Which is best for carpet cleaning, steam cleaner or carpet cleaner?

Carpets should be regularly vacuumed, but a deep clean is necessary for removing ingrained dirt. This can be done by a carpet cleaner or a steam cleaner, but which is best? Cleaning experts say that there are pros and cons for each type of cleaner.

Cleaning professional Polya Petrova explains that steam cleaners use high-temperature steam that loosens dirt without requiring detergent. Carpet cleaners spray a cleaning solution mixture that penetrates well into the carpet pile. After using either cleaner, a vacuum should be used to remove loose dirt.

Steam cleaners work well on carpet tiles and short pile carpets, but are not as effective on deep pile carpets. Floorcare expert at Ideal Home Lauren Bradbury says carpet cleaners are better than steam cleaners because they push the cleaning solution deep into the pile.

"Steam cleaning is excellent for sanitising and surface-level dirt – especially on hard floors like tile, vinyl, or laminate – but it doesn’t penetrate carpet fibres as effectively."

Steam cleaners are easier to use as they are typically lighter, quicker to get ready and need no detergents. Carpet cleaners are bulkier and more complex to use, requiring pre-treatment, filling tanks and drying time. However, manufacturers are developing carpet cleaners that are lighter and easier to use. 

If a carpet is heavily stained and worn, is probably time for a new one. Contact a local carpet retailer in Chester or North Wales and ask to see their range of stain-resistant carpets.

The benefits of carpet samples before buying

With such a wide range of styles available, it is vital to choose carpets that are perfect for your home.

You wouldn’t want to invest in a brand-new carpet, and, a couple of weeks later, get a nagging feeling that it just doesn’t look right. Maybe the carpet in your bedroom would have better suited the lounge. Perhaps you decide you don’t like the colours, which somehow looked different in the shop.

That’s why, if you are visiting a carpet retailer, North Wales, it’s so important to take a good range of samples home with you. Take time choosing the carpet that is really going to look great in your living space, a carpet you can live with, a carpet that truly enhances your home. It will be time well spent.

How does it look?

Use samples to test how the colours and patterns will look in the lighting conditions of your home. Colours can look a lot different under the lights of a carpet store. You should also think about how the colours and patterns fit with your furnishings, wallpaper and other decor.

Evaluate the quality

Stair carpets need to be strong and durable, whereas bedroom carpets may need to be softer underfoot. Check the quality of the sample: the texture, pile height and durability, taking into account where in your home you plan to lay it.

Compare and contrast

Take a good range of samples home with you. Compare them, get a sense of the range of available choices, then choose the options that best meet your requirements.

How does it feel?

A bedroom carpet which you are likely to walk on barefoot may need a softer feel than an entrance hall or staircase, where durability is key. Feel the samples and get a sense of how well the textures are suited to the different areas in your home.

A really great carpet design can spark lots of ideas for making your room look really special. For example, a stylish new bedroom carpet may influence your choice of curtains or bedding.

Is it practical?

You need to be sure that the carpet you choose is going to work well in the place you install it. If you know your toddler is going to keep spilling juice on it, you may want to check how easy it will be to keep it clean, or if it's strong enough to have outdoor shoes tramping over it, day in day out.

So, if you want to refresh your home with new carpets and are planning to visit a carpet retailer in Wrexham, make sure you take home with you a good range of samples and make that perfect choice that will transform your home.

Five sounds that indicate your floor needs fixing

Flooring experts have warned households of five types of flooring sounds that should not be ignored, as they could indicate that the floor needs repairing.

Flooring expert Richard Oates explains:

"If you're hearing strange noises this is a clear sign you have underlying problems that need attention."

Creaking

If a wooden floor makes a creaking sound this can be a sign of loose floorboards. Fasten the loose boards down with adhesive, or reclick them into place if they can be.

Creaking may also indicate high humidity levels, which may require professional help.

Popping

Popping sounds from tile flooring are usually caused by loose tiles, which move due to changes in temperatures and humidity. The flooring was probably not installed with the correct expansion gaps, and a whole new floor may be needed.

Crunching

When you vacuum the floor and hear a crunching sound, it could be due to loose flooring adhesive. Lift the flooring and remove loose adhesive before glueing down again.

Clicking

If you walk on a wooden floor and hear clicking sounds, this could mean an uneven subfloor. If there is slight unevenness, glueing the floorboards could solve the issue or, with a click system, click the boards back into place.

Hollow sounds

Hollow sounds could mean a glued-down floor has not been properly installed. Inject adhesive underneath the floor, or if the hollow sound is heard all over the floor, it may need replacing.

If any of these sounds mean you need a new floor, discuss your options with a flooring company in the North Wales or Chester region.

Small Indian town's unlikely carpet connection to Met Gala

Cherthala, a coastal town in Kerala, India, is the home of carpet company Neyett. For the third time, this handwoven carpet maker was chosen to supply the carpets for the annual New York Met Gala.

The carpet for the 2025 gala was a massive 63,000 square feet that covered the Metropolitan Museum of Art's entrance.

Neyett was established in 2019 by Nimisha Srinivas and Sivan Santhosh who wanted to revive traditional weaving techniques. Sivan Santhosh's family has a long tradition of carpet making. His great-grandfather K Velayudhan created a matting company in 1917. The family has supplied carpets for Camp David in the USA and palaces in Saudi Arabia.

When Neyett was established, traditional Indian carpet making was in decline in Kerala, with young people preferring better paying jobs than carpet weaving. The company's first supplied carpets to the Met Gala in 2022 and these drew lots of attention on social media and helped the business grow. The 2025 carpet was seen by millions on Instagram.

Neyett now has 900 employees, half of them women, at its 15-acre factory. After their carpets went viral on social media, the workers became celebrities in their communities.

Neyett carpets are luxury, costly floor coverings made from sisal fibre which is hand-dyed, spun and weaved. Sisal is strong enough to withstand the pressure of many high heels worn by Met Gala celebrities.

Other makes of sisal carpets are available from a carpet retailer in the Wrexham and Chester area at more affordable prices.

Experts identify home flooring mistakes making selling harder

If you want to sell your home, a range of flooring experts have reasoned that certain flooring choices make it more difficult to sell according to flooring experts. In this blog, we’re reviewing five of these choices.

1. Too many flooring types

Paul Hambidge, the managing director of a flooring supplier says that too many flooring types in a home often puts buyers off. It's fine to have carpets in bedrooms and hard surface flooring in living rooms, but according to Hambidge:

"The days of different rooms in the house having very different personalities are long gone. Now, there's a trend for flow and continuity throughout the entire home."

2. Worn carpets

Wall-to-wall carpets that look worn make the home feel unwelcoming to prospective buyers. Jane Lee from Jane Lee Interiors recommends replacing them with new neutral-coloured carpets, leaving a border around the carpet.

3. Cheap laminate

Inexpensive laminate flooring was popular in the 1980s and 1990s. This laminate flooring may still look in good condition, but it does not impress potential buyers. Wood flooring expert Natalie Mudd suggests replacing laminate with hardwood flooring or less expensive engineered wood.

4. Outdated tiles

Flooring trends come and go. What was once a trendy patterned tile floor may become outdated in the near future. Consider replacing outdated designs with large format plain colour tiles.

5. Impractical flooring

Carpets in high-moisture areas such as bathrooms and utility spaces are impractical, so you may wish to replace them with hard surface waterproof flooring.

To make a house easier to sell, talk to a local flooring retailer in Chester or North Wales about replacing poor flooring.