Which Is Really Best: Dry Or Wet Carpet Cleaning?

It’s a question on more homeowners’ minds as of late, which carpet cleaning method is best – dry or wet. The dry approach is a fairly new take on cleaning carpets and some believe it to be the better option to the long-time use of hot water extraction, better known as steam cleaning.

The reason being moisture. Proponents of the dry carpet cleaning method point out that steam cleaning utilizes too much of it to get the carpet cleaned and, in doing so, poses substantial problems that homeowners have been experiencing for years. Too much moisture won’t just make the carpet wet for extended periods of time, but that wetness can reach the padding underneath the backing material and leave behind a residue that makes it look as if the carpet was never cleaned in the first place.

Disadvantages of Steam Cleaning

One of the most prevalent complaints that you hear about steam cleaning is that the hot water used to clean the carpet is left behind to some degree. As a result, that means the carpet remains dirty. The rinsing techniques are insufficient to actually eradicate all of the dirt and bacteria that steam cleaning claims to eliminate.

Carpeting left to dry will still have some level of contamination because the process simply isn’t designed to remove all of the filth and germs completely. Some homeowners have even proven this fact by re-wetting an area of the carpet after it has finally dried fully. What they find demonstrates that the carpet was not cleaned thoroughly after all, judging by the state of the water that is removed from the allegedly “clean” carpet.

Even more frustrating for homeowners is that stains will sometimes re-appear after steam cleaning. This can occur when a stain that was once thought to have been lifted entirely, was still caught deep in the fibers and backing material. Re-wetting that stain will cause it to re-emerge as if you had never attempted to remove it in the first place.

Combine these issues with the chance of developing mold and mildew under the carpet due to excessive moisture being trapped in there and you could end up having to hire a carpet removal service to get rid of your badly damaged carpet.

Why Dry?

For those seeking out Carpet Cleaning Catawba NC, dry methods are often much more beneficial because they don’t use ecologically damaging chemicals, your carpet dries in mere minutes, and you’ll see the difference for yourself in the removal of stains. Many homeowners will turn to dry carpet cleaning as a way to rescue the carpet from some of the negative impacts that steam cleaning has made on the fibers and backing material.

So when it comes to deciding whether to go wet or dry, be sure you know the facts before you call in expert help. Wet cleaning is a good option in some instances, such as when your carpet sustains some water damage from a broken pipe or flood. Hot water extraction can be very helpful. But for regular, everyday routine cleaning, more homeowners are choosing dry carpet cleaning to meet their needs.