How Much Does Professional Carpet Cleaning Cost?

Experts advise homeowners to clean their carpets annually or even biannually, depending on traffic and degree of soiling, yet most people clean their carpets much less frequently. To make sure the job is done thoroughly, find a reputable carpet cleaning professional who can dry clean or deep clean your carpet with hot water on a regular basis. That way, you avoid potentially dangerous problems like mold, high levels of dirt or other issues that build up and might necessitate pulling up your carpet and replacing it. Here are some of the factors involved in carpet cleaning. Learn how they might affect the total price you pay and whether you hire a carpet cleaning professional or complete some of the work yourself as a DIY project:

On This Page:

1. Common Pricing Types
2. Carpet Cleaning Cost Factors
• Square Footage
• Cleaning Method
• Carpet Type
• Stain Removal
3. DIY Carpet Cleaning
4. Additional Cost Considerations
5. Furniture Moving & Removal

Cost of Carpet Cleaning

Professional carpet cleaning costs vary depending on the size of the area, the cleaning method, the carpet type, and whether stain removal is required. For example, you can expect to pay more for a wool carpet than for berber. On average, homeowners report paying $174 and most spend between $120 and $234.

2 Common Types of Carpet Cleaning Pricing

When you hire a professional carpet cleaning service or solicit quotes from them, you'll notice they charge based on one of two ways:

1. Per Room Rate

One pricing structure uses a per room rate, which means they'll clean a carpet -- regardless of the square footage -- and charge you a flat rate for every room in your home with carpet. They might impose a cap on size depending on the carpet cleaning company, which means if the room exceeds a certain square footage, they treat it as two rooms. Make sure they don't inflate the price they charge you, such as by overestimating your square footage. If they charge you too low a price, on the other hand, they could be a poor quality cleaning service.

2. Square Footage Rate

Some carpet cleaning services charge you on a square footage basis instead. They visit your home to make the estimate because it requires measurements. If your home is smaller -- a condo, apartment or one- to two- bedroom home -- you'll pay more for this service because of the additional fees for travel and cleaning material expenses. Owners of larger homes will pay less because these will likely be fixed.

Need to get an exact price for your carpet cleaning? Get a quote from a pro today.

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Carpet Cleaning Cost Factors

There are various factors that could increase or lessen the total price of your carpet cleaning service. It's imperative you ask about some of these factors when requesting quotes from carpet cleaning professionals so you don't see unexpected charges on your bill. Extra charges can boost the price by anywhere from $100 to $200.

Square Footage

Depending on the size of your home, most carpet cleaning services charge based on the square footage of your home. Some carpet estimates based on square footage might include:

• Between $80 and $130 for a home with 200 to 400 sq. ft.
• 1000 to 1500 sq. ft. might cost between $200 and $300.
• 2000 to 3000 sq. ft. might be estimated at $400 to $550.

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Cleaning Method

Carpet cleaning either involves chemicals, steam, dry cleaning or some combination of chemicals and steam. Steam Cleaning
Steam cleaning, often referred to scientifically as ?hot water extraction,? represents the most popular way to clean carpets professionally. It uses pressure to insert hot water and chemicals into your carpet, which loosens dirt and debris. The machine uses suction to remove all the dirty water from your carpet. After that, your carpet needs about 24 hours to dry completely. Professionals recommend steam cleaning over most other carpet cleaning methods because it keeps your carpet warranty intact. Carpet cleaning professionals use either vehicle-mounted or electric cleaners for the suction. Some average quotes for steam cleaning include:

• $100 to $250 for 900 to 1000 sq. ft.
• $300 to $400 for 1,200 to 1,400 sq. ft.
• $400 to $500 for 1,500 to 2,000 sq. ft.

Dry Cleaning
Referred to as "low moisture" or "encapsulation" cleaning, dry cleaning utilizes chemicals and a small amount of water to quickly clean the carpet, but it doesn't eradicate as much debris and dirt as steam cleaning. It uses a rotary machine, brush or sprayer to loosen dirt and then immediately vacuums out the dirt and debris. Encapsulation helps improve the carpet's appearance, but the carpet doesn't require 24 hours of dry time, so you can start walking on it again immediately. It also keeps the carpet cleaner for a longer period of time. Some estimates for dry carpet cleaning include:

• ChemDry: $140
• Stanley Steemer: $135
• Chem Clean: $120

For more information & exact costs, get in touch with a cleaning pro today.

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Carpet Type

Different types of carpet vary in their difficulty to clean, which can impact the amount you'll pay a carpet cleaning professional. Some common carpet types and their difficulty and average prices to clean include:

• Berber: easiest to clean, around $90
• Cut and level loop: somewhat difficult to clean, between $60 and $120
• Cotton and wool: most difficult, around $100 to $150

It's important to note that your carpet type and its optimum method of cleaning is determined by the loops in the carpet. There are different types of fibers. The way in which they're twisted in the carpet -- loose, medium, tight -- determines how much dirt or debris they conceal. You should consult with the carpet cleaning professional about what you can do to cut down on the build-up based on the type of carpet fibers you have, especially if they're tightly wound.

Stain Removal

If your carpet has stains, getting them professionally removed during carpet cleaning adds to the overall cost you pay. The amount of money you pay to remove them will depend on the type and size of the stain. For example, pet stains cost more to remove because they sink deep into the carpet's pile and take more time to extract from the carpet. In comparison, light stains, such as those that come from food spills, generally take less time to remove and cost you less. Stains can cost anywhere from $40 to $300 to remove, depending on the size and depth, so keep that in mind.

DIY Stain Removal
If you want to cut down on the cost for professionals to remove stains from your carpet, here are some of the most common types of stains and tips on how to remove them on your own.

Pet Stains
When pets get excited or nervous, they can have accidents on your carpets. While it seems like they won't come out, there are methods for removing those stubborn stains from your carpet:

1. Clean up the debris and mess. Blot the carpet until it's almost dry and the stain is nearly removed.
2. Moisten the area with water and use a carpet stain-removal product designed for treating pet stains.
3. Mix white vinegar and warm water in a bottle and then spray on the stain. Allow the mixture to soak on the stain for a few minutes and then blot to remove any odor.

Coffee
Sometimes you slosh a few drops of coffee while you're walking through the house and it happens to hit the carpet. If you can clean it immediately, you'll prevent a yellow-brown stain from forming on your carpet. Follow these instructions:

1. Blot with a white towel. Do not spread it with the towel if you can, especially if there's a lot of spilled coffee -- get another towel!
2. Use a vinegar, water and light bleach mixture to get the stain out.
3. You can also use products sold in stores specifically targeted to get stains like this out.

Blood Stains
When you get blood on a carpet, you need to remove it as quickly as possible. Otherwise, there's a good chance it won't come out easily later. Here are some fast-acting methods for removing blood from carpet:

1. Use cold water because blood tends to react badly to warm water, whereas cold water won't seep into the carpet.
2. Fill a spray bottle with dish detergent and cold water. Spray the mixture on the stain so it's completely soaked. Use a paper towel or white cloth to blot it out.
3. Repeat as many times as needed until the stain is removed.

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DIY Carpet Cleaning

If you decide to clean your carpet rather than hire professionals, you can rent a steam cleaner from home improvement stores, grocery stores and other local retailers. Steam cleaners use detergent and hot water to extract the dirt and debris from your carpet. Steam cleaner rentals cost anywhere from $35 to $50 per day, plus the cost of the cleaning solution. Most steam cleaner rental venues and manufacturers recommend using their own cleaning solution rather than a third party's brand. If you ignore this advice, you risk damaging your carpet or the machine.Some risks that you run with using a rental steam cleaner rather than hiring a professional carpet cleaning service including:

• Too much time: a cleaner could be too small and take more time to cover your space or too large and consume too much power
• Oversaturation: because they use more water, the drying time could be longer than 24 hours and you might suffer a mold or mildew infestation
• Hard to use: large machines could be hard to move around small apartments or in corners where your carpet could build up considerable dirt
• Equipment failure: because you rent this equipment, it could break or work incorrectly, which could lead to additional costs or having to redo your carpet

While DIY steam cleaning is the less expensive option for homeowners, these risk factors could prove problematic if you run into them or have conflicting issues. Make sure you're ready to tackle these if you want to pursue DIY carpet cleaning. Also, make sure that it's worth the investment and potential additional costs.

If you don't have time, contact a cleaning professional to do it for you.

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Other Professional Carpet Cleaning Cost Considerations

When you hire a professional carpet cleaning service, several options might help you lower your total costs, either immediately or down the road, if you pursue long-term carpet cleaning. Here are some factors to consider with carpet cleaning professionals when requesting a quote.

Cleaning Discounts

Some professional carpet cleaning services offer discounts for:

• Multiple rooms
• Upholstery cleaning
• Returning and cleaning on a semi-regular basis

Ask company representatives if they offer any of these discounts when you're soliciting quotes. It could save you hundreds of dollars on your carpet cleaning services. There are also various sites online that feature coupons, deals and other potential savings for homeowners to use with carpet cleaning companies. There's no reason for you to pay full price with a carpet cleaning company unless they offer the best service in your area and impose a no-discount policy for good reason.

Extra Cleaning

Professional carpet cleaning professionals sometimes charge additional fees for some services because of added materials, time and labor involved in their process. Some of these add-ons include:

• Spot cleaning: complete stain removal (see above)
• Color repair or dyeing: correct carpet discoloration or restoring carpets to their original color
• Stain resistance: prevent future stains

Carpet discoloration results over time from sunlight, bleach, stains and so forth. The average lifetime of a carpet is around 12 years, but the fibers get damaged along the way, including discoloration. Color repair involves fixing and dyeing areas that were injured by:

• Bleach
• Stains
• Sun fade
• High foot traffic

Using a carpet dye kit, wet vac, rags and other materials, professional carpet cleaners mix the original carpet colors and dye them into the carpet. This allows the carpet to retain its original color and mask the damages sustained over time. Thus, the repairs extend the life of the carpet without homeowners having to pull up their carpet and start over again or having to continue to look at damage. For stain resistance, homeowners can invest in products like Stainmaster, Teflon and Scotchgard. These all prevent future staining and increase the total cost of carpet cleaning. Scotchgard, for example, is a chemical that wraps around the carpet fibers and creates an invisible layer of defense that repels stains from sinking into the carpet. It makes it easier to clean stains, dirt, debris and other soil that could hurt the carpet.

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Furniture Moving & Removal

Furniture moving and removal could or could not be included in the bid for cleaning your carpets. It varies depending on the company, so be sure to ask about it when getting a quote from the service. Some professionals might also charge or not charge depending on the weight of the furniture. Light furniture might be moved at no charge, while heavy furniture might be moved at a price. You could also take the initiative and move your furniture ahead of time to avoid any damage to it. Some companies might also charge to clean your furniture as part of a package, so you should ask just in case, as you might save some money getting them cleaned at the same time.

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