In this guide

Carpet Cleaning Prices by Cleaning Method

There are various carpet cleaning methods available, but not all of them are guaranteed to work. Each technique has advantages and drawbacks, so be informed before making a decision:

Bonnet Carpet Cleaning Cost

Bonnet cleaning focuses more on polishing your carpet’s surface with a spinning pad ². It is a quick and cost-effective way to clean your carpet and takes about 30 minutes to dry. However, it does not fully resolve the issue because the dirt in the lower layers of the carpet eventually rises, causing repeat treatment. This cleaning is quicker and a less-thorough clean, so it costs less. On average, expect to pay between $25 and $100.

Carpet Dry Cleaning Prices

The dry cleaning method uses an absorbent compound that disrupts and binds to dirt and debris in your carpet. After sitting for a while, the compound separates dirt from the carpet fibers to be disposed of with a professional-strength vacuum.

This method is a quick way to get a deep clean without wetting your carpets. Your space will be ready 20 minutes after cleaning. However, you cannot clean as deep into the carpet as with steam cleaning. If you plan to use dry carpet cleaning, expect to pay between $75 and $300

Carpet Encapsulation Prices

Carpet encapsulation like carpet shampooing uses synthetic foam detergents on the carpet with a brush machine. However, the similarities stop there. As the foam sets, it crystallizes and forms a powder, trapping soil in the carpet. Then, everything is vacuumed up.

This method does not leave residue and takes less time to clean and dry. The entire process should be done in about a half-hour. However, it cannot provide the same deep clean, so it is not suggested if your carpet is heavily soiled. On average, this process costs between $80 and $350.

Carpet Shampooing Cost

Carpet shampooing works a foaming substance into your carpet with a brush machine. Then, a wet vacuum removes the cleaner and dirt. After the carpet dries, a dry vacuum cleans the rest.

Your carpet will dry quickly because there is little moisture. Generally speaking, it takes about 20 minutes to clean a single room. However, you cannot thoroughly extract dirt from below the carpet surface. This method is fairly inexpensive, ranging from $90 to $400 on average.

Steam Cleaning Carpet Cost

Steam cleaning, or hot water extraction, is one of the most common professional carpet cleaning techniques. This method cleans deep into your carpet fibers, but the water’s high temperature and pressure can be dangerous.

A cleaning agent is applied to the carpet and left to sit and work into the carpet fibers. Hot water is then washed over at a high pressure to fully penetrate the fibers and break down dirt and bacteria. Finally, the hot water is vacuumed up. On average, it takes about an hour to clean an average home and up to a day or two for everything to completely dry. Steam cleaning generally costs between $100 and $500.

Carbonated Carpet Cleaning Prices

Like steam cleaning, carbonated carpet cleaning uses hot water to extract dirt from carpets. However, instead of completely soaking the carpet, this process uses a low-moisture process with microscopic bubbles that explode dirt from deep within the carpet fibers. This method uses approximately 80% less water than steam cleaning, eliminating mold and mildew risk. Additionally, your carpet usually dries in a few hours. Carbonated carpet cleaning costs between $130 and $600 on average.

Average Carpet Cleaning Cost by Carpet Type

While all carpets may look alike on the surface, there are many types that all have unique properties. It is crucial to know what type of carpet you have when considering ways to clean it:

Clean Synthetic Carpet Price

Synthetic carpets are often polyester blends that can be regularly cleaned with a basic vacuum cleaner. Always check the care label to see if chemicals or specific cleaning methods can damage your carpet. No matter what kind of synthetic carpet you have, you can generally use baking soda and warm water to take out tough stains. For professional cleaning, most synthetic carpets work best with dry cleaning methods every year or so. On average, dry cleaning a synthetic carpet costs between $60 and $130.

Cost of Professionally Cleaning Berber Carpet

Berber carpets are easier to clean than other types because they are made of big loops that make it hard for dirt to penetrate deeper than the surface. Berber carpets should be professionally steam cleaned every 12 to 18 months. They fare better with a lower pressure setting on the machine because they will dry quicker and eliminate the chance of stains being wicked back into the carpet. Cleaning a Berber carpet costs between $70 and $120.

Cost of Cotton Carpet Care

Cotton carpets are soft and strong but can gather dirt and grime over time. Steam cleaning is usually the best method to clean cotton carpets. While you should clean your carpet regularly, it is recommended to have it professionally deep-cleaned every year or so. Cotton carpet cleaning costs range from $90 to $150.

Clean Silk Carpet Price

Silk rugs are far more delicate than traditional wool rugs. The best way to protect a silk carpet is to keep dirty shoes and pets’ feet off it. On top of vacuuming your carpets regularly, have it professionally cleaned every one to three years. Most professional cleaners offer a deep dusting followed by a pre-treatment and hand washing. It usually costs between $95 and $200 to clean silk carpets.

Professional Sisal Carpet Cleaning Cost

Sisal carpets are very sensitive. Day-to-day maintenance can be done with a regular vacuum, but you need to be careful when it comes to professional cleaning. This can be done as needed, but do not steam clean or wet-shampoo a natural fiber carpet. Steam cleaning or wet-shampooing this carpet can cause shrinkage, discoloration, or staining. Instead, use a dry carpet cleaning compound and vacuum. If your sisal carpet gets wet, use fans or an air conditioner to dry it so that the edges do not curl. Sisal carpet cleaning costs $100 to $180.

Professional Wool Carpet Cleaning Cost

Wool carpets are most easily cleaned by dry vacuums. Even if your carpet is white, never use bleach or harsh chemicals on it. This can destroy the fibers and form a patch. You should have wool carpets professionally cleaned every 12 to 18 months with hot water extraction. Wool is thick and absorbs a great amount of water, so it takes much longer to dry. To steam clean your wool carpet, expect to pay between $105 and $160.

Carpet Cleaning Cost per sq.ft.

An easy way to price out a carpet cleaning job is with the room’s size. Some companies measure the area before cleaning. Typically, the cost to clean a carpet ranges between $0.18 and $0.36 per square foot ¹. You can easily calculate the cost of carpet cleaning for common room sizes:

Carpet Cleaning Cost per Room

Many carpet cleaning companies charge per room. Some charge a flat fee per room, while others offer better rates to clean multiple rooms.

Professional Carpet Cleaning Prices by Company

Choosing the right carpet cleaning company depends on your location, cleaning type, and cost. There are many professional cleaners, and each has benefits and drawbacks:

Green Choice Carpet Cleaning Prices

Green Choice Carpet offers highly affordable carpet steam cleaning options, but they have a minimum treatment requirement of three rooms. With this pricing structure, you can spend money based on your budget and home’s needs. However, this can be a drawback if you only need to clean one room. From a basic steam extraction cleaning to a deep cleaning carpet shampoo, Green Choice Carpet’s services range from $30 to $70 per room.

USA Clean Master Carpet Cleaning Prices

USA Clean Master offers comprehensive carpet cleaning and a pet package specifically targeting pet-related odors and stains. They offer sanitizing and disinfection services, mattress cleaning, rug cleaning, upholstery cleaning, and other restoration services. On average, they charge between $50 and $90 per room.

Chem-Dry Prices for Carpet Cleaning

Chem-Dry offers green-certified cleaning solutions, including carpet cleaning, sanitizing, pet urine and odor removal, and furniture and upholstery cleaning. They use a Hot Carbonation Extraction system connected with a truck mount ³ to apply water and a cleaning solution. Their extraction system has a high suction rate, which can extract 80 percent more water than typical steam cleaners. If you choose Chem-Dry for your carpet cleaning project, expect to pay between $70 and $100 per room.

Stanley Steemer Carpet Cleaning Prices

Stanley Steemer uses a truck-mounted cleaning system with an attached hose to clean carpets, upholstery, and area rugs. The cleaning solutions and hot water are applied directly to the carpet, ensuring a thorough clean. However, this increases the risk of over-wetting in the carpet, which can lead to mold and mildew growth. On average, Stanley Steemer charges between $100 and $130 per room to clean, protect, and deodorize, but they have a minimum rate of $300 per job.

Coit Carpet Cleaning Prices

Coit Carpet Cleaning offers residential and commercial cleaning services for air ducts, area rugs, carpets, upholstery, and furniture. They offer 24/7 emergency restoration for fire and smoke damage, mold remediation, and water damage on top of their normal services. Coit usually charges between $115 and $150 per room, and they have a minimum requirement of $125.

Professional Carpet Cleaning Cost

Before the actual carpet cleaning, cleaners move your furniture and perform a pre-inspection, pre-vacuum, pre-spray, pre-spot, and pre-groom. Additionally, they can use a protector, deodorizer, and neutralizer afterward. On average, it takes approximately 30 minutes to an hour to thoroughly clean a carpet in an average 320-square-foot room. Cleaners usually charge between $25 to $65 per hour, and the overall cost of cleaning a room this size, including the pre-cleaning activities, ranges from $75 to $215.

Green Carpet Cleaning Price

Eco-friendly organic cleaners are 100% non-toxic, which is healthier for the carpet and environment. Eco-friendly carpet cleaners can be applied with steam extractors, shampoo machines, and hand brushes. Natural cleaning agents also act as disinfectants, providing long-term safety versus a short-term fix.

Additionally, natural ingredients act as an all-purpose cleaner for any stain in your home. Rather than using different chemicals to treat different stains, tackle them all with one eco-friendly mixture. While natural cleaning agents are more expensive, they save in the long run because their effects last longer. On average, it costs between $115 to $220 per room for a professional green carpet cleaning service. Most companies offer green cleaning solutions, but always ask about which brands each company uses.

Stair Carpet Cleaning Cost

Carpeting your stairs can reduce slipping risks, muffle noise, and improve the design. Cleaning your carpeted stairs can be a hassle, so find a professional who can do the job. Most cleaners do not include stairs in the price of cleaning your room or hallway but add it on as a separate fee. They charge approximately $3 to $5 per stair.

Carpet Stain Removal Cost

Some carpets also need stain removal. The chemicals used to remove the stains can often leave behind marks of their own, so have a professional do the job. The cost to remove a stain from your carpet is $30 to $40 but goes higher, depending on the stain type, technician’s skill, chemicals used, and your carpet’s condition. For example, a new dirt stain is much easier to remove than a week-old juice or wine stain. Blood, coffee, and pet-related stains are also hard to remove.

Carpet Cleaning Maintenance

Cleaning your carpets before they look dirty prevents excessive staining and keeps dirt from accumulating. This also keeps your space healthier. An excessively soiled and dirty carpet costs more to clean because it takes longer.

Cleaning and maintaining your carpet daily, weekly, and monthly can reduce the risk of permanent carpet damage and stains. Vacuuming carpets 2 to 3 times per week can prevent dirt from getting into carpet fibers, and a commercial spot remover can quickly lift away other stains. Before use, always test spot remover products on the carpet for colorfastness before applying them to a large area of the carpet.

While vacuuming yourself can mitigate damage, take care of dirt and soil set deeply in your carpet with a professional clean every 12 to 18 months. The frequency of these cleans depends on your carpet’s material and the area’s daily traffic.

Carpet vs Rug Cleaning

Area rugs are constructed differently than wall-to-wall carpets because they are made to be easily moved. While wall-to-wall carpeting is usually one color, most area rugs have patterns and designs where colors can bleed into each other. Use the correct cleaning methods to prevent permanently ruining your rug.

While carpet cleaning occurs inside, rug cleaning usually involves picking up the rug and taking it to a cleaning facility for specialized cleaning. In some cases, the rug can be delivered to the cleaning facility. Since cleaning a rug involves extra steps and unique cleaning methods, an 8’x10’ rug costs between $300 to $640 to be moved and professionally cleaned.

Enhancement and Improvement Costs

Upholstery Cleaning

Regularly cleaning upholstery extends your furniture’s life and keeps your carpet clean. Dirt and debris from soiled upholstery can fall from the furnishings onto the carpet and cause spots or stains. Normally, it costs $50-$80 to clean one piece of furniture. Many professional carpet cleaning companies also offer upholstery cleaning so that you can have everything done at once.

Carpet Cleaners that Move Furniture

Generally, if you only have to move around light furniture, the carpet cleaning company will not charge extra. If you have larger pieces to move, remove smaller items like loose pillows, books, and picture frames. In this case, expect to pay an extra $10 to $50, depending on how much you have to move and the room’s size.

Pet Stains and Pdors

Pet stains and odors should be promptly treated to prevent staining and odors. Carpet cleaning companies usually use several products to remove stains and odors, such as polymers and oxygenating compounds. The average cost to have a carpet cleaning company remove pet stains and odors is $30-$40 per hour.

Scotchgard™ Protection

Scotchgard repels stains and soiling to protect carpets and keep them clean longer. A can of Scotchgard™ normally costs $9-$10. However, professional carpet cleaners charge about $5-$10 per room to apply Scotchgard.

Remodeling Terms Cheat Sheet

¹ Foot: A support for the foundation of a house that also helps prevent settling. It is typically made of concrete reinforced with rebar, but can also be made of masonry or brick. It is usually built under a heavier part of the house like a wall or column, to distribute the weight of the house over a larger area.

² Pad: A cushion placed under a carpet to absorb impact, thus extending the life of the carpet