Why A Professional Recommends Against Buying Your Own Carpet Cleaner

In this marvelous day and age of constant technological advancements, there are very few household tasks that can't be done yourself. Dry cleaning? There's a DIY kit for that. Carpet cleaning? You can buy your own residential carpet shampooer. However, just because you can doesn't necessarily mean that you should. When it comes to cleaning your own rugs, House Digest asked Kash Sobhe of Rug Ideas for his exclusive professional opinion on whether DIY carpet cleaners are a safe way to clean your own rugs. Sobhe is a third generation rug expert, Certified Master Rug Cleaner, Certified Fiber Care Specialist, and Certified Color Restoration Specialist. The expert's answer was a resounding no, as there are many mistakes you can make while deep cleaning your carpet that can lead to mold growth, fiber damage, and discoloration.

According to Sobhe, if you value the condition and longevity of your rugs, you'll take them to a professional rug cleaning facility when it's time for them to be cleaned: "Your rug will get a significantly more thorough and a much healthier scientific cleaning, and many problems — such as pet odor or staining — can be permanently taken care of."

As a third-generation rug expert, Kash Sobhe insists that a rug cleaning is not truly professional unless it takes place in a dedicated facility. His reasoning becomes clear once you understand what actually happens during a cleaning at such a facility.

Sobhe exclusively described to House Digest the exact 10-step process that is used to professionally clean rugs at his Los Angeles-based family business, Rug Ideas. "It starts off with properly inspecting and identifying the rug's fiber and origin," he explained, "followed by a deep dusting inside our dust room with a tumble dusting machine, which is then followed with a deep cleaning of the back and face of the rug, disinfecting, and a complete rinse to make the rug residue-free. Then," he continued, "a centrifugal extraction, drying, and a lot of post-finishing work."

Carpet cleaners designed for home use, in comparison, work by injecting your rug with a generalized cleaning solution that does not take its origin or fiber type into consideration. This solution is diluted with water, a large amount of which is dumped into your rug. A rotating brush scrubs the rug's fibers and then suction is used to remove some of the dirty water. According to Sobhe, you can potentially, "[over-wet] a rug causing mold or color run." There is also a possibility that this over-wetting can seep into the floor underneath the rug, causing damage. The process simply can't compare to a true professional cleaning.  

While Kash Sobhe's exclusive advice to House Digest makes it abundantly clear why DIY rug cleaning should be avoided, he can understand that the price of such a service doesn't make sense for those who seek to clean very inexpensive rugs. Even if your rug was a simple printed Amazon Prime Day deal or one of the cheapest area rugs at Target, Sobhe still recommends skipping the shampooer. "I would avoid any sort of shampooing due to the residue which gets left inside the rug," he advised.

Instead, Sobhe recommends following the "less is more" approach. "The safest suggestion would be to thoroughly vacuum and then gently wipe down your rug with a damp cotton cloth. Do not," he cautioned, "spray any sort of over-the-counter sprays, as a lot of them have oxidizers which can cause discoloration and fiber deterioration." Following these steps, of course, does not guarantee that your rug won't be damaged. Perform a DIY rug cleaning at your own risk.