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Carpet and upholstery cleaning companies

Carpets, rugs and upholstered furniture that took on water or smoke can often be saved if they are cleaned properly and soon. These cleaners handle extraction, deodorizing and delicate materials such as oriental rugs.

Can it be saved?

Often, if it is dealt with quickly. Carpet soaked by clean water, such as a burst supply line, can usually be extracted and dried in place if the work starts within a day or two, though the pad underneath is often replaced. Carpet and upholstery soaked by flood water or a sewage backup carry contamination, and are usually thrown out rather than cleaned.

After a fire, smoke odor settles into fibers, and cleaners deodorize as well as clean. Upholstered furniture carries a cleaning code on its label, which tells the cleaner which methods the fabric can take. Wool and hand-knotted rugs can bleed dye when wet, so they are usually taken to a rug cleaning plant rather than cleaned on the floor.

What the CDC says about wet carpet and upholstery

These points come from the pages we read on 10/05/2026 and are linked, with the date each page shows. They are general guidance, not advice for your home.

  • Throw out what you cannot dry. "Throw away anything that you can't clean or dry quickly (such as mattresses, carpeting, carpet padding, rugs, upholstered furniture, cosmetics, stuffed animals, baby toys, pillows, foam-rubber items, books, wall coverings, and paper products)." (CDC, guidelines for cleaning safely after a disaster, reviewed August 26, 2026)
  • How quickly. "Clean up and dry your home quickly after the storm or flood ends- within 24 to 48 hours if possible." (same page) The CDC's mold-prevention page says "Clean and dry wet items within 48 to 72 hours" (CDC, preventing mold, reviewed August 26, 2026).
  • A standard to ask about. The IICRC lists "ANSI/IICRC S100 Standard for Professional Cleaning of Textile Floor Coverings" among its recently published standards (IICRC standards). Ask a carpet cleaner whether it works to that standard.

Sources

Each page was read on 10/05/2026; the date is the one the page shows.

  1. CDC, "Guidelines for cleaning safely after a disaster," reviewed August 26, 2026.
  2. CDC, "Preventing mold," reviewed August 26, 2026.
  3. IICRC, "IICRC standards," undated.

Questions to ask before you hire

Do you clean on site, or take rugs and furniture to your plant?

Delicate rugs and heavily damaged pieces are often cleaned off-site. Ask what will be taken, how it is tracked, and when it comes back.

Will the pad be replaced?

Pad soaks up far more water than carpet and is hard to dry, so it is often replaced even when the carpet is saved. Ask what the crew recommends and why.

Are your technicians certified?

The IICRC's Carpet Cleaning Technician and Upholstery and Fabric Cleaning Technician courses are the usual credentials. Ask whether the crew holds them.

How long before we can use the room again?

Ask how long the carpet and furniture need to dry, and whether they should be kept off the floor until then.

Does Restoration Advertising check these companies?

No. The companies supplied their own listings, and the directory does not rate, rank or vet them. That is why the questions above are worth asking whoever you call.