Answers to commonly asked questions from the experts on Thumbtack.
How much does carpet cleaning cost per square foot?
In some cases, a quote from a carpet cleaning company will depend on the square footage of the room. The lower end of these prices will be between $0.15 and $0.20 per square foot, and they may rise as high as $0.40-$0.50 per square foot. Factors raising the price include the carpet’s condition (are there stains?) and whether they have to clean carpeted stairs, which take longer.
To find out how much it will cost clean your carpets, request cost estimates from pros near you.
Which is better: steam cleaning or shampooing carpet?
Both steam cleaning and shampooing are tried-and-true methods for getting dirt and stains out of your carpets. The methods are different, however.
Steam cleaning will remove dirt from your carpets via hot water extraction, while shampooing requires scrubbing. If you’re in a time crunch, or if you just have one or two small spots that need to be removed, shampooing may be a better option, as it allows you to spot-clean small areas. Both steam cleaning and shampooing make your carpets wet, so you will need to allow for time for the carpets to dry.
Is it worth getting carpets professionally cleaned?
Purchasing a steam cleaner yourself may help to remove stubborn stains, but it simply won’t match the deep clean and efficiency that comes from hiring a professional carpet cleaner. Pros have powerful tools that can quickly remove even the most stubborn stains.
If you’re selling your home, clean carpets can make your home more appealing to prospective buyers. And the expense is offset when you consider that you only need to get your carpets cleaned about once a year. Plus, professional carpet cleaning can extend the life of your carpets, saving you money in the long run.
How long does it take for carpet to dry after cleaning?
After a cleaning, you can expect your carpet to remain slightly damp for between six and 12 hours. You can expect the lower end of this figure if the air is dry, there’s plenty of air circulation or the temperature isn’t too low in your house. However, for humid environments or lower temperatures, your carpet could stay damp for longer.
What is dry carpet cleaning?
Dry carpet cleaning uses very little moisture to clean carpets. Instead, this method uses compound cleaning agents to loosen dirt that might be trapped in the carpet’s fibers. It’s an effective way to remove stains from soiled carpets.
To learn more about how to maintain your carpets, read our guide.
How long does carpet cleaning take?
Given the way it can transform the carpet, cleaning happens remarkably quickly. You can expect an average size room to require about 20 minutes to thoroughly clean.
The job could take longer for several reasons. If the stains are widespread or particularly deep, the professional cleaner might need to spend more time removing them. They may also need to take time to move furniture out of the way.
Reviews for Kirkwood carpet cleaners
Candace F.
Love my cleancarpets!
Midwest Carpet Duct Cleaning & Restoration
Michel A.
Great work with the carpetcleaning as well as my couch.
King Klean Carpet cleaning
Bradley B.
Oxi Fresh did a great job cleaning our carpets.
Oxi Fresh of St. Louis Carpet Cleaning
Mike H.
They responded very quickly and we’re out 2 days later to clean. The carpet looks great now.
ProSteam Carpet Care and Restoration
CHARLES J.
THE CARPETCLEANER COULDN'T BEEN MORE FRIENDLIER AND THE ROOM HE WORKED GOT MOST OF THE STAINS OUT!
ProSteam Carpet Care and Restoration
M R.
Quick to respond, and the work was done in a timely fashion. All rooms and a set of carpeted stairs cleaned thoroughly.
King Klean Carpet cleaning
NIL C.
My staircase carpet had some nasty stains but the lady in charge was able to clean it very well.
Oxi Fresh of St. Louis Carpet Cleaning
Josie A.
She did a great job cleaning our carpets. They looked really good when she was done.
Oxi Fresh of St. Louis Carpet Cleaning
Aneshia o.
I used Whalen Power Washing to get my carpetcleaned. He did a fantastic job! My carpet was very dirty and had my entire house smelly. After he finished cleaning my home smelled refreshed. I will be using his services again.
WHALEN POWER WASHING
Geraldine J.
I have used some other company for years. This was the best carpetcleaning I have ever had.
ProSteam Carpet Care and Restoration
Shane X.
Oxi Fresh helped us clean the carpets in 3 rooms and a basement. The carpets were heavily used by the previous tenants, and Nick helped remove a large amount of stains and dirt. Great communications. And thank you for the great work!
Oxi Fresh of St. Louis Carpet Cleaning
Will H.
Gentlemen came in and took care of my carpetcleaning needs with speed, professionalism and skill. Will definitely use them again!
Midwest Carpet Duct Cleaning & Restoration
Ginger D.
This was the first time I used King Klean, and I was very happy with the service and way my carpets looked after cleaning.
King Klean Carpet cleaning
Myron p.
Arrived on time. Did good work. I wish he could have clean a darker area on carpet but it has been there for yrs
Oxi Fresh of St. Louis Carpet Cleaning
Thumbtack Customer
These guys did a great job for us and I would recommend them. They were prompt, professional, and got our carpets as clean as they could be.
Kounty Cleaning
Thumbtack Customer
Did an excellent job to clean our 4 room carpet. Manager Frank is very sincere and nice and enthusiastic leader. Will ask him again in the future.
Upper Echelon Resumes
Austynn H.
King Klean Carpet did a great job! He was very responsive and professional. He called me immediately after I booked, and he was actually able to get the job done only a few hours after I initially reached out. He did an excellent job and was very efficient. I would recommend him to anyone who needs their carpetcleaned.
King Klean Carpet cleaning
Jeanne M.
Very professional and very reasonable. Both men were very knowledgeable about what they were doing and answered all my questions. They were in and done before I knew it. My carpets are clean and my whole house smells cleaner. I highly recommend this company. Look no further!
Midwest Carpet Duct Cleaning & Restoration
Thumbtack Customer
My carpet has never looked better. I also had clean out done in a storage room and Tyrone left it spotless, he even recommended I not get rid of few things as they may have some value. Highly recommend this company for home or office!!!
Kounty Cleaning
Christal C.
They did AMAZING work in my townhome. Super affordable, and great quality work. Tabatha was super sweet and got the job done quickly. My carpets had stains and were flattened due to wear, I walked in after the cleaning and was so happy with the results... HIGHLY recommended Oxi Fresh!!
Oxi Fresh of St. Louis Carpet Cleaning
Justin L.
Eric responded quickly and came within 24 hours to clean up after our holiday party. All stains are out of carpet. Two couches now look new again and he even put down fabric protectant in high traffic areas! Will definitely call him again for his services.
King Klean Carpet cleaning
Gerry M.
This is the first time I've used ProSteam, and I was very happy with the service and the results. The guy (Zack?) showed up on time after calling first, knew what to do without hesitation, was easy to talk to, and did a superlative job on my carpets which hadn't been cleaner in 3 years. Great job, and I'll call again.
ProSteam Carpet Care and Restoration
Phyllis M.
I could only pick 3 things from the page on what I liked best but all 5 were great! Very professional and I can’t believe how clean my carpets are now. He went right to work and did a thorough job. I would recommend this company to anyone and will definitely be using him in the future.
King Klean Carpet cleaning
Ross R.
DJ was timely, professional, and the results were as good as we’d hoped for. I’d seen a few comments about local cleaners using bait and switch pricing, but we clearly articulated what needed to be done to the Oxi Fresh team, and they were specific and accurate with their quote. No questions asked at payment. The process was super easy and again, our carpets look tremendous.
Oxi Fresh of St. Louis Carpet Cleaning
Brianna B.
DO NOT BOOK THIS COMPANY. THEY WILL RUIN YOUR CARPETS. I booked Prosteam to come steam clean my carpets on July 3rd and was given a window between 3:00-5:00pm for their arrival. I get my carpets steam cleaned twice a year, so I know what to expect. I have always used various companies based on who is having a sale. I liked that Prostem uses green products, which was one of the reasons I wanted to try them out. I booked with Prosteam through the app Thumbtack because the quote they gave me was $80 for my living room, one bedroom, and a short hallway. Nikki from Prosteam called and left me a voicemail around noon on July 3rd that they would be arriving closer to the 5:00pm time. At 5:10pm when no one had arrived, I called the company. Nikki answered the phone and was very put-off that I called to check on my appointment. She was rude and she stated that they were behind and the technician would be there shortly. The technician arrived at 6:15pm. When he arrived, he quoted me the price of $125. I showed him the quote on Thumbtack from Prosteam. He had to call Nikki and work out a price. Apparently the company did not factor my 5-foot-long hallway into the quote even though the posting clearly says “2 rooms and a hallway” and that was the reason for the price dispute. In addition, the online quotes that they are giving customers does not include a $25 machine fee, which is deceiving. I was able to talk the technician down to a total of $105. I was there when the technician cleaned my carpets. He had a white container of liquid detergent that he poured directly onto my carpets. This seemed weird to me. He then used the steam cleaner, which only contained water, after dumping the liquid on my carpets. So, what was supposed to cost me $80 costed me $105 and a major time inconvenience from the offset. But just wait, it gets so much worse.
I left town on the morning of July 4th. The carpets were still VERY wet and it was more than 14 hours after the technician left. I was not worried about that because I thought it would just dry while I was out of town. I returned on the evening of July 7th to a HORRIBLE chemical odor. It was undeniable and overwhelming. I called the maintenance crew at my apartment complex. They came out said it was absolutely the carpets that smelled that way. They even found a couple of parts of the carpet that were STILL wet. I was told it was unsafe to stay there and breathe that strong chemical order. Therefore, I had to leave and stay elsewhere for the night. On that night, I called and talked to Gina from Prosteam, who was the only nice individual who I interacted with from Prosteam. She said to let it “air out” for the night and that she would call in the morning. She was surprised about the smell because the company uses green products.
On the morning of July 8th, I returned to my apartment to check out the smell, which was still AWFUL. I called Prosteam at 9:30am and spoke with Prosteam’s most unprofessional employee, Crystal. She is a manager there. She tried to tell me that no one could come to the apartment on July 8th. When I told her that I had been displaced from my apartment and that I would have to insist that someone come out on the same day, she said, “That is an extreme overreaction. They are green products. They cannot possibly smell as bad as you are making it out to be.” After arguing with me for another couple of minutes, she finally stated that she would send someone out between 2:00pm and 5:00pm.
In the afternoon of July 8th, a different technician came to take a look at the carpets. He could smell the chemical smell the second he walked in. He said it smelled like ammonia. (Before I go on- I know ammonia is found in animal urine. I know it is also found in basically every cleaning product there is. I have a dog who is potty trained, but he has accidents from time to time. I am in no way denying that there could be dog urine in my carpet pad. I am just stating that he could not have possibly urinated on every single square inch that the steam cleaner touched. Every single inch that the steam cleaner touched is what smells.) The technician stepped out and called the office. When he came back in, he told me that the only thing the company can do is send someone out to redo it, but that the only way the smell would go away was with a sanitizer. The technician informed that the office very specifically said that sanitizing the apartment would be an additional cost to me. I called the office with the technician standing next to me. I had the displeasure of speaking with Crystal again. I asked her repeatedly for the company to sanitize the apartment at no cost to me since this smell did not exist before they came out to steam clean the carpets. She stated that she would send someone out to do the same service that they did last time, but that it could make the smell worse. She absolutely refused to sanitize the carpets to get rid of the smell. The sanitizer is $40 per room, so it would have costed me a total of $120 when I had already paid them to steam clean. Crystal was extremely rude and talked in circles about how this was not the company’s fault. She stated that the chemical smell was caused by something called “wicking,” which is allegedly when the chemical used in the carpet cleaning process cause the smells trapped in the carpet pad to resurface. She stated that the smell was, therefore, my fault, my (nonexistent) kids’ fault, or my animal’s fault. I explained to her that I have my carpets steam cleaned twice a year by various companies and that I have never experienced this result. When I told her I was displaced from my apartment because of the odor, she yelled, “You are NOT displaced from your apartment. GIVE ME A BREAK.” She continued to say that Prosteam was not investing more time and more product expenses into me. After approximately three more minutes of her berating me and treating me like I am dumb, I asked to speak to someone else in the company. She refused to let me speak to someone else and continued being unprofessional. I asked two more times to speak to someone else. Still, she refused to allow me to speak to anyone at Prosteam except for her. Why Prosteam would choose to have someone who lacks any resemblance of tact, sophistication, or professionalism dealing directly with their customers is beyond me. I eventually hung up on her.
My carpets still smell. I am going to be liable for that damage to my landlord since I rent. I have reported this company to the Better Business Bureau. I am lodging a Missouri Merchandising Practices Act complaint. It is looking like I am going to have to sue them for the damage they caused. This is the worst money I have EVER spent. Please DO NOT hire this company. They will ruin your property and treat you poorly.
ProSteam Carpet Care and Restoration
Ready to find a pro?
See more reviews, compare prices, and hire your favorite pros all with Thumbtack.
There are 42 five star Carpet Cleaners in Kirkwood, MO on Thumbtack.
Why hire professionals on Thumbtack?
Free to use
You never pay to use Thumbtack: Get cost estimates, contact pros, and even book the job—all for no cost.
Compare prices side-by-side
You’ll know how much your project costs even before booking a pro.
Hire with confidence
With access to 1M+ customer reviews and the pros’ work history, you’ll have all the info you need to make a hire.
