Wet or Dry Carpet Cleaning?


Wet or Dry Carpet Cleaning? Which is better? Here’s my take.

Imagine your hair is dirty. So, you lather it up with shampoo and then………do NOT rinse it, but instead rub your hair with multiple towels until it is dry. Would you think your hair was clean? Probably not.

‘Dry Cleaning’ sprays a cleaning product onto your carpet and a circular rotating buffer with an absorbent pad attached is run over it. The soil attaches itself to the pad and the pad is changed with a clean one after becoming dirty.

This method doesn’t really extract the heavier grit and sand that damages carpet over time and their buffers wear carpet down. Plus residue is left behind, meaning your family can be exposed to these chemicals and some complain that carpets are extremely stiff after cleaning.

MANY times we have cleaned for someone after they have been using Dry Cleaning for a while. The carpet actually creates suds that have to be rinsed out by pulling the wand over the same area 3 to 4 times….or more!

On the other hand, ‘Hot Water Extraction’ or ‘Steam Cleaning’ sprays hot water under pressure onto the carpet and is immediately extracted with a vacuum source. The dirty solution is collected in a recovery tank and taken away.

This system flushes out large amounts of soil and contaminants in carpet and is the most preferred method by all of the major fiber producers, such as Dupont and Monsanto as well as carpet manufacturers like Shaw and Mohawk.

Because it removes more contaminants than the other carpet cleaning methods, hot water extraction is favored by the EPA and most higher quality carpets that have extended warranties require this type of cleaning in order to retain the warranty coverage.

Truck mounted machines have large independent engines which can develop up to 1000 pounds of pressure and heat the water to 180 or more degrees. These machines are expensive but they have very powerful vacuums which leave the carpets drier than with portable machines. Your carpet will only be damp and should dry within 4-6 hours.

Steam cleaning is the only method known to remove up to 97% of dirt and bacteria from carpeting. It is also the only method that reaches all the way down to the lowest layer, or “pile”, of your carpeting to clean it thoroughly. This makes it the best method for dealing with ground in or difficult stains.

We at Prestige ONLY use Hot Water Extraction. We have found it to be the best way to completely clean carpets without leaving dirt attracting residue or excess moisture in the fibers. Give us a call! I think you will agree. 830-248-1264 www.prestogefloorcare.com