Just vacuuming a carpet is sufficient for daily maintenance but it is not enough to keep it clean over the long term.
Deep carpet cleaning is required for your carpet periodically each year in order to extract the dirt and other foreign matter that a vacuuming just cannot get.
Deep carpet cleaning requires equipment that has the capability to get below the carpet surface and above the floor in order to get that hidden debris.
Carpet cleaning can be done using both wet and dry methods and you can do it yourself or hire a professional carpet cleaning service.
Deep cleaning also helps to deodorize and refresh the look of your carpet.
Consider that under the matting of your carpet is not only dirt but dried liquids from spills or stepping on your carpet with wet shoes after a rainstorm.
Many walk on their carpets barefoot and skin flakes drop and are worked under the matting if the vacuum cleaner fails to pick them up.
Of course pets bring in all sorts of foreign matter and insects from outside that can get lodged under the matting of your carpet.
Over time, you carpet will begin to be plagued by odors and have a dull look.
Deep cleaning is the only way to extract these from your carpet and when they are gone the color and freshness of your carpet returns.
Wet deep cleaning is done by forcing hot water below the bottom matting of the carpet.
Dirt that does not get picked up by vacuuming eventually gets ground in and lodged between the bottom matting of a carpet and the hard floor beneath it.
Wet deep cleaning is accomplished by forcing hot water along with a special cleaning solution through the carpet's surface to below the matting.
Then, the water/solution mixture is pulled back through suction picking up the dirt that was between the two sub-surfaces.
The deep cleaning solution is designed to loosen dirt and grit while protecting the carpet fabric and color.
Make sure your carpet is dried quickly if using wet cleaning methods.
Doing so prevents the possibility of the discoloration of your carpet and keeps mold or mildew from forming.
Probably the best way to do this is to have several fans blowing on the area that you are cleaning.
Air conditioners and dehumidifiers can also be used to help dry the area.
It is also a good idea to avoid getting the area you are cleaning too saturated in the first place.
Another method for cleaning your carpet is known as dry extraction.
In the dry extraction deep cleaning method, a chemical compound with absorption capabilities is injected into the carpet with special machines.
The compound will extract out the dirt and soil from the fibers and it is then allowed to dry.
After drying, a vacuum is used to remove both the dried compound and the dirt attached to it.
The dry extraction method for deep cleaning is recommended for carpets that consist of natural fibers like cotton and wool because they should not be exposed to moisture.
It also works well for sturdy fibers where water would have a difficult time getting through in a wet cleaning process.
It is best to consult the carpet manufacturer's recommendations for deep cleaning.
This way you can be certain that the cleaning method you choose will not damage, shrink, or discolor your carpet.
As an added measure of protection, make sure that you always test your cleaning method in an inconspicuous area first.
Also, be aware if you have to reapply any stain guard agents onto your carpet after cleaning.