There are many differences between these two popular carpet cleaning methods and our goal here is to reveal which one is better. Although both steam carpet cleaning and dry carpet cleaning achieve good results, the main difference between them is in the amount of water used. Yet, you should be aware that regardless of the cleaning method used, the results will mainly depend on the cleaning solutions used, the cleaning technique and of course on the expertise of the cleaning technician.
So let’s take a look at the differences by looking at each of these methods in details.
Steam Carpet Cleaning
This method injects hot water into the carpet’s fibres to flush out the soil and dirt. High pressure is used along with a powerful suction machine that extracts the moisture from the carpet. The dirty water is gathered into a tank, so there is no residue at the end of cleaning.
The procedure of steam carpet cleaning usually begins with a pre-treatment. Pre-spray is used to prepare the carpet’s surface for deeper penetration of the water afterwards by decreasing the tension of the carpet.
Professional cleaners who use quality pre-sprays, then agitate the carpet’s fibres and thoroughly clean the carpet extracting the excess water, achieve amazing results. The old and dull carpet is given a new life and it looks like just taken from the store. Usually, after such a procedure, the carpet will need between 4 and 6 hours to dry. However, if the carpet cleaners are not experienced enough, the drying may take days, which induces a risk of developing mildew. Additionally, if the carpet cleaner would not apply a pre-treatment, the cleaning procedure itself would not be effective and oily stains would remain on the carpet in the form of dark spots.
That is why, when hiring a cleaning company to perform steam carpet cleaning for you, you need to be sure that they are experienced enough to do this task the right way.
Dry Carpet Cleaning
The process of dry cleaning begins a bit differently. Pre-vacuuming is the first step intended to remove the dry dirt from the surface and middle layers. If it is not done and liquid substance is applied, the soil will turn into mud and it will be next to impossible to remove it. After vacuuming, a dry solution with a minimum amount of water is applied to break down the oily residue. It makes it much easier to remove the stains along with the chemicals afterwards. Usually, the carpet completely dries for about 2 hours after the procedure.
Again, in this method everything will depend of what kind of chemicals the expert would use. If he opts for green products, there will be no risk for the health of the family. But if he uses harsh chemicals, they might trigger serious health issues.
As we can see, both methods have some pros and cons and you would need to choose between them based on your specific needs.