for faster drying times and very popular for commercial carpet cleaning.
Carpet Steam Cleaning
Can remove stains and marks including urine, tea, coffee, gum, soil, dirt, grime, food, drink, and much more.
Can improve trafficked areas and bring them back to normal condition.
Better for heavily soiled carpets with heavy traffic such as restaurants with grease and oils.
Better for cleaning blood (without heat, cold water extraction only) and similar types of stains.
Best for synthetic carpeting with heavy soilage.
Ultimately, the best method is dependent on the situation and the circumstances involved. PRO DRY Carpet Cleaning Brisbane has expert carpet cleaning technicians who know exactly what to do no matter what the situation is and know when to use certain levels of heat, moisture, and agitation. Your technician will decide upon inspection of your carpet which method will get the best results for you and perform that method.