Get matched with top carpet cleaners in Augusta, ME

While you don’t have to move everything out of a room for a carpet cleaning, doing so will reveal hidden dirt and allow for a more thorough cleaning. However, for heavy or rarely used areas under furniture, cleaning around the pieces can be enough. Professional cleaners often work around large items or move furniture as needed.

After a carpet cleaning, it's important to give it time to dry before walking on it. While you should wait at least one hour to prevent immediate damage, a general guideline is to stay off the carpet for 6 to 12 hours. For the carpet to dry completely, it's best to wait a full 24 hours if possible.

The exact drying time can vary based on several factors:

• Carpet Type: Thicker or high-pile carpets may take up to a full day or longer to dry completely, especially if they are very wet.

• Cleaning Method: Methods like steam cleaning, which extract most of the water, can reduce drying time, allowing for light traffic after 6 to 12 hours.

• Environment: You can speed up drying time by ensuring good airflow, using fans, and maintaining low humidity. Poor ventilation will extend the drying period.

Walking on a damp carpet can re-soil it, leave footprints, and potentially damage the carpet fibers.

In addition to having your carpets professionally cleaned, most carpet cleaners offer a range of supplemental services and treatments, including:

• Patching and repairing holes: $100–$250 per hole

• Carpet stretching to remove wrinkles: $60 per hour

• Water extraction: $450–$2,000, depending on square footage

• Pet stain and odor removal: $30–$50 per hour

• Furniture and upholstery cleaning: $50–$80 per item

• Furniture moving and removal: $10–$50 per item

• Padding replacement: $4–$7 per square foot

• Teflon treatment: $20–$40 per project

• Environmentally friendly carpet cleaning: $100–$200 per room

The formula for neutralizing skunk smell is one quart of 3% hydrogen peroxide, ¼ cup baking soda, and one to two teaspoons of dish soap. The University of Nebraska says a chemist discovered that this mixture changes the thiols, the chemical compound that causes the odor, into acids that don’t carry a skunk smell, thus eliminating the odor.