Get Quotes from Top Carpet Cleaning Services in Phoenix, AZ

Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Carpet Cleaner

Deep cleaning your carpet often is not only to enhance the ambiance of your home but also to protect your kids and pets from pollutants and allergens like dust, dirt, mite, mold, stains, and odors. These substances sink deep beyond the level your regular vacuum can reach and require special cleaning chemicals, equipment, and techniques to remove. Essentially, this is a tedious task best left to professional carpet cleaners who have the right skill, training, and experience to get the job done effectively.

However, before you hire a carpet cleaning service in Phoenix, you should confirm their proficiency by getting answers to these questions:

How Much Do You Charge Compared to Other Carpet Cleaning Companies in Phoenix?

An important consideration when searching for a carpet cleaning company is how much they charge. This helps with budgeting. Carpet cleaning companies typically consider different factors before charging clients, including:

  • The client’s preferred cleaning method
  • The urgency of the service
  • The carpet’s material and condition
  • The number of carpets and each carpet’s size
  • Labor intensity
  • Miscellaneous services, such as upholstery and window cleaning

Also, carpet cleaning companies have different pricing structures. Popular types include per square footage, where the company charges for each square foot of carpet cleaning, and per hour, where the company charges for each hour spent cleaning. Some companies charge a flat fee for their services, while some charge per the number of rooms cleaned. These pricing structures may influence total estimates. 

Therefore, ensure to compare estimates from different companies when searching for a cleaning company. When requesting a company’s estimate, ensure this company outlines all the costs and services related to your cleaning job. This way, you can get an average estimate to work with and:

  • Know the company’s billing structure
  • Find out the supplies and cleaning methods necessary for your job
  • Spot unusual estimates and avoid unscrupulous companies
  • Know what to expect

It is in your best interest to avoid companies or businesses that are reluctant to provide an estimate or refuse to do so in writing. Some companies do this to hike their fees much later into the job and charge significantly more than was initially agreed. 

Below is a list of the average costs of various carpet cleaning services in Phoenix:

Carpet Cleaning Cost Estimates per Square Foot

250 square feet
$38 - $50
500 square feet
$55 - $100
1,000 square feet
$150 - $250
1,500 square feet
$225 - $400
2,000 square feet
$300 - $800
2,500 square feet
$500 - $1,100

Carpet Cleaning Cost Estimates per Room (with no furniture)

1 room
$35 - $50
2 rooms
$45 - $80
3 rooms
$60 - $95
4 rooms
$85 - $150

Carpet Cleaning Cost Estimates Based on Cleaning Method

Dry Cleaning
$90 - $150
Encapsulation
$70 - $150
Steam Cleaning
$100 - $300
Bonnet
$20 - $100
Carpet Shampooing
$75 - $300

Carpet Cleaning Cost Estimates Based on Carpet Type

Synthetic fiber carpets
$50 - $250
Natural fiber carpets
$70 - $400

Carpet Cleaning Cost Estimates Based on Type of Service

Upholstery cleaning
$50 - $150
Carpet spot removal
$40 - $85
Carpet restretching
$0.45 - $0.70 per square foot
Carpet repairs
$85 - $300
Green carpet cleaning
$65 - $100 per room
Pet stain and odor cleaning/removal
$100 - $150 per room
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Do You Conduct Background Checks on Your Carpet Cleaning Technicians?

While hiring skilled and experienced carpet cleaning technicians is crucial, hiring a decent individual with a good character, reputation, and a clean background is equally necessary. Since employees typically have access to clients’ homes, most carpet cleaning companies take their employees’ backgrounds seriously. To this end, these companies conduct background checks to verify their employees’ history and whether they have engaged in any dishonest conduct, amongst other things. This ensures they hire credible workers who are unlikely to ruin the company’s reputation by doing devious things, such as overcharging a client or committing fraud. However, not all companies do background checks. Therefore, you should confirm with your preferred carpet cleaning company. You can further ask for evidence of this check or a guarantee that employees will behave professionally.

If you will employ an independent or self-employed carpet cleaner, it is in your best interest to conduct these background checks yourself. Some of the background checks that companies typically conduct on employees include:

  • Driving records check
  • Criminal records check
  • Civil records check
  • Credit checks
  • Social security number check
  • Education, training, and certification records or claims
  • License check
  • Sex offenders registry check

Are Your Carpet Cleaning Technicians Certified By the Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration (IICRC)?

An effective way to gauge a carpet cleaner’s skill is whether they have been certified or use certified cleaning methods. If engaging a cleaning company, you can inquire about the company’s training techniques and whether certified cleaners handle this training. You may also request that the company send only certified employees to handle your job.

The Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) is one of the most reputable organizations in the carpet cleaning industry that certifies cleaning technicians. This Institute is popular for its extensive training courses and the inclusion of modern, safe, and effective cleaning techniques in these courses. Cleaning technicians aiming to get a certification from the Institute must also be of good character, ensuring that certified cleaners act more professionally and avoid illegal behavior. With their exposure to various modern and more effective cleaning methods, these certified cleaning technicians are also better skilled than their other colleagues.

However, ensure that your cleaning technician's certification relates to your needed service. Also, request proof of such certification and confirm this with the relevant issuing organization. You can contact the IICRC Customer Service Department at (844) 464-4272 or the Standards Department at (844) 216-7036 for information on verifying an IICRC-issued certification.

What Carpet Cleaning Methods Do You Use?

There is no one method for carpet cleaning. Accordingly, carpet cleaning companies and technicians typically use various methods, depending on several factors such as:

  • The carpet’s material
  • The condition of the carpet, and
  • Budget considerations

Of these factors, the most important is usually the carpet’s material. This is because while there may be several methods of cleaning a carpet, some methods are more or least appropriate for certain carpet materials. Carpet materials are of two types, and they are natural or synthetic fiber material types. Each fiber type has different variants. Examples of these variants include:

  • Wool: As the name implies, this is a natural fiber carpet made from wool. Wool carpets are known to be resilient, eco-friendly, and dust-resistant. However, the disadvantages of this material type include its relatively expensive cost and high maintenance.
  • Polyester: Polyester carpets are soft, lightweight synthetic fiber carpets. These carpets are largely stain-resistant, relatively affordable, and have a slow water absorption rate. A major downside is that this carpet type is not as durable as other types.
  • Cotton: This is a natural fiber material made from cotton plants. Pros of cotton carpets include their softness, affordable cost, and low maintenance. They are also comfortable and eco-friendly, but they are prone to shrinkage and take time to dry.
  • Nylon: This is much similar to polyester fiber but is more durable and easier to maintain.
  • Silk: Silk fiber may be natural or synthetic. These carpets are durable and relatively eco-friendly. However, carpets made from natural silk fibers have a more high-quality appearance than artificial ones, although less durable.
  • Acrylic: This fiber is a kind of synthetic wool. It gives the semblance of a wool carpet, although at a cheaper cost, and it is low maintenance, moth-resistant, and does not fade easily. The downsides of this carpet type are its susceptibility to oil stains and it is less durable than wool.

After determining the carpet’s material, some of the cleaning methods that professional carpet cleaners and cleaning companies utilize include:

  • Hot Water Extraction: This cleaning method entails spraying hot water mixed with cleaning agents on the carpet and then vacuuming the water along with any displaced dirt or debris. 
  • Bonnet Cleaning: This involves using a specific machine with a circular spinning cleaning pad to clean a carpet’s surface. The pad, or “bonnet”, is first soaked in a cleaning solution and then spun across the carpet’s surface. This simultaneously applies the cleaning solution and soaks up displaced dirt or debris.
  • Dry Powder Cleaning: This is one recently developed cleaning technique that involves very little or no water. It entails spraying absorbent cleaning compound, and sometimes little water, for a while, then vacuuming the compound with a specialized cleaning machine.
  • Carpet Shampooing: This method involves mixing cleaning solution with water, applying this mixture or “shampoo” with a brush or cleaning machine, and cleaning up the shampooed surface. An alternative to mixing cleaning solutions is liquid shampoos. 
  • Encapsulation Cleaning: This is a cleaning process whereby cleaning solution is applied to the carpet using specialized equipment. This solution traps any dirt or stain as it dries up after a couple of minutes. After the solution dries, the dirt is easily vacuumed off the carpet.

The table below lists the pros and cons of each of these carpet cleaning methods:

Method Pros Cons
Hot Water Extraction Carpet Cleaning Effective for deep cleaning
Helps remove trapped and stubborn pollutants and dust buildup 
Takes a long time to dry
Risk of overwetting, which can further damage the carpet
Bonnet Cleaning  Dries quickly
Relatively cheap
Not great for deep cleaning
Can cause carpet abrasion
Dry Powder Cleaning No drying downtime
Most convenient carpet cleaning method
Powders particles not vacuumed can cause damage to the carpet over time
Not effective for deep cleaning
Not best for homeowners with respiratory issues
Carpet Shampooing Decent for deep cleaning

Residue buildup issues
The carpet potentially soaks water, resulting in odd odors and possible mold growth
Encapsulation Carpet Cleaning Lower drying wait time
Prevents carpet wicking 
Not best for heavily stained carpets 

Essentially, carpet cleaning involves several considerations. With this in mind, you should confirm with your preferred cleaning professional what method will be best for your carpet and if they are sufficiently versed in this method. Also, confirm if they have the necessary equipment and whether any cleaning solutions they will use have any health considerations. Avoid cleaning professionals that cannot carry you along in this regard.

Are Your Cleaning Products Safe for Kids and Pets?

Health considerations are another crucial thing to have in mind when planning your carpet cleaning project. Despite their effectiveness, some cleaning products have Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) in their makeup and other potentially harmful chemicals like perchloroethylene, ammonia, and naphthalene. These compounds and chemicals, in turn, have potentially adverse health effects that may be short or long-term. Some of these effects include:

  • Skin irritation
  • Asthma and other respiratory issues
  • Allergic reactions
  • Headaches
  • Nosebleeds
  • Shortness of breath
  • Dizziness

This makes it necessary to confirm the cleaning products that may be used when cleaning your carpet and any health effects they may have on yourself, your children, or pets. This is especially important, as chemicals that may be mildly harmful to adults may be more dangerous to children and pets since they are more likely to play on the carpet after a cleanup. You can request that your carpet cleaning professional provide a list of cleaning products they will likely use and make findings about the safety of the products. To assist with this, the United States Environmental Protection Agency maintains a catalog of cleaning products it certifies as safe for use. You can explore this catalog on the agency’s safer choice portal.

What Other Cleaning Services Do You Provide?

While carpet cleaning companies generally offer carpet cleaning services, some of these companies offer additional cleaning services incidental to keeping your home clean. They may offer some of these services in cleaning packages or on a request-only basis. Some of these additional cleaning services include:

  • Deep cleaning: this entails conducting extensive home cleaning beyond regular cleaning. While less frequent, deep cleaning is typically done to remove visible and hidden dirt and tough stains. When deep cleaning, all accessible areas of the house are cleaned, regardless of whether these areas experience traffic or not. This form of cleaning can be time-consuming and may involve several rearrangements. This service costs between $150 - $400.
  • House cleaning: this is more frequent than deep cleaning and involves removing visible dirt and debris and ensuring the house is well arranged. House cleaning also involves regular home maintenance activities, such as sweeping, mopping, dusting, general surface cleaning, and keeping things in place. Cost estimates for this service fall between $70 - $250.
    Window cleaning services: As the name implies, this service involves dusting off and cleaning the windows of a building. It costs anywhere between $4 - $10 per standard window.
  • Pet odor and stain removal: This service entails ridding your home of waste deposits, stains, and odors caused by pets. It costs $70 - $150 per room.
  • Pressure washing services: This involves using a high-pressure water sprayer to remove stains from surfaces, and the service costs between $50 - $400.
  • Laundry cleaning services: Ths service entails washing and removing stains from clothes and other fabric materials. It may also involve pressing and folding these clothes once dry, costing between $5 - $30 per load. Note that the number of clothes in a load varies by company.
  • Upholstery cleaning services: This generally involves cleaning and dusting the fabric on pieces of furniture, including dealing with tough stains and removing pet odor on the fabric. It costs anywhere between $50 - $750, depending on the furniture.
  • Disinfection and sanitization cleaning services: This service is done to eliminate germs, bacteria, viruses, and pests from your home. It may involve extensive surface cleaning, fumigation, or both. The service costs between $30 - $70 per hour.
  • Green cleaning services: This entails using environmentally friendly and little-to-no chemical-based cleaning products or supplies to perform a house or deep cleaning. This service costs $100 - $300 on average, but exact costs would depend on the product used and the size of the house.
  • Pest control cleaning services: This involves ridding a house of pest infestation and cleaning infested areas to eliminate bacteria and pathogens. This service costs between $80 - $800.
  • Rug cleaning services: Rugs are flooring materials similar to carpets in composition and use, but they are typically smaller and moveable. Most carpet cleaning methods are equally effective for rug cleaning, and this service costs between $60 - $400.
  • Mattress cleaning services: This service entails removing mattress stains, dirt, and bacteria buildup. Mattress cleaning services costs between $80 - $250.
  • Tile and grout cleaning services: This involves using specific techniques to extensively scrub and clean tile flooring and its grout lines. It costs between $0.35 - $0.65 per square foot.
  • Hardwood floor cleaning services: This service has to do with cleaning hardwood flooring using techniques that prevent damage and retain the floor’s high-quality look. It may involve moving furniture and restaining the floor, depending on the extent of dirt and damage. Hardwood floor cleaning costs between $0.25 - $0.90 per square foot.

Note that these additional cleaning services require some skill and expertise to avoid issues like damage to flooring or furniture. Therefore, you should confirm with your preferred cleaning company if they are well-equipped to deliver any such additional service. You can request for proof of previous work to verify their claims of expertise.

How Long Will It Take for My Carpet to Dry?

An important consideration in carpet cleaning plans is knowing how long your carpet may need to dry, especially when you have to rearrange several pieces of furniture or need to move around the house. While carpets take five to ten hours to get dried up on average, the exact time depends on several factors. These factors include:

  • The cleaning technique: It is the case that carpets cleaned with techniques that require more water, such as the hot water extraction technique, would take longer to get dry than those cleaned with techniques like dry powder cleaning, which do not require that much water.
  • The carpet’s material: Some carpet materials absorb and hold more water than others. For example, natural wool carpets absorb and hold more water than polyester carpets and consequently take longer to dry up. 
  • Temperature and humidity: The temperature and humidity of a room after a carpet cleaning also factor in how quickly it dries.

Note that before choosing a cleaning technique because it offers lower drying downtime, remember to factor in the other pros and cons of the technique. Be that as it may, it is possible to speed up your carpet’s drying process after a cleaning job. Some helpful ways include:

  • Open up your windows and doors to let the free passage of air
  • Put on and direct your fan towards your carpet
  • Where humidity is high, like in the summer season, you can turn on your air condition system. Where humidity is low, as in the winter season, you can turn on your heater.
  • Use drying equipment.

Are You Insured and Bonded?

In addition to having skill and expertise, you should also hire carpet cleaning technicians who are insured and bonded. This is necessary to protect yourself from personal expenses if your cleaning technician or their employee sustains an injury or damages your property. Carpet cleaning is not risk-free, and occupational hazards cleaning technicians typically experience include slips and trips, skin burns, cuts or bruises from cleaning equipment, and chemical exposure. You may be held personally responsible for these hazards if your carpet cleaning technician is not insured and bonded. 

However, note that insurance and bonds work differently. A bond protects a homeowner hiring a carpet cleaner if the cleaner fails to perform their job. On the other hand, insurance protects the homeowner, the carpet cleaner and their employees, and even third parties, depending on the policy. Also, insurance only operates to prevent or substantially augment personal expenses when specific things, especially injury or property damage, occur. While there are many available insurance policies, policies to look out for include:

  • General liability insurance: this covers instances of bodily injuries, property damage, and personal injuries
  • Workers’ compensation insurance: this covers situations where your carpet cleaner’s employees sustain injuries doing your job
  • Employee dishonesty insurance: this covers incurred losses resulting from the fraudulent or devious actions of your carpet cleaner’s employees

Therefore, always ensure that your carpet cleaner is bonded and insured. You should also confirm what insurance policy they have and if the policy amount can sufficiently cover possible expenses, should the event the insurance covers occur. To this end, you can request documentary proofs of bonding and insurance and verify this with the respective issuing organizations.

How to File a Complaint Against a Bad Carpet Cleaning Service in Phoenix

The Arizona Attorney General's Office, through its Consumer Protection Division, is responsible for protecting residents across Arizona from deceptive, fraudulent, and unethical business practices. Homeowners defrauded or conned by a carpet cleaning business in Phoenix City can report the occurrence to this Division.

In the search for a professional carpet cleaner, residents across Arizona are advised to also be wary of fraudulent individuals and dishonest businesses looking to scam them. These individuals and businesses utilize various methods, which unsuspecting residents routinely fall for. These methods include:

  • Providing significantly low estimates, just to later hike their fees
  • Using subpar and unhealthy cleaning solutions after billing for much better ones
  • Demanding upfront payment before starting work, then absconding
  • Claiming to use special cleaning techniques and billing premium fees, then later doing a basic job
  • Unsolicited bidding

In addition to being wary of such antics, you should also take precautionary steps to protect yourself. Examples of these steps include the following:

  • Ensure to compare estimates from multiple cleaners before hiring any
  • Avoid unsolicited bids
  • Conduct background checks on your carpet cleaner. Ensure they are trustworthy and have the certifications they claim to have
  • Request for client referrals from your cleaner and evidence of previous work. You can also check online consumer platforms like Google Review and Better Business Bureau for customer reviews 
  • Avoid making full payment for the job upfront. Also, do not make cash-only payments. Try other payment options that can be traced
  • Ensure your cleaner is insured and bonded before hiring them
  • Get a written agreement with your cleaner stipulating their duties and any other understanding you both have regarding the job.
  • Keep a record of things relevant to the job, such as the written contract, quotations, and payment receipts.

If it happens that you got defrauded or dishonestly dealt with by a carpet cleaner or carpet cleaning business, you can report this individual or business to the Consumer Protection Division of the Arizona Attorney General's Office. This report can be filed online, by fax, or by mail. For fax or mail submissions, you need to fill out a complaint form and fax it to (602) 542-4579 or mail it to

2005 North Central Avenue 
Attn: Consumer Information and Complaints 
Phoenix, AZ 85004

Complaint forms are available in English and Spanish. To request assistance or make inquiries regarding filing this complaint, you can contact the Consumer Protection Division at (602) 542-5763.