Eventually, all carpets become a little tired with the initial bright and fresh ‘new purchase’ look fading over time. Plus, if you have children or pets, you’re likely to have more than one accidental spill or stain to contend with.
However, you don’t need to replace the entire carpet, you can try a much less costly and time-consuming process by simply getting your carpet professionally cleaned. By essentially giving your carpet a shampoo and blow-dry, the resulting clean can get your carpet back to looking the way it did when it was first purchased.
In this article, we’ll be covering:
- How much professional carpet cleaning costs
- What affects the cost of professional carpet cleaning
- How to save money on carpet cleaning
- How to know if you should have your carpets professionally cleaned
- How to find and hire a professional carpet cleaning company
If you’re tired of looking at your stained carpet or covering up stubborn patches with rugs, keep reading to find out how you can transform them with some savvy cleaning know-how.
How Much Does Professional Carpet Cleaning Cost?
As with most home projects, the price you can expect to pay will be determined by the size. Here are some common size examples and their respective prices:
| ROOM SIZE | TIME REQUIRED | ESTIMATED COST |
|---|---|---|
| Single Bedroom | 30 minutes | £20 to £30 |
| Double Bedroom | 30 minutes | £30 to £45 |
| Lounge and Dining Room | 30 to 40 minutes | £60 to £100 |
| Stairs and Landing | 30 to 40 minutes | £2 per step |
| Hallways | 30 to 40 minutes | £15 to £20 |
| Upholstery Cleaning | Dependant on item size | £15 to £100 |
A standard single bedroom will cost between £20 to £30 to be professionally cleaned, while a standard double bedroom will come in at between £30 to £45.
An average-sized lounge and dining room will cost between £60 to £100, depending on the exact size and current state of your carpet. A standard hallway will be anywhere between £15 to £20.
If you’re looking to have your stairs and landing professionally cleaned, you can expect a cost of around £2 per step; while any upholstery cleaning such as lounge furniture sets will be between £25 to £100, depending on the size and how soiled the articles are.
With this route, it’s important to note that there may also be a minimum charge, which can sometimes mean that cleaning multiple rooms is more cost-effective than just having some areas spot-cleaned.
How Much Does Professional Carpet Cleaning Cost in a Home or Flat?
You can also opt to have your prices given to you based on the size of your entire home or flat, which in most cases gives you a better price.
| HOUSE SIZE | TIME REQUIRED | ESTIMATED COST | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-bed Flat | 1 hour | £105 to £165 | |
| 2-bed Flat | 2 hours | £135 to £210 | |
| 3-bed Flat | 3 to 4 hours | £165 to £255 | |
| 3-bed Terraced House | 3 to 4 hours | £193 to £283 | |
| 4-bed Terraced House | 4 hours + | £251 to £356 |
A typically-sized one-bed flat will cost between £105 to £165, while a two-bed flat will be slightly more at £135 to £210. A three-bed flat can come in anywhere between £165 to £255.
Looking at houses, a standard three-bed terrace will come in at between £193 to £283, while a four-bed terrace will cost between £251 to £356.
It’s good to note with these prices that stairs and landings usually come at an extra cost, so it’s best to always ask that upfront to save yourself from being lumped with an extra cost at the end of the job.
For the best prices, it’s best to negotiate for a quote to cover the cost of cleaning your entire house instead of each room, which will likely give you the cheapest way to a luxuriously sparkling new interior.
Professional cleaners will typically need between 30 to 40 minutes per room, depending on the actual size of the room and the condition of the carpet itself.
Are you ready to get your carpets looking brand new again? HouseholdQuotes can help you find the right carpet cleaning company.
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Click To Get QuotesWhat Affects the Cost of Professional Carpet Cleaning?
When you’re booking professional cleaners, there are a few important points to remember if you want to avoid unexpected costs.
The Type of Carpet
Different types of carpets require different treatments – for example, if a silk carpet is treated with hot water extraction cleaning there’s a chance the colour will be uneven where stains once were.
Dry cleaning the carpet is suitable for the most vulnerable carpet fabrics such as silk, which may limit your options on what type of carpet cleaning you can have.
The Size of Your Carpet
Predictably, the size of your carpet will be one of the biggest, if not the biggest, factor to affect the price you’ll be expected to pay for it being cleaned. As you’d expect, the larger the area, the larger the price – and vice versa.
Some carpet cleaning companies offer a fixed rate for their visit, so in some instances, it can be more cost-effective to have multiple rooms cleaned instead of just one being spot-cleaned. In all cases, it’s best to see what terms your chosen company has before booking in and finding a cleaning solution that’s right for you and your budget.
The Condition of Your Carpet
Removing large or difficult stains is likely to cost more than a simple wash. Be sure to be honest with any tradespeople you’re hoping to quote from – letting them know about that particularly large red wine stain will mean you’ll get an honest quote and not have any nasty surprises when it comes to paying!
It’s best to let your carpet cleaners know the exact condition of your flooring before they quote you to make sure they have everything they need to know to give you a realistic price. This includes whether your carpet is lightly or heavily soiled or with multiple stains, for example.
Your Choice of Carpet Cleaning Method
There’s more than one way to clean your carpet – you can choose from dry or hot water extraction methods. Dry cleaning is the quicker of the two options, but with that speed there are significant environmental impacts due to the chemicals used during cleaning.
Hot water extraction in comparison is a far cleaner, greener alternative, using steam to essentially wash and blow-dry the carpet clean. With this method, you’ll be waiting longer for your carpet to be dry enough to walk on again, which can be a potential downfall if you’re looking for a quick fix on an area of your flooring.
Additional Services
As with most home renovation jobs, there are additional services available that can quickly add extra costs to your base price.
Carpet cleaners do not typically remove furniture from the room they’re cleaning, so you’ll need to make sure that the space is clear for them before they arrive. If you do not move the furniture, they may charge you more, clean only the available space, or ask you to remove the furniture before they begin.
Similarly, if you’re wishing to have your upholstery cleaned at the same time as your carpets, this will be an added extra.
Your Location
Luckily, the price of carpet cleaning doesn’t vary much across regions, so you can expect to pay about the same in London as you would in rural Scotland. Typically, companies provide quotes based on room type and size.
How Can I Save Money on Carpet Cleaning?
Comparing quotes is a great way to potentially reduce the cost of your carpet cleaning project. HouseholdQuotes can help you get quotes from multiple carpet cleaners near you, so that you can find someone that suits your budget.
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Click To Get QuotesCarpet cleaning is a great way of bringing life back into your flooring if it’s looking tired and worn – but it does come at a cost. Here are some good ways to keep the fees low (or to help you get more for your money).
Yes, you read that right – professional carpet cleaners often have set prices per call out, which can make it more worthwhile to get multiple rooms cleaned during their visit, instead of just spot-cleaning one.
Although this won’t lower the call-out fee, it will enable you to get more out of the money you hand over for the service, which can save you from calling out the same company again in a few months to clean another room in your home.
If you spill something on your carpet, the best remedy is to treat it immediately. The worst stains come out when you let them sit for a while before acting.
For spillages, patting the area to absorb the liquid is the best route, avoiding rubbing the carpet at all costs as this only serves to work the stain deeper into the pile.
Sick of seeing dirty footprints on your carpet? Ask your guests or the people who live with you to take their shoes off before entering.
Having a no-outdoor-shoe policy indoors can help to save mud and other outside dirt from getting trodden into your carpets, saving you money on professional carpet cleaning in the long run.
You can always give carpet cleaning a go as a DIY task. The process isn’t difficult; but do be prepared to spend some time on the job, especially if you’ve got a home with a lot of carpet.
Cleaning machines can be hired from between £20 and £28 per day. Carpet shampoo typically tends to cost around £15 and can easily be ordered online.
To make sure your carpet clean gives you the best results, make sure you go through all the right steps.
First, make sure to vacuum your carpets to pick up any particularly big bits of dirt or debris. Once completed, industrial machines will aim shampoo and hot water at the carpet for a good, deep clean.
The cleaning head will work into the carpet and get between the fibres, dislodging the dirt between fibres and then sucking up the grime and liquid. Once this has been completed, you should clean your carpets again but with no shampoo.
This is the rinsing stage, and will remove any left behind dust and dirt from the carpet as well as ensuring all shampoo has been cleaned away.
Is Professional Carpet Cleaning the Right Choice for My Home?
If you have some staining on your carpets and are unsure if you need a full, professional clean, or if you could get away with a DIY spot-clean, this section should help you decide what’s best for you.
| ADVANTAGES | DISADVANTAGES | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Professional service without you having to lift a finger | Can become expensive when larger homes or rooms are involved | ||
| Can be completed relatively quickly | You can choose to do this yourself, which can save you money | ||
| Helps to get rid of stubborn stains | Some treatments may leave your carpets wet for a while after | ||
| Can revitalise the look of tired carpets | Most furniture will need to be moved before work commences |
The main advantage of having your carpets professionally cleaned is just that – you’re getting the service from a professional who will do all the hard work for you. It saves you time that you’d otherwise spend doing it yourself, which is invaluable.
Professional cleaning will ensure a deep clean of heavily soiled areas with the best treatments available. A potential disadvantage is that some carpets aren’t suitable for wet cleaning, leaving dry cleaning as the only solution which can be harmful to the environment.
Wet cleaning will leave your carpets damp for a while post-cleaning, so you’ll need to factor that in, as well as you being responsible for moving any furniture out of the way beforehand (or being willing to spend more on having that done by the carpet cleaning team).
Doing it yourself will save you money – but it won’t save you time. For smaller areas of soiling, spot-cleaning is ideal as it will treat the impacted area without the need for a full carpet clean, which is something you can easily do yourself.
If you’re attempting dry cleaning yourself, you will be working with chemicals that can be harmful, so you might feel easier having a professional do the job for you. DIY cleaning can be done on a whim, without the need for booking someone in advance, which aids flexibility.
How Do I Find and Hire a Professional Carpet Cleaning Company?
Finding the right carpet cleaning company can be challenging. At HouseholdQuotes, we can connect you to carpet cleaning companies in your area.
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Click To Get QuotesThe best route is to seek out recommendations from family, friends and neighbours – or anyone around you who has had their carpets professionally cleaned recently! This way, you deftly side-step any rogue traders or companies with bad reviews as you’re getting a direct referral from someone you trust.
Ensuring the Professional Is the Right Fit
Obtaining a written quote is the first milestone when working with any trader. This way, you can see what’s included and what’s not, leaving no room for nasty end-of-job price hikes.
Most companies will find it inefficient to take on a job that’s just a single room. A minimum charge of £50 is usually applied in these cases – make sure you find out how much this is in your instance to save you from budgeting for a £20 job that turns out to be much more.
Seeking out the company’s experience and reading any customer testimonials can help to give you a better idea of whether the trader is right for you.
Seeing any photos or videos of their previous work is also important, especially if you have a stubborn or unusual stain you need removing. This way, you can ask the company directly if they have experience in removing that type of stain, seeking out before and after photos from their experience.
Finally, insurance should come as standard, but it’s best to double-check before agreeing to work with a company to make sure you’re covered in the event of an accident.
Final Checklist and Conclusion
If you’ve decided it’s time to say goodbye to the stains on your carpet, then opting for a professional carpet clean is the way to go. Here’s our final checklist to make sure everything is taken care of:
- Get a written quote, and find out if the company have a minimum call-out charge
- Seek out their experience and previous jobs, and find out if they have experience in resolving the kind of stain you have
- Let them know the current state of your carpets so there are no nasty price hikes when the job is being carried out
- Remove furniture from rooms where possible, or give advance notice to the cleaning company that you’ll need items removing
- Enjoy your freshly-shampooed carpet!
Use HouseholdQuotes to find local carpet cleaning companies and potentially save money on your carpet cleaning project.
Click To Get QuotesFrequently Asked Questions
How Often Should I Clean My Carpets?
You should be aiming to clean your carpets at least once a year, if not more if you live in a household with high footfall or with smokers as debris will compact into the pile.
What Types of Stains Can Professional Carpet Cleaners Remove?
Most stubborn stains will be removed, if not reduced in their appearance, with the help of professional carpet cleaners. Some stains are harder to budge, such as fat or oil, paint, or sugary drinks, but they should be able to be improved.
It’s best to ask your company directly if they have experience in lifting the type of stain you have on your carpet, and if they say yes, ask to see proof in before and after photographs so you can see what kind of result you can expect.
How Long Does It Take for Carpets to Dry?
Carpets can take up to 24 hours to dry completely after cleaning, depending on the airflow to the room, the humidity, and a whole host of other factors.
Usually, you will have a dry carpet again within six to ten hours, but this can vary.
Is There Any Way to Help My Carpet Dry Faster?
Multiple sources say that ensuring good airflow to the room can help your carpet to dry faster after being professionally cleaned. This will depend on the weather, though, as you won’t want windows open while it’s raining.
You can also use a dehumidifier.
How Much Does Professional Rug Cleaning Cost?
Like carpets, the fibres in rugs need to be correctly cleaned to keep the rug looking its best. The fibres and dye used to create your rug can be fragile, particularly if your rug is a special make, and break down if treated incorrectly.
Professional rug cleaning can cost between £10 and £55 per square metre, depending on the material, and can help to breathe life back into tired pieces of home decor. For more information, take a look at our guide on professional rug cleaning.
Should I Vacuum After Carpet Cleaning?
It’s advisable to vacuum before and after carpet cleaning to help remove larger pieces of debris like soil or dirt agitated in the process of cleaning. Always wait until your carpet is entirely dry before vacuuming.
Why Does My Carpet Smell After Shampooing or Cleaning It?
Your carpet can smell after being washed because there is an underlayer between the ground and your carpet, and if this section gets wet during the process and can’t dry sufficiently, a smell will start to develop over the coming days.
Will I Need to Move Any Furniture Before Having My Carpet Cleaned?
It’s not essential to move all your furniture out of the way before having it cleaned, but it is advisable to do so to ensure a thorough clean. In some instances, the company will offer this service as part of their job, but it’s best to check this before the work begins to ensure there are no hold ups.
How Can I Help My Carpet Dry Faster?
Using bicarb and baking soda can help to speed up the drying time of your carpet, as well as other tricks such as ensuring there’s good ventilation to the room and mopping up any excess liquids with towels in extreme cases of water damage.
If your home has air conditioning, turning this on will help the moisture to wick away quicker than if it was just left alone.
Does Bicarb or Baking Soda Help Absorb Moisture From A Wet Carpet?
Yes, bicarb and baking soda can help to absorb moisture from a wet carpet, and is used after water damage. While it deoderises and disinfects, it also helps to absorb the moisture, and you’ll want to leave it on your carpet for a minimum of 30 minutes for it to get to work.
What Can Happen if I Vacuum a Wet Carpet?
This is not recommended as it can damage your vacuum, or worse, can cause an electric shock if too much water enters the motors. In all cases, it’s recommended to wait for the carpet to dry fully before vacuuming to ensure both your appliance and yourself are kept safe.
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