The short answer: the Carpet Institute of Australia recommends a professional clean every 12 to 18 months for carpet in a home, or as often as the carpet's manufacturer specifies. Homes with pets, young children or heavy traffic usually need one every 6 to 12 months. Vacuum at least once a week in between.
What the Carpet Institute of Australia recommends
The Carpet Institute is the industry body for Australia's carpet makers and retailers. Its maintenance guide for homes sets out three levels of care:
- Vacuuming at least weekly, and twice a week in high-traffic areas.
- Spot cleaning as soon as a spill happens, blotting with water and a white cloth first and then a pH-neutral spotting product if a mark is left.
- A professional clean every 12 to 18 months, or as the manufacturer specifies.
It's worth checking the manufacturer's part too. The Institute points out that many carpet warranties set their own cleaning method and frequency, so keeping the receipt from each clean can help if you ever need to make a claim.
How often for your home
The 12 to 18 month guide suits an average household. Based on what we see in Geelong homes, this is how we'd adjust it:
| Your household | Professional clean |
|---|---|
| One or two adults, no pets, shoes off at the door | Every 18 months to 2 years |
| A typical family home | Every 12 months |
| Dogs or cats inside, or toddlers on the floor | Every 6 to 12 months |
| Someone with asthma or dust allergies | Every 6 to 12 months |
| Holiday rental or Airbnb | Between busy seasons, and after any spill |
| Moving out of a rental | Check your lease and condition report (see below) |
Some of our regular customers book every six months. One told us she's "had carpets done and our lounge room rug cleaned every 6 months" for years.
Signs your carpet is due now
- Grey or flattened lanes through doorways and hallways that vacuuming doesn't fix.
- A smell that comes back when the weather turns humid, often from a pet accident that was only cleaned on the surface.
- Spills that were blotted but have slowly reappeared. Residue left in the pile pulls dirt back to the same spot.
- More sneezing indoors, especially after the carpet has been walked on.
- You're selling, moving out, or a new baby is about to start crawling.
Is steam cleaning worth it?
For a home carpet that's due for a proper clean, yes. What most people call steam cleaning is hot water extraction, and the Carpet Institute describes it as "widely used for a 'freshen-up' interim clean as well as being a 'deep' corrective clean method for carpets." Hot water and a cleaning solution loosen the soil, and a powerful vacuum pulls the dirty water back out of the pile. Dry or low-moisture methods are quicker to dry, but they mainly clean the surface.
A professional clean is also different from a supermarket hire machine. A truck-mounted or professional portable machine has far stronger suction, so more of the water and dirt comes back out and the carpet dries faster. We use both truck-mounted and portable machines, so apartments and upstairs rooms can be done too.
Carpet cleaning when you move out of a rental in Victoria
If your lease started on or after 29 March 2021, Victorian rules limit when you can be asked to have carpets professionally cleaned. According to Consumer Affairs Victoria's guideline on cleanliness, a rental provider can only require it if the property was professionally cleaned immediately before you moved in and you were told so, or if professional cleaning is needed to return it to the condition it was in at the start, allowing for fair wear and tear. Wine or urine stains in the carpet are one of the examples it gives of damage beyond fair wear and tear. Check your condition report, and if you do need a clean, ask for a receipt you can pass to your agent. Our end of lease carpet cleaning page explains how we handle it.
Keeping carpet cleaner for longer between cleans
- Put mats at every outside door. The Carpet Institute notes that most indoor soil comes in from outside.
- Vacuum slowly, overlapping each pass. The Institute suggests about 50 mm of overlap.
- Use chair mats under desk chairs on castors, which can damage both carpet and underlay.
- Deal with spills straight away, and never use hard-surface cleaners on carpet.