You can actually walk on your carpet straight away, but please clean your feet first!

The length of time required for a carpet to completely dry after cleaning will depend on several factors. The type of carpet being cleaned and the extent of soiling will affect the carpet dry times. The carpet cleaning method that is chosen will also determine how long it’s going to take for the carpet to dry completely. Let’s look at the two common carpet cleaning methods, dry cleaning and steam cleaning, and the time it takes for a carpet to dry when cleaned using any of these methods.

Dry Cleaning

Dry cleaning methods can take different approaches. In some cases, dry foam is used to clean the carpet then the dirt together with the foam is sucked into a vacuum. Other dry carpet cleaning methods use a large cotton bonnet which spins from side to side absorbing all the dirt on the carpet. Since dry cleaning methods utilise little if any water, they have very low dry times. However, note that dry cleaning doesn’t offer deep carpet cleaning.

Most carpets will be ready to use after dry cleaning is complete. This is why you will hear carpet cleaners claiming that this method has a zero dry time. You will be able to walk on the dry carpet immediately after the cleaning is done. However, there are dry cleaning methods that utilise liquid detergents during the cleaning process and this will take time to dry. Make sure you know the type of dry cleaning method used to clean your carpet and the detergents that will be used in the process if any.

Steam Cleaning

Steam cleaning utilises moisture so the carpet will have a longer dry time. However, the weather conditions and the surrounding indoor conditions will also determine how long it will take for the carpet to dry completely. The carpet is going to dry faster on a hot summer day compared to on a rainy winter day. In fact during the summer, the carpet will take just 2 to 4 hours to dry completely after steam cleaning.

During the winter season, carpets usually take a little longer time to dry. When steam cleaning is done using very hot water, the carpet will dry faster due to evaporation and the extraction of the liquid from by the powerful vacuum. High quality carpets are usually very thick and this can make them take longer to dry than others.