If you are reading this article you have probably come to the conclusion that your carpets need a refresh and you are thinking to yourself ‘how much does carpet cleaning cost?’.
The process of having your carpets professionally cleaned is called carpet cleaning or shampooing. There are lots of cleaning companies that specialise in just this with lots of people still opting for carpets over laminate flooring.
The price
Its difficult to give an average cost for carpet cleaning in London as lots of companies have different tariffs. The most common pricing method is by charging per type or size of the room that the carpet is in, for example bedroom carpet, lounge carpet etc. More often than not the price will be based on an average size carpeted room.
Expect to pay anything from £25 to £55 for a double bedroom with some carpet cleaning companies offering even cheaper deals than this. The material of the carpet can also play a part here.
Woven vs Tufted
The most common type of carpet sold in the UK is either woven or tufted. Here is a brief guideline to the types of carpet available:
Woven: Weaving pile yarn and backing fabric together is the traditional way to make carpets. Woven carpets keep their appearance and last a long time but are pricier than tufted carpets.
Tufted: This is the most common type of carpet because they are quicker and cheaper to make,
Natural vs Synthetic
The fibre of the carpet may also affect the price you pay for your carpet cleaning as natural fibers require more care and attention when cleaning. If you’re not sure what type of fiber your carpet contact the shop where you purchased the carpet or if you are renting ask your landlord or letting agent.
There are two types of fibre, natural or synthetic and some carpets use a blend of both.
Wool is the most widely used fibre and is recognised as the best as it retain its colour and appearance for years, and is naturally flame resistant.
Synthetic is the more practical and cost effective choice and synthetic fibers are recommended for high traffic rooms and areas such as the bathroom and landings. They are much more hard wearing and are often found in rental properties.
The process
The most common carpet cleaning process or technique follows the following 5 steps:
- Vacuum
- Spray hot cleaning solution onto the carpet from a dedicated sprayer
- Agitate the carpets
- Rinse and extract
- Groom carpet with brush to set pile in one direction
Make sure the company uses state of the art equipment – its not uncommon for some so called carpet cleaners to use hired rug doctors. Here is a short video illustrating the kind of equipment we use to clean our carpets. The powerful 300psi pump extracts all the dirt and grime from deep within the pile.
In conclusion
Unfortunately price isn’t always a good indication of the quality of the carpet cleaning. When you are researching prices you should consider the following five things:
- Is the company a professional cleaning company? You DON’T want to use carpet cleaners who aren’t professional in their approach and techniques. They often don’t have the expertise, equipment and chemicals to do a full professional end of tenancy.
- Is the company reputable and do they have positive customer reviews? Most companies who have good reviews will tell you about them on their website or when you are speaking to them. Look out for this. Its no different to say buying a product on amazon on ebay.
- Are the carpet cleaners fully insured? This really is a must. Make sure you ask the question and if you are unsure ask to see a public liability insurance certificate.
- Do their prices include VAT? Some websites don’t include VAT in their pricing and the price you see isn’t the price you get. They may not necessarily be registered for VAT so make sure you ask
If you’re having your whole house carpet cleaned the cost can run into the hundreds of pounds, so do your research and make sure you talk to the company you are thinking of using.
Even a short 5 minute conversation about how they will carry out the carpet cleaning and their experience will often highlight things that may cause you problems further down the line.
Most reputable companies will have reviews from independent third party sites. Don’t listen to reviews that have no association with independent sites as the company may have written the reviews themselves.