Carpet cleaning costs may not be on your mind when you purchase a carpet, but it’s important to understand them.
The cost of carpet cleaning depends on the type of carpet being cleaned, the type of cleaning being done, and a range of other factors. In short, you could pay anywhere from $20 to $600 to have a carpet cleaned.
This post covers the factors influencing carpet cleaning prices, the various costs associated with different cleaning services, and tips for saving money when hiring professional carpet cleaners.
Key Takeaways
The average carpet cleaning costs around $150, but you could spend less or more to get your carpet cleaned. The price of cleaning is based on the number of carpets you need to clean, carpet materials, cleaning methods required, and other factors.
To make professional carpet cleaning cheaper, move furniture so the carpets are easy to access and clean the carpets on your own before the professionals arrive.
How Much Does It Cost to Clean a Carpet?
The average cost of carpet cleaning is around $150. That said, you may not have to spend more than $20 if you do DIY carpet cleaning.
Professional carpet cleaners charge $90-$120 for basic cleaning services, but specialized services cost $300-$400.
If you’ve been asking yourself: “How much does carpet cleaning cost?” you need to understand the factors that determine the cost of professional carpet cleaning, namely type of carpet, type of cleaning, and labor.
Once you understand these factors, you can estimate professional carpet cleaning costs before you get any estimates.
Factors That Determine the Overall Cost of Carpet Cleaning
Carpet Size (Square Footage)
Many professional carpet cleaning services use cost per square foot. In other words, the size of the carpet largely determines the cost of cleaning.
Usually, a cleaning team will charge $0.20-$0.40 per square foot. However, if your carpet is below the minimum square footage, usually 200-250 sq ft, the cleaners will probably charge a flat rate between $100 and $150.
If you have wall-to-wall carpet or multiple rugs in one room, the cleaners will get the room’s dimensions before determining a carpet cleaning price.
Say, for example, the room is 2,000 square feet. A carpet deep clean will cost around $400-$800.
But square footage isn’t the only factor a company will consider before cleaning the carpet. If the carpet fibers are delicate, or if you want a special cleaning solution, the cleaning job will be more expensive.
If a company provides a carpet cleaning cost per square foot without inspecting your carpet first, be sure to provide them with additional details. If their price doesn’t change after you tell them more, think twice before hiring them.
Number of Rooms
If you have wall-to-wall carpeting in numerous rooms or if many rooms have multiple rugs, cleaning companies may charge per room instead of per square foot.
Generally, cleaners charge $25-$75 per room. However, if a room is large, carpet cleaning can cost more. The good news is that many cleaning companies offer discounts for customers who need carpet cleaning in multiple rooms.
Material
Carpets and rugs can be made of wool, cotton, nylon, silk, polyester, and other materials, and the cost of rug cleaning is largely determined by the material.
Removing dirt from carpets is crucial, especially when dealing with delicate materials like wool and silk, which require significant time and effort. Special cleaning equipment is needed, and cleaning typically takes an hour or so—even if the rug is small!
That said, if you own carpets that cost tens of thousands of dollars, spending money on professional carpet cleaning is a good move. After all, if you try to clean on your own and fail, you may need expensive carpet repairs. Worse yet, you may need to replace the carpet.
Labor
The carpet cleaning process can be laborious, whether in a client’s home or at a specialized shop. In some instances, professional cleaners will have to get on their hands and knees to scrub stains out of the carpet material.
The type of carpet cleaning required will determine how many laborers you’ll need for professional cleaning. If there are a dozen or more carpets to clean, a team of 2-3 cleaners should be able to complete the job within 1-2 hours.
Of course, you won’t have to pay each cleaner individually, but the overall cost to clean the carpet will be higher if multiple cleaners are needed.
Distance
If the cleaners have to travel a considerable distance to get to your home or office, expect to pay more.
Carpet cleaners often use vans because they have a lot of equipment, and since these vehicles don’t get the best gas mileage, they may have to spend a lot on fuel to get to a client’s property.
This aspect is particularly crucial if you aim to maintain regular carpet cleaning.
Add-Ons
Most carpet cleaning services offer upholstery cleaning as well. Therefore, if the carpet cleaners you hire include furniture cleaning, anticipate a higher total cost.
Additionally, if carpet repair is needed before cleaning can take place, this can raise the total cost of the service. Most carpet cleaners are professional carpet repair personnel, meaning they know how to fix up old and new carpets so they’re ready for cleaning.
Usually, hole repair costs $100-$250 per hole, whereas de-wrinkling can cost $60/hour.
Getting pet stains out of a carpet can cost $30-$50/hour, while green (eco-friendly) carpet cleaning can cost $100-$200 per room.
Need the step carpet cleaned? Expect to be charged $2-$5 per step.
Cost of Different Carpet Cleaning Methods
Steam Cleaning
Steam cleaning is one of the best carpet cleaning methods, and you can expect to pay around $300 for this service.
Naturally, steam cleaning will leave your carpet damp, requiring a few hours of drying before it can be used again.
The cleaners will use a steamer to get out deep stains that have been on your carpet for some time.
How does a steamer work? It soaks the carpet fibers in hot water and then injects chemicals to clean the fibers. Pressure is applied to remove dirt and other particles, and then the dirty water is sucked up into the steamer.
Steamers work well on basic carpet materials, but they can damage delicate fibers.
A professional cleaner will know whether or not steam cleaning is appropriate for your carpet.
Dry Cleaning
The average cost of carpet dry-cleaning is $220.
It’ll take professional cleaners 1-2 hours to deliver this service, and it’s great for removing surface-level stains.
Dry cleaning is a moisture-free cleaning method, so it’s ideal for rugs that have shrinkable fibers. However, if your rug has deep tomato sauce or ink stains, dry cleaning may not be effective.
Also, since dry-cleaning is a chemical-based cleaning method, you’ll need to make sure your rug fibers are strong enough to handle this type of cleaning. That said, don’t worry if you’re not sure—the professionals will know whether dry-cleaning is safe.
Shampooing
You may spend $240 or more for carpet shampoo, but most people who get this service say the results are well worth the cost.
Shampooing is a simple process that can remove deep stains, even those set months or years ago.
The rug cleaner will apply a special shampoo and ensure it soaks deep into the carpet. It’ll take an hour or so for the foam to break down any stains.
Once enough time has passed, the cleaner will wipe the foam and rinse the rug to ensure there’s no dirty residue left behind.
Hot Water Extraction
Hot water extraction is the most expensive carpet cleaning method, costing around $400. That said, it can be 20%-30% more expensive if the carpet is made of cotton or wool.
Hot water extraction is essentially an intensive steam cleaning. Hot water and ammonia are used to liquefy any dirt and debris. Next, the cleaner uses a grooming tool to agitate the fibers. Finally, a wet vacuum is used to suck up the dirty liquid.
The carpet needs to dry for at least 24 hours after this cleaning.
Carbonated Cleaning
Carbonated cleaning usually costs around $340.
This method involves chemicals that bubble dirt and debris up to the surface, where they can be easily removed with a wet vacuum.
But like other cleaning methods that rely on chemicals, carbonated cleaning isn’t ideal for rugs with delicate fibers.
Bonnet Carpet Cleaning
One of the cheaper cleaning methods is known as bonnet cleaning. Expect to pay around $150 for this.
This cleaning process is relatively simple. Detergent is sprayed into the rug with a special device. Once the carpet has been adequately coated, the cleaner will use a cleaning pad to suck up the dirt, allergens, hairs, etc.
This cleaning method won’t deliver a deep clean, but the bright side is your rug won’t be unusable for several hours.
However, before you opt for this type of carpet cleaning, check your rug’s warranty, as some are voided after this type of cleaning has been used.
Encapsulation Cleaning
Encapsulation cleaning is similar to shampooing, but it can be cheaper or more expensive than the latter ($80 and $350).
A rotating brush applies a cleaning solution that crystallizes on the dirty fibers, hence the name “encapsulation cleaning.” Once the cleaning solution crystalizes, the cleaner will use a special vacuum to remove the crystals from the carpet fibers.
This cleaning method can be used for some carpets but not others. Essentially, if a carpet has delicate fibers, this cleaning method may do more harm than good.
Cleaning on Your Own vs Hiring a Professional Cleaning Service
Cleaning carpets on your own is cheaper than hiring a team of professionals.
In many cases, DIY carpet cleaning costs $20-$30. All you need is carpet cleaner, some basic tools used in the cleaning process, and a space that’s open enough and equipped with adequate drainage.
That said, there may be a lot of water used in the cleaning, so cleaning on your own may not be feasible if water is expensive in your area.
But if the carpet needs a special cleaning, it’s best to leave this to the professionals.
After all, if you try to do special cleaning on your own, without the supplies and know-how required, you could damage your carpet quite severely, in which case the cost of cleaning will be far higher than what you would’ve spent on professional help.
If you want to save money, and your rugs aren’t expensive collectibles made of fine materials, you should be able to get them spotless and sanitary on your own. Conversely, if they’re delicate antiques worth thousands, get professional help.
How to Save Money When Hiring a Professional Carpet Cleaning Company
You can save money on professional carpet cleaning services in a variety of ways:
- Try to remove stains on your own before the cleaners come.
- Get all your furniture out of the way so the cleaners don’t have to move it.
- Try to have your carpets cleaned on a weekday morning.
- Set up an arrangement for regular cleaning, as most companies will offer a deal.
- Only have your dirtiest or most valuable carpets deep-cleaned.
- Maintain your carpets after they’re cleaned so only minor cleaning is needed at the next appointment.
Final Thoughts
Carpet cleaning can cost anywhere from $20 to $600. If you clean your carpets, you shouldn’t spend more than $50.
Hiring professionals will cost you $100-$150, but you could spend hundreds more if:
- You have many carpets that need cleaning.
- The carpets you have require a special cleaning method.
- Making the carpets spotless and sanitary takes a long time.
However, there are strategies to reduce carpet cleaning costs. For example, you can relocate furniture to save the cleaners time, or attempt to clean and remove stains beforehand, reducing their workload.
