Deep clean of carpet

The carpet in the living room looked fine for five years. Then it started to darken along the route everyone walks, from the door to the sofa. It is not a stain you can point to — it is a gradual shadow, and you only noticed it when you moved a piece of furniture and saw what colour the carpet actually was underneath.

What lies there is sand, skin cells, skin oils and dust, and most of it sits at the base of the pile, not on top. That is why the vacuum cleaner no longer does the job.

What we actually do

Deep cleaning is a wet process, but it starts dry.

1. Dry vacuuming in several directions. Thorough, and lengthy. Sand and grit left behind when we introduce water turn into slurry and grind the fibre from the inside. This step is the one most often skipped, and it is the most important.
2. Fibre and colour are assessed, with a colourfastness test on a hidden area. Wool, synthetic and blended fibres do not tolerate the same treatment, and a carpet that bleeds colour must be treated cooler and milder.
3. Stains are pre-treated by type. Grease, protein, sugar and colour are dissolved by different agents. Use the wrong agent and you fix the stain in place instead of dissolving it — a protein stain that meets heat, for example, sets permanently.
4. Brushing. The fibre is lifted and the soiling loosened from the base, so it is accessible when the water arrives.
5. Extraction. Hot water under pressure into the carpet, dirty water out again under vacuum, pass after pass. We continue until what comes out runs clear. This is what distinguishes deep cleaning from shampooing: we carry the dirt out of the room instead of rinsing it further down into the carpet.
6. Fibre grooming at the end, so the pile lies even while the carpet dries, and controlled drying with air movement.

Why it pays off

A carpet is not worn primarily by being walked on. It is worn by the sand sitting down in the pile, which acts as sandpaper between the fibres every time someone steps on it. Remove the sand, and you extend the carpet's life — that is the whole mechanism, and it is easy to measure: the walking zone is always the first to wear, and it is also where the sand is carried in.

Then there is the indoor air. A carpet is a filter, and a saturated filter stops holding onto dust and starts releasing it. If anyone in the household has a pollen allergy or a house dust mite allergy, the living room carpet is often the single largest reservoir in the home.

And finally: a deep-cleaned carpet costs a fraction of a new one. Waiting until the walking zone is permanently discoloured is trading a cleaning job for a purchase.

How often should you have it done?

Once a year in rooms in daily use. More often in hallways and entryways. Between cleanings: dry vacuum twice a week, and place a mat just inside the front door — that is where most of the dirt is carried in.

How long does it take?

Around 2.5 hours for an ordinary living room carpet, plus 4 to 8 hours of drying time before the room is back in full use.

Book an inspection for carpet deep cleaning — you receive a fixed price in writing within one working day.