What Is the Best Carpet Cleaning Method for Your Home?

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Homeowners today have more options for finding the best carpet cleaning method than ever before, and each offers its own advantages. For example, bonnet cleaning is very quick and affordable and perfect for light cleaning of carpets, while steam cleaning is a better choice for killing germs and developing mold and mildew.

Choose to shampoo for heavily soiled carpets, steam cleaning for matted carpets and killing mold, and bonnet cleaning for lightweight carpet shampooing. There are also many other carpet cleaning methods available to fit your budget and offer the cleaning needed for your home’s carpets in particular.

Since there are many different carpet cleaning methods available to homeowners, each meant for various applications and purposes, all at a different price point, you might consider some vital information about carpet shampooing overall. You can then discuss your choices with a carpet cleaning company near you and decide the right choice for your home or office.

What Is the Best Carpet Cleaning Method for Your Rugs?

To determine the best carpet cleaning methods for your home’s carpeting and area rugs, you might consider some added details about these methods, along with why they might be recommended for a home. It’s also good to consider some drawbacks of each method, so you make the best choice for your home and family.

• Shampooing is not as popular as it once was, as shampoos and detergents often create a mess and produce pungent odors bothersome to some homeowners. However, strong shampoos also loosen layers of ground-in dirt and debris, making traditional carpet shampooing a good option for especially filthy carpets.
• Steam cleaning is an excellent choice for anyone bothered by fumes produced by shampoos, as plain steam doesn’t create odors or leave behind strong smells.
• Steam cleaning kills mold, mildew, and other bothersome contaminants growing along carpet backing and its underlying padding.
• A thorough steam cleaning also “fluffs up” carpet fibers, making it a recommended choice for carpets matted down by heavy foot traffic, large furniture, or interior doors sliding along the carpeting.
• Professional carpet cleaning contractors near you remove or extract as much water used during steam cleaning as possible, but carpets can still remain a bit damp after this process. In turn, it might not always be recommended for tropical areas or those with high humidity levels, as this might cause carpets to stay damp and develop resultant mold or mildew.
• Encapsulation uses a type of foam cleaner that bubbles and lifts upon application. The foam traps and locks dirt and debris, pulling these residues to the surface of carpets as the bubbles appear so that they can be removed easily.
• As encapsulation uses only minimal water for cleaning and rinsing, it’s often recommended for tropical areas and humid weather conditions.
• Bonnet cleaning uses a tool covered with a type of towel, or bonnet, to spread a cleanser across the surface of the carpet. The cleanser and any dirt clinging to it is then extracted. Bonnet cleaning is fast and affordable but only offers lightweight, surface cleaning of carpets.
• Various forms of dry carpet cleaning might be recommended for humid areas, rugs that only need lightweight cleaning, or for homeowners who prefer an eco-friendly carpet cleaning method that uses less rinse water overall.
• Delicate silk carpets or wool blends with a tight weave and low nap might also require specific cleaning methods, to ensure you don’t pull on the threads and fibers of the carpets or otherwise damage those materials.

How Often Should Carpets Be Cleaned?

Most homes and offices need carpet cleaning every year; typically springtime cleaning is best, to remove dirt, snow clearing salt, and other residues dragged into your interior rooms during winter months. However, you might adjust this recommended schedule according to your needs in particular; note a few factors that would affect how often you decide on carpet cleaning for your house or business.

• If your family faithfully removes their shoes at the door, they might not be tracking much dirt and other debris into the home but more foot traffic means more chance of matted carpet fibers! The larger your family or the more often you entertain, the more often you’ll want to invest in steam cleaning or another method of restoring the nap of carpet fibers.
• Your home’s carpeting traps more than outside dirt and debris; cooking grease and odors, cigarette smoke and ash, and other such residues settle into carpets and make them look and even smell awful! If you use lots of grease on the home’s stovetop or use pungent spices in your food, or if there are smokers in the home, you might need carpet cleaning more often than average.
• Even the best groomed pet still loses pet hair and dander and might transfer fleas and other bothersome pests from their fur to the home’s carpeting. If your pets are outdoors often, you’ll also need to schedule carpet cleaning quite often for your home.
• Busy roadways and highways and nearby production facilities often mean added dust, dirt, soot, and other residues settling into the home and getting trapped in carpet fibers.
• If anyone in the home has breathing difficulties, it’s vital that you ensure the cleanest indoor air quality possible. More frequent carpet cleaning or steaming is an excellent choice for removing dust mites, pollen, dander, and other such irritants from the home.
• Offices without many outside visitors might not need carpet cleaning more than once per year but businesses with lots of foot traffic, including storefronts, areas with clients always coming and going, and certainly restaurants might need carpet cleaning at least twice per year if not even more often!

Signs You Need Home Carpet Cleaning

Don’t wait until you see stains or obvious dirt buildup along a home’s carpeting to call for carpet cleaning near you. If you notice a certain uneven appearance to your home’s carpeting, including worn areas in front of doorways or along hallways, this often signals that it’s time for carpet cleaning services.

If your home has a musty, mildew smell, this often means it’s time to have the rugs cleaned! Mold and mildew often grown underneath carpet backing and its underlying padding. You might also notice that carpets don’t seem to get clean after a thorough vacuuming, which typically means the rugs are stained and fibers matted with dirt, so it’s time for a professional cleaning.

Other Services to Schedule Along With Carpet Cleaning

When your home needs carpet cleaning, it’s often best that you also consider professional tile and grout cleaning. As with carpeting, bathroom and kitchen tile and the grout surrounding those tiles capture and trap dirt, dust, mold, and other harmful residues. All that dirt creates a dingy look and an unhealthy indoor environment!

Along with tile and grout cleaning, consider upholstery cleaning when you choose rug shampooing. The same dirt and dust trapped in a home’s carpets also tend to get trapped in your upholstered furniture. The foam underneath that upholstery is also a favorite place for mold and mildew.

Professional tile and grout cleaning restores the appearance of these materials and can make that tile look like new again. Furniture cleaning also restores the appearance and nap of furniture while removing odors. You might be surprised to see how your home’s surfaces and furnishings look after a thorough and professional cleaning.

How to Choose Carpet Cleaning Services Near You

Not all carpet cleaning companies near you will offer excellent yet affordable cleaning, so choose one that specializes in carpets, area rugs, upholstery, and tile cleaning. If they specialize in this cleaning, they’re more likely to have the skills and knowhow you need for a thorough cleaning of your home’s carpeting.

While you might not want a carpet cleaning contractor telling you what’s best for your home, this is actually a good sign! An experienced carpet cleaning pro will offer different options according to what your home needs for a thorough cleaning, while also respecting your budget. If they suggest tile and grout cleaning or upholstery cleaning, this is also a good sign, as it means they know the value of expert, thorough cleaning throughout the house.

A family owned or independent company might also offer a more thorough cleaning than a nationally known franchise. Small, local companies rely on the feedback and response of every customer so they’re often more likely to perform a more thorough cleaning overall. If they have good reviews and are professional and thorough, they’re probably the right company for you.

How Much Should Carpet Cleaning Cost?

Most carpet cleaning companies charge by the square foot and might add charges for stains, odor neutralizing, and other such services. Average charges might run about $200 for 1000 square feet of carpeting.

Those prices might go down per square foot, the larger your home, or if you choose other services at the same time, such as exterior power washing. A carpet cleaning company won’t have downtime between visits when they service a large area, so they might offer a small discount per square foot! This potential reduction in price is another reason to consider scheduling tile and grout cleaning, upholstery cleaning, or other such services along with your carpet cleaning. Call Rhode Island Carpet Cleaners today!