No matter how well you take care of your house, if you want your carpets to continue looking their best then from time to time you need to look at a deep clean. The good news is that there are many different professionals who offer this cleaning service. We know of an outstanding carpet cleaning company in Enterprise, AL who does! There is some debate on whether dry cleaning or wet cleaning is the best method, or to put it in more technical terms dry carpet extraction versus wet carpet extraction.
First of all, the most important thing to understand is that both methods can be extremely effective. After all, this would not even be a debate if one of these methods did not work. Many carpet cleaning professionals offer both options, however, some only offer one or the other and it is interesting to note that by and large the majority of professional carpet cleaners do prefer the wet cleaning method.
Understanding Dry Carpet Extraction Methods
This method involves the use of dry chemicals that are applied directly to the carpet, and then sprayed with a small amount of water to help them react. So, while this isn’t 100% to dry, the name is still accurate because very little actual water is used as most of the cleaning takes place due to the dried chemicals. After the chemicals are applied, specialized equipment is used to vacuum it up.
Because of the chemical reactions, dirt and that was deeply embedded to the carpet comes loose and will be sucked up with the chemical agent from your carpet. While this is the underdog compared to wet carpet extraction, it is worth noting that for certain types of stains, especially those that are sticky or ground in, this can be a more effective method but it also includes the slight chance of damaging the carpet.
Understanding Wet Carpet Extraction Method
This is also commonly referred to as steam cleaning, because the large amount of hot water and powerful suction tends to create a lot of steam that comes up as a byproduct of the cleaning process. This involves forcing hot water deep into the carpet fibers, and extracting the hot water and all the dirt and debris that has been washed up from the exposure.
Generally speaking, this is the most popular option and is known to give a really deep clean that is effective and efficient without the use of heavy chemicals. This is the option that is most widely available from virtually every provider.
Which Is Better?
While this can depend on circumstance, the carpet type and age, as well as the specific stains being worked on a good rule of thumb is to assume that the wet extraction method is solid and will be more than enough the far majority of the time. On the other hand, if a professional you call takes a look at the carpet and recommends a dry treatment, there is likely a very good reason for going that more unconventional route, though at the end the decision is always yours.