How to choose a carpet cleaning service

Published: Thursday, May 2, 2013, 12:01 a.m.

So how do you decide which method is best? To start, check the paperwork that came with your carpet, with the carpet manufacturer themselves or with a reputable carpet cleaning company.

The most widely accepted cleaning method is hot water extraction.

"The high temperature of the water kills bacteria and extracts the dirt out of the carpet," said Tony Solis of All Points Carpet Care in Mooresville, N.C. "It's a very deep cleaning compared to dry cleaning."

Solis uses truck-mounted equipment that injects water heated between 180 and 250 degrees into the carpet under pressure and then rinses out a pretreated solution he sprays onto the carpet.

Steam cleaning removes bacteria, dust mites and odors. The most common drawback is a long dry time. Done well, carpet should dry in just a few hours.

"Drying time on a carpet should be four hours, not 44 hours," Solis added.

If inferior equipment is used for steam cleaning, dry times can take more than a day -- resulting in a mildewy smell -- and soap can be left behind, attracting more dirt.

"The way soap works is, it attracts itself to dirt," said Gil Patterson of A-1 Chem Dry in metro Kansas City, Mo. "If you don't rinse it, it will stay in the carpet and continue to attract soil."

Patterson's company uses a hot carbonation cleaning process that requires about one-fifth the amount of water as steam cleaning.

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How to choose a carpet cleaning service