Why a Professional Carpet Cleaner is Always Better Than DIY Shampooing

If your home's carpets need a good cleaning, you can certainly rent a carpet shampooer and buy some detergent, and tackle this job yourself. It might save you some money on the cost of professional cleaning, but there are some important reasons to consider always leaving this job to a residential carpet cleaning company. Note a few of those reasons here, and why hiring a professional carpet cleaner is typically the better option for your home's flooring.

Variety of cleaning methods

A professional carpet cleaner will usually know a variety of ways to clean those carpets, rather than just shampooing. This can include a steam clean, which is done without detergent or chemicals. This method is often better on matted and thick carpet fibres that may hold detergent residue, and is a good choice for those with sensitivities or allergies.

Dry cleaning is done with chemicals or a type of foam, with minimal or no water. This is good for carpets with thick padding that might absorb water, leading to mould and mildew. To clean and protect your home's carpeting, it's good to let a professional decide if these methods would be recommended rather than shampooing.

Extraction

Extraction, or removing the water and chemicals you've applied is one of the most important parts of cleaning a carpet. If you don't thoroughly extract shampoo, it will cling to the carpet fibres and hold more dust and dirt, and make the fibres look matted. If water is left behind, it can lead to mildew, as mentioned.

However, homeowners usually don't know how much extraction to perform, and the small machines you rent at a hardware store may not provide much holding capacity, so you need to constantly empty the tank during the extraction process. A professional will have machines with more suction power, and a larger tank to hold more water. This ensures that extraction is done quickly and properly, so that nothing is left behind.

Methods

Simply running a wand of detergent and water over a carpet may not be enough to really get it clean. For example, a professional will know which way the carpet fibres seem to face, so they can work in the right direction and pull up the fibres, extracting maximum dirt. If a carpet is made of very delicate fibres, a professional may forego scrubbing and use several passes of detergent and water instead. These various methods will ensure the carpets are as clean as possible and that they also look their best once the cleaning is finished.