Whether you are planning on cleaning your wall to wall carpeting or your area rugs, you have certain cleaning options available to you. There are both positive and negative aspects when it comes to cleaning carpeting in your home. You should consider all aspects of cleaning when you are arranging to have the rugs and carpets in your house cleaned.
Shampooing – One option that works well and is easy to do on your own is using shampoo to clean the carpeting. This is not ordinary shampoo but special shampoo and you use this with a machine that will put the shampoo on the carpeting and then clean it up. Your carpet will be soaking wet after this process and will need to be kept for drying after you are done. This is also the least expensive method.
If you are using shampooing to clean an area rug, be sure that the material used is one that can be cleaned with wet cleaning. You can clean synthetic material rugs this way but you should never attempt to use this method on antique rugs or those made of wool as it can ruin the fiber.
Steam Cleaning -Steam cleaning can also be done by yourself with a special machine that you can rent or buy. This also uses moisture to clean the carpeting, but is not as wet as shampooing the carpeting. The steam will get the dirt out of the carpeting where it is picked up by a special machine and cleaned up. Many people prefer this method of cleaning as it is very effective and does not leave the carpet as wet as when it is shampooed.
When it comes to steam cleaning area rugs, the same truth holds for steam cleaning as it does for shampooing. You should not use this method of cleaning on wool rugs or those that are antiques and are most likely made from silk or wool. This method of cleaning is fine for store bought area rugs made from synthetic materials.
Chemical Cleaning
Chemical cleaning has come a long way and is no longer a danger to pets and children. However, some people just do not like the idea of this type of dry cleaning for their carpets. This is a dry cleaning treatment that is similar to what is in a dry cleaning establishment. It can work well to chemically treat both carpeting and area rugs and is usually safe for most area rugs, including those that are made using wool or silk. You will want to talk to your carpeting care cleaner to find out if this will work for you. They may need to see the rug before they can give you a quote.
You have many choices when it comes to cleaning carpeting. Often, you can use the same treatment that you use to clean the wall to wall carpeting to clean the area rugs in your home. If you have a rare area rug or an antique, you will want to be sure that you have the carpet cleaner take a look at it and give you a price on cleaning before you start.