While it may sound surprising that steam could clean more effectively than chemical shampoos, the truth is that steam cleaning your carpet is the best way to get it looking, feeling and smelling like new.

Steam cleaning is a process in which hot water and detergent are pumped into a machine that sprays hot steam onto your rug. The pressure from the spray nozzle ruptures dirt particles on contact with the carpet fibres, dislodging them so they can be thoroughly removed. All in all, this lifts bacteria, dust and other nasty surprises from deep in your carpet for the best clean. Need more concrete reasoning? Here are three benefits carpet steam cleaning offers over carpet shampooing.

1. Steam cleaning doesn't use chemicals

Many people don't realize that the chemicals in carpet shampoos can actually be harmful. Dyes, perfumes and other additives in these shampoos can be too intense for some people's bodies, especially when it comes to young and elderly people with sensitive skin or respiratory systems. Strong chemicals are also something to be wary of if you have a cat, dog, or other free-roaming pet.

Steam cleaning can be conducted effectively using non-toxic detergent, so you don't have to worry about any extra chemicals causing skin rashes, coughing and other unpleasant symptoms.

2. Your carpet will dry quicker

When you shampoo your carpet, the chemicals in the shampoo can prevent it from drying quickly. In many cases, it can take several hours for all the water in a shampooed carpet to evaporate. During this time, the excess moisture can cause damage to your carpet fibres and even possibly lead to mould under the carpet itself. Plus, it leaves your room unusable for a good part of the day.

With steam cleaning, you'll find your carpet dries in record time. Alongside steam already being in gas form rather than liquid, the non-toxic detergent won't contain chemicals that slow down drying.

3. It removes pests more thoroughly

If you're worried about microscopic pests in your carpets, steam cleaning is the way to go. Since steam can easily penetrate your whole carpet, it's great at killing pests like mites and destroying any eggs they may have left behind. The high heat of the steam exterminates the pests once and for all, preventing them from coming back in the future.

Shampooing, on the other hand, doesn't reach high enough temperatures to tackle pests, and it may not even reach those that have lodged themselves deep into your carpet.