# How Often Should Carpets Be Professionally Cleaned?

What the Carpet and Rug Institute and Shaw Floors say about professional carpet cleaning intervals, and how pets, children and stairs change it.

Canonical: https://kleins.pages.dev/guides/how-often-to-clean-carpets/
Updated: 2026-09-26
Publisher: Klein's Cleaning and Maintenance

The Carpet and Rug Institute advises professionally deep cleaning home carpet every 12 to 18 months, and Shaw Floors advises professional hot water extraction every 6 to 18 months depending on traffic. A home with pets, young children or someone with allergies belongs at the short end, around every 6 to 12 months. A quiet home with one or two adults can go the full 18 months. Weekly vacuuming in between is what makes either interval work. Klein's cleans carpets across Hamilton and Halton.

By Klein's Cleaning and Maintenance, Waterdown, Ontario. Last updated September 26, 2026.

## What do the carpet makers and the industry say?

Professional carpet cleaning intervals, from the source SourceWhat it says [Carpet and Rug Institute](https://carpet-rug.org/carpet-for-homes/cleaning-and-maintenance/)"Professionally deep clean your carpets every 12 to 18 months to remove embedded dirt and grime." [Shaw Floors](https://shawfloors.com/en-us/care-and-warranties/carpet)"Schedule a professional hot water extraction (steam cleaning) anywhere from 6-18 months, depending on traffic."

## Where does my home fit in that range?

Placing a home in the 6 to 18 month range (Klein's reading of the sources above) HomeSuggested interval Dogs, or cats with accidentsEvery 6 to 12 months, plus spot treatment as it happens Young childrenEvery 6 to 12 months Asthma or allergies in the homeEvery 6 to 12 months Busy family home, no petsAbout every 12 months One or two adults, shoes off at the doorEvery 12 to 18 months

Stairs, hallways and the carpet just inside the door wear first in every home. If the whole house is not due yet, those areas often are.

## Does the warranty care how often I clean?

It can. The CRI notes that its certified cleaning products and services are "recommended and sometimes required by the manufacturer to ensure results and warranty protection." Read the care section of your own carpet's warranty, and keep the receipt from each professional clean.

## What should happen between professional cleans?

Vacuuming does most of the work. The CRI's first step is to vacuum high-traffic areas frequently and everywhere else on a schedule; Health Canada, writing about dust mites, advises vacuuming carpets and soft furnishings frequently, ideally with a [HEPA-filter vacuum](https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/chemicals-product-safety/dust-mites.html). Deal with spills straight away by blotting rather than rubbing, and put mats at the doors, which the CRI calls stopping dirt at the door.

## Why does carpet look dirty again soon after some cleanings?

Usually because cleaning solution was left in the pile. Residue is sticky, and it grabs the next soil that walks over it. That is why hot water extraction rinses and vacuums the solution back out rather than leaving it to dry. See how Klein's does it on the [home carpet cleaning](https://kleins.pages.dev/residential/carpet-cleaning/) page; for workplaces, [commercial carpet cleaning](https://kleins.pages.dev/commercial/carpet-cleaning/) plans the cleaning by traffic zone.

### The short version

- Every 12 to 18 months as a baseline
- 6 to 12 months with pets, kids or allergies
- Stairs and entrances more often
- Vacuum weekly in between
- Keep the receipt for the warranty

## More guides

- [What makes a cleaning product eco-friendly in Canada?](https://kleins.pages.dev/guides/eco-friendly-cleaning-products/) Ecolabels that mean something, what Canadian law now says about green claims, and what to ask.
- [How much does house cleaning cost in Hamilton and Halton?](https://kleins.pages.dev/guides/house-cleaning-cost-hamilton-halton/) How local companies price by the hour, by the room and by the package, with three published examples.
- [Deep cleaning vs regular cleaning](https://kleins.pages.dev/guides/deep-cleaning-vs-regular-cleaning/) What each visit covers, room by room, and when a home needs the deep one.

[All cleaning guides](https://kleins.pages.dev/guides/)