One of the first questions many people ask about carpet cleaning, besides the cost, is "what method do you use?" While this is a very valid question it is not usually the most important question because there are numerous carpet cleaning methods that can deliver good visual results.

There are certainly other considerations that are more important than the method, such as the cleaning agents being used, if the company stands behind their work, if the company gives free written quotes, things like this. But since this article is about what carpet cleaning method is best we will address that now.

The answer?

Well, it depends on what you are looking for. Are you looking for just appearance? Are you looking for maximum soil removal, are you looking for a combination of those with really fast dry times? So the answer of "which method is best for carpet cleaning" is not a one-size-fits-all answer. But in the following paragraphs we will address FACTS and not some B.S. that some carpet cleaning companies want you to believe, especially the "dry cleaning" companies.

​Are you looking for maximum soil removal?​

​​If you are looking for maximum soil removal then the best method, without a question, is hot water extraction (HWE). Hot water extraction carpet cleaning is often referred to as "steam cleaning" although no actual steam is used.

Test have shown that HWE delivers the best overall performance when it comes to the amount of soil removed from a carpet, whether that carpet is a residential carpet or commercial carpet. You don't have to take our word for it, you can take a look here at what Shaw Industries, the largest carpet manufacturer in the world, says about their testing and what THEY believe to be the best method for overall soil removal.​​​

Hot water extraction carpet cleaning is primarily what we use here at Linton's Carpet Cleaning. But we do not use just "any" type of HWE equipment. We use top-of-the-line truck mounted HWE cleaning systems. These systems offer enormous power when it comes to cleaning carpet. From the ability to clean with very hot water, to the ability to recover most of the water we put down, the hot water extraction systems we use get the job done at a high level.

Do Other Methods Deliver Good Results?

​​​​​The simple answer is yes. The more complicated answer is "yes, but it depends." Why the variance? Well because it depends on what you are looking for when getting your carpets cleaned.

If you are looking for maximum soil removal AND great appearance then HWE is hands down the best choice.

But if you are looking for JUST appearance cleaning then methods such as bonnet cleaning, pad cleaning, and encapsulation cleaning can be fine methods to use, especially in situations where you need the carpets to look good but be dry in a very short period of time.

At Linton's Carpet Cleaning we use these other methods but only in certain situations. Why? Because we feel our clients, from what they have told us in cleaning carpets for 22 years, want their carpets to look good ​AND actually be clean! Why would you want to pay for carpet cleaning to only have the carpet LOOK GOOD but there remain a lot of soil in your carpet? The only reason to go this way would be because you needed super fast dry times. Otherwise paying to have your carpet cleaned and a bunch of soil left in your carpet doesn't make much sense.

So if you want to know what the BEST OVERALL METHOD FOR CARPET CLEANING IS - then the answer would be hot water extraction and second place is not even close.