Cleanfax Survey: And the Dominant Carpet Cleaning Method is…

NORTHBROOK, Ill.—February 19, 2020—There’s more than one way to skin a cat—or clean a carpet. In fact, carpet cleaners today have an array of tools and processes at their disposal, from shampoos to bonnets. One piece of equipment dominates the industry though, and that’s the truckmount. According to the results of the 2019 Carpet Cleaning Benchmarking Survey Report, 82% of owners use hot water extraction with a truckmount as their primary carpet cleaning method, and 24% use it as an additional method, making this the most popular cleaning process by far.

Hot water extraction with a portable unit was a distant second as the primary method at just 7%, but this is one of the most popular additional cleaning methods. About 48% of owners surveyed said they use portable extraction units when a truckmount isn’t practical. The most popular additional cleaning method was encapsulation at 53%, up from 47% in 2018. About 31% of owners use a bonnet as an additional method as well.

The least popular cleaning methods are dry foam, powder/dry compound, shampoo, and the oscillating pad. Each of these came in at less than 1% of owners reporting it as their primary cleaning process, but they do have a place as additional methods for specific jobs. For example, zero owners use the oscillating pad as the main method, but 13% report using it as an additional cleaning method in certain circumstances. About 11% of owners surveyed use shampoo or powder/dry compound when the situation calls for it. Dry foam is all around the least popular process with just 6% of owners calling on it as an additional cleaning method.

As you reflect on 2019 and make crucial business decisions and equipment purchases for the year ahead, check out our full Carpet Cleaning Benchmarking Survey results, sponsored by Legend Brands.