Steam-Cleaning

• According to Bane-Clene, steam-cleaning is the only cleaning method classified as deep cleaning (see Reference 1), and Vacuum Wizard claims that steam-cleaning removes as much as 97 percent of dirt and bacteria from your carpet (see Reference 3).
  
  Steam-cleaning is the only carpet cleaning method that can remove soil from deep in the carpet pile (see Reference 1). During steam-cleaning, a machine sprays a fine stream of water into the carpet to force dirt to the top. The water is usually warmed in the machine, but temperatures vary from cool to boiling depending on the individual machine (see Reference 1). A vacuum in the machine then sucks the dirt up and away from the carpet (see Reference 1).
  
  If you decide to steam-clean your carpet, between truck-mounted systems and portable units. Truck-mounted systems are more powerful than portable units, so your carpet can be cleaned and dried more quickly, but you will have to call a carpet cleaning company to clean your carpet with a truck-mounted system (see Reference 1). Rent or buy portable steam-cleaning units and steam-clean your carpet yourself (see Reference 1).
  
  

Chemical Cleaning

• Carpet shampoos contain a chemical that makes them foam, usually sodium lauryl sulfate (see Reference 1). To clean your carpet with a shampoo, simply scrub the carpet with the shampoo, which can just push dirt further down into your carpet (see Reference 1). Because some shampoos don't do a very good job of cleaning carpets, they may contain optical brighteners that make your carpet look clean, even if it really isn't (see Reference 1). Some shampoos may also leave a sticky residue when they dry, attracting even more dirt (see Reference 1).
  
  Dry carpet shampoos use carbonation to release dirt from your carpet (see Reference 2). Then, you can sweep or vacuum the dirt away. Chemical dry carpet cleaners are not actually dry, but they require about a fifth of the water that wet shampoos or steam-cleaning requires (see Reference 3). Dry shampoos leave your carpet completely clean in about one or two hours. This is an advantage because unlike steam-cleaning, dry shampoos don't leave water at the carpet's base, which allows mold or bacteria to grow, according to Chem Dry (see Reference 2).