Carpet, Rug & Upholstery Cleaning in Singapore

How carpet and rug cleaning works, step by step

Every piece goes through the same stages, with the method at each one set by the fibre and construction.

1. Collection or drop-off

   We collect from your home anywhere in Singapore, or you bring the piece to Orchard or Queenstown. Tell us roughly the size and what it is made of when you book.

2. Inspection and a quote

   Fibre, construction and dye stability are checked, along with the age and origin of the piece, any stains, pet damage and existing wear. What we find sets the method for the whole piece. Any additional charge is quoted and confirmed with you before work starts.

3. Dusting: dry soil out first

   Most of what a carpet carries by weight is grit and dust, held deep in the pile where a household vacuum does not reach it. It comes out dry, before any water is introduced, because water turns loose grit into mud in the weave.

4. Decontamination

   Where the inspection finds pet urine, odour or mould, those areas are treated before the wash, with agents chosen for the fibre. It is a separate stage because soaking a contaminated piece without it drives the problem further into the weave instead of lifting it out. Complete removal is possible on some pieces but cannot be guaranteed, and we tell you what we see before we start.

5. Washing

   The piece is washed through the full depth of the pile rather than across the surface of it. Water temperature and the amount of agitation are set by what the fibre will take, so a wool pile, a silk pile and a synthetic pile are each handled differently.

6. Rinsing

   Rinsing is the stage that carries the loosened soil and the cleaning agent back out of the weave. Without it, both settle into the pile again as the piece dries, which is why a surface shampoo can leave a carpet looking clean and feeling stiff.

7. Controlled drying

   The piece is dried under controlled conditions rather than left to air in a humid room. This is the slowest stage and the one that cannot be compressed, because a carpet that goes home damp at the base is where a musty smell starts.

8. Rework if it is needed

   Once it is dry the piece is checked against what we said we would achieve at the inspection. If it is not there, it goes back for another pass rather than out of the door. That is part of the job and not an additional charge.

9. Final check, then packed for return

   A last look over the pile, the fringes and the dyes, then the piece is wrapped for transport and either delivered back to you or held at the shop for collection.

Why carpets are cleaned off-site rather than in your living room

An in-home shampoo agitates the top of the pile and draws some of the water back, with no rinse, so the soil it loosens settles back into the weave as the carpet dries. Dense pile holds much of its soil near the base of the tuft rather than at the tip: a study of carpets left in homes for 13 months found house dust mite allergen concentrated toward the backing in every carpet tested.

The water is the other problem in Singapore. A carpet damp-cleaned in place stays damp deep in the pile and against the floor beneath it, in a humid room, with no way to dry it under control. Taking the piece away means it can be washed through, rinsed and dried properly, and your floor stays dry. How the collection works is set out in our guide to carpet collection and return, and the reasoning behind the choice of method in wet cleaning versus dry cleaning.

1. Causer, Shorter and Sercombe, "Effect of floorcovering construction on content and vertical distribution of house dust mite allergen, Der p I", Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene 3(4) (2006) (mite allergen found toward the base of the pile in all carpets tested; significantly less on hard flooring)

Humidity, dust mites and mould in Singapore carpets

Singapore's relative humidity averages over 80 per cent. House dust mite numbers follow indoor humidity: in a study of homes through two humid summers, homes kept below 51 per cent relative humidity ended with far fewer live mites and more than ten times less mite allergen than humid homes. Carpeted floors hold significantly more mite allergen than hard flooring. Mould growth increases in vigour above 75 per cent relative humidity.

That is why drying is the stage we do not compress. A carpet returned before it is fully dry, or damp-cleaned and left on the floor, sits in exactly the conditions mites and mould favour.

1. Meteorological Service Singapore: Climate of Singapore (mean annual relative humidity around 82 per cent)
2. Arlian, Neal, Morgan, Vyszenski-Moher, Rapp and Alexander, "Reducing relative humidity is a practical way to control dust mites and their allergens in homes in temperate climates", Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology 107(1) (2001) (homes below 51 per cent relative humidity against humid homes)
3. Causer, Shorter and Sercombe, "Effect of floorcovering construction on content and vertical distribution of house dust mite allergen, Der p I", Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene 3(4) (2006) (carpets against hard flooring)
4. Canadian Conservation Institute: Agent of deterioration: pests (mould growth increases in vigour above 75 per cent relative humidity)

How much carpet and rug cleaning costs and how long it takes

Carpet and rug cleaning is priced by area. The length is multiplied by the width to give square feet, then by $8, which is the rate for rugs and carpets alike. A 5 ft by 8 ft piece measures 40 square feet, which is $320. There is a minimum charge of $200 per order, so anything up to 25 square feet comes to $200.

Heavily soiled pieces, pet stains and delicate antique weaves may carry additional charges. Those are assessed and confirmed with you before any work starts, never added afterwards. Removable sofa covers are priced by seat count, from $30 for one seat, and cushion covers from $12; the full list is on the price list.

Turnaround is about ten working days from collection. Drying is the constraint, and heavier or more delicate pieces can take longer. We confirm a timeline when we collect the piece; if you need it back by a date, say so at booking.

How often a carpet needs cleaning

We recommend every 6 to 12 months. Singapore's relative humidity averages over 80 per cent, and in an urban home, dust from the road comes in through open windows and settles onto the carpet. A dining-room carpet takes food, spills and chair legs across the same few square feet every day, and soil concentrates in a band around the table while the rest of the piece looks clean, so it may need the shorter end of that range.

What we do not promise

Cleaning removes soil; it does not undo wear. Pile flattened along a walking route stays flattened, sun-faded areas stay faded, and a fringe or foundation that has worn through is repair work, which we do not offer. Pet urine and dye-based spills that have soaked through to the backing are a different job from a surface mark. We assess each piece and tell you what we see before it is cleaned. Complete removal is possible on some stains but cannot be guaranteed, and the sooner you bring it in, the better the chances.