The two major ways to clean carpet is through steam cleaning and dry shampooing. Neither name really describes the cleaning action correctly. Professional carpet cleaners in Perth often use the steam cleaning method, with chemicals sprayed onto the carpet and hot water injected into the carpet. Often, a rinse cycle is done. The machine then extracts most of the moisture so the carpet dries quickly; at least, in less than 24 hours.
But dry shampooing is not totally dry; it uses less water and chemicals, but the residue of shampoo and chemical 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 professional carpet cleaning method is not quite as good as the steam clean, 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 are expecting visitors the next day and realise the carpet looks a bit 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 for whatever reason.
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, then a special 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 carpet is ‘groomed’ to reset the pile and ensure the carpet looks good.
Of course you can hire a carpet cleaning machine and do the job yourself, but there are two problems with this idea.
- 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 can damage it. Also, it will take a lot longer to dry and this can cause mold to grow under and through your carpet.
Some types of mold 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 in to treat the floor so that the mold spores are all killed.