Carpet cleaning costs $44–$100 per room depending on how soiled it is, with a $90–$110 whole-home minimum. A typical 5-room home runs $220–$275 for routine cleaning. Here's a real cost breakdown by condition, plus what pet stains, rugs, and stairs add.
Carpet cleaning is almost always priced per room rather than by square footage — room shape, furniture, and edge work affect labor time more than raw square footage does, so per-room pricing is actually the more honest way to quote it. The rate depends on how soiled the carpet is:
For a typical 5-room home getting a routine, light-soiling clean, you're looking at $220–$275 — that's the per-room rate times five rooms, no surprises. If two of those rooms have pet stains instead of light soiling, swap those two rooms to the $73–$100 range and the total climbs closer to $320–$375.
If you're converting to a per-square-foot number for comparison shopping: a typical bedroom or living room runs roughly 150–200 sq ft, which puts light-soiling carpet cleaning at roughly $0.25–$0.35 per square foot once you back into it. Most professional cleaners, including ours, don't quote per square foot for this reason — it hides how much labor actually goes into edges, furniture, and corners.
Steam cleaning (hot water extraction) is the industry-standard method and what most companies quote by default. Hot water and detergent get injected deep into the fibers, then extracted along with the dirt. It's the most effective method for deep soil and pet stains, but carpets take 6–12 hours to fully dry.
Dry cleaning costs 10–13% more than steam, using low-moisture compounds that dry within 1–2 hours instead. It's less effective on deeply embedded dirt, but worth the premium if you can't have a room out of use for half a day — a home office or a commercial space that needs to reopen the same day, for example.
The jump from light to pet-stain pricing isn't arbitrary — pet urine and heavy odor require an enzyme treatment that breaks down the odor-causing compounds at a molecular level, plus multiple extraction passes to fully pull the treated water back out. Skipping that step just masks the smell temporarily instead of removing it, which is why companies charge more for doing it properly.
The IICRC (Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification) recommends:
Vacuum thoroughly before your appointment — it clears surface debris so the technician's time goes toward the deep-clean work you're actually paying for, not the stuff a vacuum could've handled. Get every room you're considering done in the same visit; most companies apply a modest volume discount at four or more rooms rather than charging full minimums per area. And if you can move small furniture yourself, do it — that's usually a flat charge you can just skip.
How much does carpet cleaning cost?
Carpet cleaning costs $44–$55 per room for routine, lightly soiled carpet, with a $90–$110 whole-home minimum. A typical 5-room home runs about $220–$275 for a light cleaning.
What's a fair carpet cleaning cost estimate for pet stains?
Pet-stained or heavily odorous carpet runs $73–$100 per room — about 65–82% more than routine cleaning — because it requires enzyme treatment and extra extraction passes the odor won't come out with a standard clean.
Is carpet cleaning priced per room or per square foot?
Most companies, including ours, price per room rather than per square foot, since labor time depends more on furniture and edge work than raw floor area. If you need a rough per-square-foot comparison, light cleaning works out to roughly $0.25–$0.35/sq ft for an average-sized room.
How much more does dry carpet cleaning cost than steam cleaning?
Dry cleaning costs about 10–13% more than steam cleaning, but dries in 1–2 hours instead of 6–12 — worth it if you need the room usable the same day.
Are stairs included in a whole-home carpet cleaning quote?
No — carpeted stairs are priced separately, typically $52–$68 per flight of 13–15 steps.
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