by Ma Picard

Created on: June 14, 2008   Last Updated: June 18, 2008

You've installed a beautiful carpet in your family room. Now how do you keep it looking like new? The answer is daily vacuuming, accompanied by routine professional cleaning. The carpet industry recommends that home carpets be cleaned by a professional at least once every 18 to 24 months.

Professional carpet cleaners usually follow one of two methods: steam cleaning or chemical cleaning. While chemical cleaning was once the industry standard, steam cleaning has gained much popularity over the years.

Chemical cleaning involves applying a foaming cleanser to your carpet, and then suctioning away the foam. Sometimes the foam is allowed to dry before vacuuming. Professionals that use this method will argue that the dirt sticks to the foam and is then sucked away, leaving your carpets very clean.

The problem with chemical cleaning is that the foaming cleanser leaves behind a sticky residue, which will actually cause more dirt to stick to your carpet. This causes your carpet to look dirty sooner. Eventually, after several chemical cleaning treatments, your carpet will become permanently soiled and even the best cleaning process will not be able to salvage it.

Over the years, consumers have begun to voice concerns about the chemicals used in the process, and the chemical residue left behind. These consumers wonder about any health effects associated with allowing their families to play on carpet that contains chemical residue.

Most professionals will agree that steam cleaning is the best way to get your carpet clean and to help it stay that way in between cleanings. Carpet steam cleaner machines can be either truck-mounted or portable. A professional using a truck-mounted system will bring only the water and vacuum hoses into your home. These hoses are connected to the truck parked outside, and all water reservoirs are in the truck. A portable carpet steam cleaner is small enough for the professional to bring into the house. This machine usually resembles a large vacuum.

Both truck-mounted and portable carpet steam cleaners utilize the same technology: hot water is sprayed into your carpet with a forceful mist, dislodging the dirt in your carpet. The carpet steam cleaner machine then sucks the dirty water up, leaving your carpet clean and residue free. Without any sticky residue left in your carpet, it will stay looking cleaner longer. Modern professional carpet steam cleaner machines remove most of the water immediately, which means your carpet will dry very quickly. Since no chemical residue is left behind in the carpet, most consumers feel better using steam cleaning methods on their home carpet.

Both chemical cleaning solutions and steam cleaning machines are available for consumer purchase. Some consumers may wish to clean their carpets themselves, in an effort to save money. They should proceed with extreme caution.

Chemical cleaning solutions purchased for home use have the same problems as professionally applied solutions sticky residue left behind. Modern steam cleaning machines for personal use have progressed over the years, but will not get the carpet as clean as a professional steam cleaner. These machines can be used in between professional cleanings, but with caution. Some personal carpet steam cleaners spray too much water into the carpet and are not very effective at removing all the dirty water from the carpet. After repeated use, this can cause further damage to your carpet.

To keep your new carpet looking its best, routine professional cleaning is a must. You will need to choose between professionals utilizing chemical cleaning or steam cleaning methods. Most professionals and consumers agree that steam cleaning is the most economical and safest way to clean your carpets.

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