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Which Carpet Cleaning Method is Better? Dry vs. Steam

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.

Two Reasons Your Carpet Needs Professional Cleaning

Haven’t had your carpets cleaned in a few years? It’s time.  Here are two reasons to move that to the top of your to-do list:

1. Professional cleaning prolongs the life of your carpet. Dirt and grime are abrasive and wear carpet fibers down over time. Removing the dirt with hot steam and a high powered extractor will push the expense and inconvenience of replacing carpet waaaay into the future. Plus, you get to enjoy living with carpet that’s clean, which brings us to the second reason you should not delay:

2. Your carpet is DIRTY. Not just a little dirty – it’s disgusting. Carpet is a giant filter in your home, so it traps dust, pollen, dead skin cells, pet dander, bacteria, and viruses that can stay alive for weeks. Leaving all those germs in your carpet is not only gross, it’s unhealthy. 

Let Spencer Zarkou at Pure Spring give your carpet the deep clean it needs. We use steam hot enough to kill germs and a gentle solution that is safe for your kids and pets. 

Like a pure spring in the mountains of Idaho, your carpet was meant to be clean. Give it some love from Pure Spring. 

3 Ways to Make Your Carpet Last 20+ Years

Replacing worn out carpet is inconvenient and $$$pendy! But the carpet in your home can last more than 20 years if you take care of it properly.  Take these three easy steps to keep your carpet beautiful for decades.

1. Lose the Shoes
That’s right. When you go to someone’s house and see that “please remove your shoes” sign by the front door, the host didn’t put it there to boss or inconvenience you. They just care about keeping their carpet clean and making it last. You should too.
Shoes are covered in dirt and grime, and the weight of the bodies that fill those shoes will grind dirt into your carpet fibers. New carpet fibers have texture and body, making them stand up tall. Dirt is abrasive and wears down the fibers until they lose texture, lay flat, and disintegrate.
If you want to keep your carpet for the long haul, lose the shoes.

2. Vacuum Regularly
Remember, dirt deteriorates. What happens when a few crumbs, a little dust, and some pollen sit on carpet and go unvacuumed for weeks? They wear down your carpet. Every time those particles get stepped on, they get ground deeper into the pile and cause further abrasion to the fibers.
Stay on top of the grime by vacuuming regularly – at least once a week – and immediately after a big mess like a popcorn and movie night.

3. Steam Clean Regularly
“Regularly” here means at least once a year, or more often in homes with pets or high traffic. Steam is mother nature’s preferred cleaning agent. Hot water dissolves dirt, and a pressurizing machine forces the steam deep into the carpet, cleaning the entire pile. A high powered vacuum extractor sucks away the gunk, leaving your carpet free of grime, just like when it was brand new.
Get your carpet as clean as new at least once a year, and it will look new for years to come.

Let Pure Spring give your carpet the deep clean it needs. Like a pure spring in the mountains of Idaho, your carpet was meant to be clean. Give it some love from Pure Spring.

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