All carpets eventually need livening up. A newly installed floor covering is bright and has that fresh, clean smell. But over time, this deteriorates into a dull carpet that makes your room smell, especially if you smoke, you’ve pets that shed hair and cause stains, or kids that accidentally spill blackcurrant juice.
The average cost of carpet cleaning in the UK varies with many factors, discussed later. But, initially, we’ll assume the average cost per room is about £50 for a 4mX4m area or approximately £3 per m2. Alternatively, hourly rates of £25-£120/hr or day rates of £150 minimum are typical. However, all these prices will usually be up for negotiation.
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Professional carpet cleaning will quickly and efficiently sort out the lacklustre surface and unpleasant odours without purchasing a new floor covering, thus saving money. And it’ll leave your carpets dry enough to use almost immediately.
This guide explains how much carpet cleaning costs, the factors that affect these prices, and how to find a professional carpet cleaner. So, continue reading, and you’ll learn all you need to know about having your grubby old carpets cleaned.
Main Topics
How Much Does Professional Carpet Cleaning Cost?*
The table below shows a carpet deep-clean price comparison for different sized rooms. You can compare the floor areas with your rooms’ sizes and use them to benchmark against the quotes you receive.
| Room | Floor Area | Estimated Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Kitchen | 4.5 x 4m (18m2) | £55 |
| Living room | 5m x 5m (25m2) | £80 |
| Utility | 1.8 x 2.4m (4.32m2) | £15 |
| Hall, Stairs & Landing | Varies | £50 minimum |
| Main bedroom | 4m x 4m (16m2) | £50 |
| Guest bedroom | 3.4 x 3m (10.2m2) | £30 |
| Single room | 3.5m x 2.5m (8.75m2) | £25 |
| Single room | 4m x 3m (12m2) | £35 |
| Family Bathroom | 2.4m x 3.5m (8.4m2) | £25 |
| En Suite shower room | 2m x 2.2m (4.4m2) | £15 |
*We compiled this information from various sources, including carpet cleaning companies. Every home is different, so these figures are only a rough estimate. However, compare them against your rooms, and you’ll get a ballpark price to help in your research. For an accurate quotation, ask a professional carpet cleaner or use the form on this page.
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Details
The estimated prices shown above don’t cover all the possible variations. You need to factor in the type of carpet and its manufacturing materials. Furthermore, many carpets have stains, ground-in over many years. You also might have insect infestations and need appropriate treatments. Finally, does the furniture need moving and can you do it yourself? Tell the cleaner as much information as you can, and if possible, get them to visit your home beforehand, so they know what to expect.
You can only get an accurate quote for your carpet from a professional cleaner who knows how to remove stains, get rid of insects, etc. Furthermore, a reputable company will have the training to cover these issues. And will give you a comprehensive quote listing all their services so you can choose.
On average, to clean a standard room costs £30-£50 per room, with a minimum charge of £50-£100. The prices shown in the table are for different sized rooms, and you can total them for an entire house. However, if it’s a large dwelling or commercial premises, the cleaner might charge for their time instead. Typically, the rates work out at around £25-£120/hr or at least £150/day. Finally, carpet cleaning equipment is heavy and awkward to manoeuvre. So, if you can have all the work done in one session, it’ll work out cheaper than having rooms cleaned piecemeal.
8 Carpet Cleaning Price Factors
The type of cleaning will determine the quote you receive. Typically, light carpet cleaning and a deep clean will have standard charges. However, the following items will affect the amount charged and increase the quote.
1. Location
Average carpet cleaning prices will vary depending on where you live. Considering that all homes are different, and jobs will rarely be like-for-like, you can expect the average carpet cleaner to charge from 15%-25% more in southeast England than in other regions. If you’re in doubt about whether you’re being ripped off, get a quote from a few different companies to find out the average price for your area.
2. How many rooms are there?
Although you can have floor coverings cleaned in any room in the house, many cleaning contractors quote according to the number of rooms you want to be cleaned at the same time. Because a cleaner takes a significant amount of time travelling and setting up the machine, you often find it cheaper to have many rooms cleaned on the same visit than have them done separately. Also, don’t forget to include the hall, stairs and landing in the quote as these get a lot of footfall and often need more deep cleaning than other parts of the house.
3. Stubborn stains
Certain substances such as red wine, grease, tar and paint become deeply ingrained in the carpet fibres. Therefore, they take more effort to remove when compared with dust and grime. Removing stubborn stains is known as spot cleaning, and on average, you’ll be charged from £30. Tell the cleaning company if you have any stains that need special attention to ensure inclusion in the overall quotation rather than a separate charge. Also, this means the cleaner comes prepared with the correct solvents and doesn’t waste time.
4. Furniture removal
Most carpet cleaning companies expect to get to work as soon as they arrive at your home. Therefore, they expect all furniture to be removed from the room beforehand. However, if you have problems moving large items, let the company know so they can include this special assistance in the quote. Although they probably won’t charge anything for relocating a couple of dining chairs. Settees, armchairs and beds will attract an additional fee.
5. Minimum charges
Before selecting the carpet cleaning company to bring to life your floor coverings, check whether they impose a minimum charge on their customers. Most companies do this to cover their travel and equipment costs, even if the job takes an hour or so. Typically, the minimum charge can be anything between £50 and £100, but usually, it’s the cost of half a day’s work. Therefore, even if you only have one room cleaned at say £35, which generally takes less than an hour, you’ll be charged what the company expects to earn in four hours. Don’t take it personally; it’s standard practice in all trades. But, the way to beat it is to have more than enough rooms cleaned to cover the minimum charge. Find out what the amount is when you initially contact them.
6. Type of carpet
Manufacturers use various materials to make carpets, some of which might need special solvents or cleaning fluids to prevent colour run or damage. Moreover, most carpet cleaning companies also clean hard floorings, such as vinyl, parquet, and stone. All these materials need a different cleaning fluid or application machine, which requires paying for. For example, a typical carpet material needing special treatment is 100% wool.
7. Extra services
Carpets don’t only require cleaning to prolong their lifespan. There are many treatments that you can buy to suit your circumstances. For example:
- Scotchgard protection usually costs 50% of the carpet cleaning fee.
- Anti-insect treatment protects carpets from various insects and costs £7-£15.
- Pre-treatment is a method of treating a particularly stubborn stain with a specific solvent before a standard clean. Notify the cleaning company about this to get it included in the quote.
- Upholstery needs cleaning too. While you have carpet cleaners in your home, take the opportunity to clean all soft furnishing. If you’re a smoker, you’ll have a tobacco smell clinging to all soft furnishing, not just carpets and rugs. So, now’s the time to get them clean.
We’ll talk more about these extra services later in this guide.
8. Cancellation
Most carpet cleaning companies prefer to have their technician’s working days planned out. It’s good business practice and helps them keep their costs down. Therefore, if you have to cancel, please give them as much notice as possible and, at the very least, more than 24 hours. If you decide to cancel with less than this amount, expect to be charged a cancellation fee as compensation. The cancellation fee and other terms should be in their contract with you. But, this doesn’t mean it’s legal or fair. The UK government has published guidance on acceptable compensation in the event of a cancellation.
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How Often Should I Clean My Carpet?
You don’t have to clean carpets very often. Most manufacturers advise you to vacuum weekly to prevent a build-up of dirt and grit in the carpet pile. Additionally, deep clean your floor covering annually to prevent bacteria build-up and prolong its life. However, if you have particularly messy pets or kids who often bring dirt into the house, it’s worth cleaning them more frequently.
Unfortunately, many people have breathing problems induced by allergies, asthma and other similar conditions. In this case, doctors recommend professional carpet cleaning every three to six months, depending on the medical condition.
Hiring A Professional Carpet Cleaner: Checklist
Hiring a reputable carpet cleaning professional can be a problem if you don’t know what to ask. The following are some of the things to look out for.
First and foremost, ensure you choose a professionally trained carpet cleaner. The National Carpet Cleaners Association (NCCA) is the only UK recognised trade association for cleaning hard flooring, carpet, curtain, upholstery and other soft furnishings. All member technicians have the appropriate training, insurance and follow a Code of Practice. Members can provide proof of membership, and you can check it’s current by searching the Association’s member database. Following on, read the bullets below for more top tips:
- You always get what you pay for, so steer clear of prices that seem too low.
- Are the company’s technicians in-house or subcontractors? If the latter, they might not guarantee cleaning quality or their prices.
- Check on review websites, social media or local word-of-mouth for feedback.
- Ask the company if they can clean all types of stains. Suppose the answer is “YES”, then look elsewhere because it’s not true. They might be lying to get more work or don’t know the proper cleaning techniques.
- Ensure the quote’s headed notepaper has the company logo and contact details. They should be on the van too.
- Call back a few days later to ensure the company’s response is consistent.
- A reputable cleaning company will only do what you ask and won’t try a “hard sell” for treatments you don’t need.
- Ensure they have public liability and employers liability insurance. These should cover the company for property damage, accidents and personal injuries while on your premises. If they’re NCCA members, they’ll have insurance anyway. But it’s still worth checking its expiry date.
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Types of Carpet Cleaning
Hiring a professional to clean your carpets (and other soft furnishings, if they offer this service) is well worth the money, compared to a DIY attempt or your cousin’s brother-in-law. When using a professional company, they will use one of the following cleaning methods.
Steam cleaning
This cleaning method is also known as “hot water extraction” or “vapour cleaning”. The method uses pressurised hot water to remove and dissolve dirt and grit from deep down inside the carpet pile. After steam cleaning, the carpet should be left to air dry. A reputable company will tell you the preparation work beforehand to know what to expect and how long to wait before replacing the furniture. Steam cleaning doesn’t use strong chemicals. However, it uses mild cleaning agents and is good enough to remove stubborn stains. Overall, this method is the one most professionals recommend.
Dry compound cleaning
This method doesn’t need drying time, so it’s often used in commercial settings. Dry compound cleaning uses motorised equipment to apply a biodegradable powder to the base of the carpet’s pile. The compound dissolves and absorbs the dirt before breaking down naturally. A typical room of about 25m2 costs £50-£75 for this treatment.
Dry carpet cleaning
The technician applies a powder cleaning agent to the carpet before using a rotating mechanised brush. The brush works the powder deep into the pile and removes the dirt with a powerful vacuum.
Shampoo cleaning
This cleaning method is popular, as it only uses shampoo and a brush. The cleaning solution is sprayed into the carpet to loosen the dirt and grit. Then, the technician uses a motorised brush to work its way into the pile, thereby lifting and removing the dirt solids.
Additional Cost Considerations
We talked briefly about the following additional cost considerations earlier in this guide.
Many professional carpet cleaners offer additional carpet treatments included in the overall cleaning procedures or added as a stand-alone treatment. However, adding carpet treatments to a clean carpet is always better, so we don’t recommend a stand-alone.
Scotchgard protection
Scotchgard covers each carpet fibre with a protective layer to prevent liquid stains and spillages from soaking in. Fortunately, carpets only require one application of Scotchgard, so overall it’s very cost-effective.
Anti-insect treatments
Many carpets attract insects. Fortunately, you can cure many infestations by using steam cleaning, as the hot water will often kill the insect, its larvae and eggs. However, it’s not all plain sailing, as hot water might damage some antique or artisan carpets. Furthermore, some pests require further treatment. This guide isn’t the place to go into great detail about their habits. But, we can say that you need to find the source of the infestation and deal with it using chemicals.
Speak to a reputable carpet cleaning company about your issues and the remedies available to solve them. Common carpet infestations include:
- Carpet beetle – There are three types of carpet beetles common in the UK, the Black Carpet Beetle, Furniture Carpet Beetle, and Varied Carpet Beetle.
- Carpet moth – The best way of dealing with carpet moth eggs and larvae is a specialist treatment after a deep clean.
- Dust mites, also called carpet mites, are particularly uncomfortable for allergies such as asthma. Again, use a specialist powder treatment after a deep clean.
Pre-treatment
Sometimes your carpet might have stubborn marks and stains that defy a standard deep clean. In this case, apply a pre-treatment product to problem areas before a standard clean. The product loosens grease and dirt that would otherwise remain on the carpet fibres.
Next Steps
We hope this guide gives you the knowledge to look after your carpet. Floor coverings are expensive and should only be maintained by professionals to keep them looking good. We work with the many carpet cleaning companies in your area, and they can send you the best local carpet cleaning quotes explicitly designed for your circumstances.
Complete the form on this page, and you’ll receive up to four no-obligation quotes from companies that know what they’re doing.
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