Frequently Asked Steam Carpet Cleaning Questions

If you've never had your carpets professional cleaned before, but you're nearing that time, you probably want to gather as much information as you can before hiring a cleaner. Most cleaners will offer you two types of cleaning: dry chemical cleaning and steam cleaning, also known as hot water extraction. If you're leaning toward steam cleaning, but you want answers to some questions, here's a list that could help you finalise your decision.

What Is Steam Cleaning? -- Steam cleaning is a carpet cleaning method in which very hot water is pressurised and mixed with industrial strength cleansers. These will penetrate deeply into your carpet fibres and extract dirt, debris and allergens that can cause health issues, especially with people suffering from asthma and allergies. Because the steam that is formed from the pressurised water is so hot, it kills nearly all the bacteria in your fibres, and it also removes many under-the-surface stains that are discolouring your carpeting.

How Does That Process Differ From Dry Chem? -- Dry chem is the shortened form of dry chemical cleaning. With this method, a dry cleanser in powder form is shaken out over your carpet to penetrate into your fibres. After about half an hour, a special machine is used to extract the dry chemical solution and all the dirt and debris that's bonded to the cleanser. Dry chem doesn't offer you the pressurised hot water that kills bacteria, and because there's no 'shampoo' action, it may not clean nearly as well as the steam cleaning method. It does dry faster as very little moisture is used, so it's most often used in commercial enterprises, which can't afford any downtime for carpet to dry.

How Long Does It Take Before Steam Cleaning Dries? -- The drying process varies depending on the size of your carpet, the exterior and interior temperature, especially the humidity level, and whether or not you use any methods to help speed up the drying. For example, many steam cleaners recommend the use of fans, whether standing or installed ceiling fans, to circulate air to help decrease the drying time. If your carpet is steam cleaned in the summer when it's hot and dry, opening windows to let in the warm, dry air will definitely speed up the drying process. If your carpet is steam cleaned in the winter, when it's cold and moist, use the heating system in your home to circulate warm air to help accelerate the drying time. Typically, a steam cleaned carpet will take 24 hours to fully dry.

For more information, contact a company like Stain Busters Carpet Cleaning.