Vacuuming is a great way to clear crumbs and loose dirt, but at least once a year, your carpet needs a professional cleaning. Otherwise a buildup of oils, bacteria, pollen, and soil that have sunk deep into the carpet pile start to smell and wear down the carpet fibers.

What kind of professional cleaning is best, dry or steam cleaning? Let’s look at both.

Have you ever used dry shampoo for your hair? The active ingredient is starch, which absorbs oil and moisture. When you’re short on time, dry shampoo can get your hair looking presentable enough, but eventually you’ll want to give your hair a traditional wash with shampoo and water to actually get it clean.

Likewise, dry carpet cleaning (also called VLM for very low moisture cleaning) involves absorbing soil with a dry chemical compound and then vacuuming it up. This method may remove soil only from the top of carpet fibers and can leave behind a residue. And likewise, you’ll eventually want to use water to give your carpet a deep clean.

With steam cleaning, a high pressured machine forces steam deep into the carpet, cleaning the entire pile. A gentle cleaning solution and hot water above 160° F kills bacteria and viruses, dissolves dirt, deodorizes scents, and separates stains from carpet fibers. Then a high powered vacuum extractor sucks away the gunk. No germs left unsanitized, no fumes in the air, no irritants on your skin, and no residue on your carpet.

The advantage of dry or very low moisture carpet cleaning is that you can get some soil removed with a short dry time. This can be a good option for commercial carpet which has a short pile, and may even be a good option for maintaining residential carpet between annual steam cleanings.

For the carpet in your home that cushions bare feet, children and pets, you’ll want a thorough steam cleaning at least once a year.

Are you in Idaho’s Treasure Valley? Give your carpet some love from Pure Spring.