Clean or Replace Carpet? How to Decide by Age and Damage
Is it cheaper to clean or replace carpet? Cleaning vs new carpet prices, carpet age, pet urine in the pad, and selling a house. Text for a written price.
By Yuri and Tatiana, owners of Shining Cleanse LLC, a family cleaning company based in Everett, WA and licensed in 10 cities across Snohomish and King County.
Cleaning is almost always cheaper. We charge $82 a room, while new carpet runs about $3 to $11 per square foot installed according to NerdWallet, around $1,800 for a typical 330 sq ft living room. Replace instead when the carpet is worn through, rippled, past roughly 8 to 10 years, or the pad is soaked with pet urine.
That last sentence is the part we care about. A cleaning company telling you to replace your carpet sounds odd, but we would rather lose a $220 job than sell you a cleaning that cannot change what you are unhappy with.
How much does new carpet cost compared with cleaning?
NerdWallet’s cost guide for replacing carpet puts replacement at $3 to $11 per square foot, and cites Angi for about $1,800 for a typical 330 sq ft living room. Removal of the old carpet, padding and floor prep can add to that. Local quotes vary, so treat these as a range for comparison, not a price.
Here is how that compares with our carpet cleaning prices:
| Area | Clean (our price) | Replace at $3–$11 per sq ft |
|---|---|---|
| One bedroom, 12 x 14 ft (168 sq ft) | $82 | about $504–$1,848 |
| Three bedrooms of that size (504 sq ft) | $220 | about $1,512–$5,544 |
| Five rooms of that size (840 sq ft) | $306 | about $2,520–$9,240 |
| Staircase, 13 steps | $65 | priced by the installer |
Our minimum visit is $220. Rooms of 200 to 300 sq ft are $102, and our cost per room guide explains how we count a room. Full prices are on the pricing page.
So on price alone, cleaning wins by a wide margin. The real question is whether cleaning will fix what bothers you.
How long does carpet last in a rental or family home?
InterNACHI’s life expectancy chart for home components lists carpet at 8 to 10 years, and notes that its numbers assume normal wear and maintenance. A guest room can go longer. A hallway in a rental with a turnover every year, or a family room with two dogs and a back door to the yard, often looks tired sooner.
Age by itself is not a reason to replace. A 12-year-old nylon carpet in a bedroom where people take their shoes off can clean up fine. A 5-year-old cheap polyester in a living room traffic lane can be crushed flat for good. Look at the condition, not the receipt.
Before
AfterWhen is carpet beyond cleaning?
Cleaning removes soil and most stains. It does not rebuild fiber or fix the structure underneath. These are the signs we look for, and when we see them in photos we tell you before you book:
- Traffic lanes that are crushed and matted, where the pile has lost its twist. Cleaning makes them cleaner, not taller.
- Ripples, bumps or loose seams. That is stretching and repair, which we do not do.
- Bleach spots, sun fading or color loss from old urine. The color is gone, not dirty.
- Backing that is coming apart, or carpet that crumbles at the edges.
- Urine soaked into the pad over many accidents in the same place.
- Carpet that got wet from a flood or leak and stayed wet. That is water damage work, outside what we do.
If a stain keeps coming back after a cleaning, it may be wicking up from the backing. Our article on why carpet looks dirty after cleaning explains the causes, and some of them have a fix that is not replacement.
Can pet urine damage mean replacing the pad?
Yes, sometimes. Urine that sits in one spot again and again soaks through the carpet into the pad and sometimes the subfloor. Surface treatment can reduce the smell, but it cannot fully reach a saturated pad.
Our pet odor treatment starts with you telling us where the accidents happened and a check of those areas for stains and smell. We cannot see the pad, so we tell you before any work that a smell that comes back after treatment usually means the pad is affected. Treatment is $52 per affected area on top of the carpet price. If the pad is involved, the honest fix is to replace the pad in that area, which is a job for a flooring contractor. Often that is a few square feet, not the whole room, and the carpet itself can be put back and cleaned.
Should you clean or replace carpet before selling?
Clean it if it is structurally sound and the color is even. A cleaned carpet photographs well and costs little. Replace it, or leave the decision to the buyer, if it is worn, stained beyond help or a color nobody wants.
New carpet bought for a sale can end up pulled out by a buyer who wanted hardwood. Ask your agent what buyers in your area expect before you order anything. If you go with cleaning, book it after the painting and before the photographer.
Is cleaning worth it if you will replace the carpet anyway?
If replacement is coming within a few months, usually not, unless you need it for a move-out, a listing or a smell you cannot live with until then. If replacement is two or more years away, a cleaning now keeps the house pleasant while you save for it. Our comparison of professional cleaning and rental machines covers the cheaper do-it-yourself route too.
We clean carpets in Mountlake Terrace and nine other licensed cities in Snohomish and King County.
Our jobFAQ
Will cleaning make worn carpet look better?
Cleaner, yes. Newer, no. Soil and stains come out and the color brightens, but crushed pile, fading and wear patterns stay. If your main complaint is how the traffic lanes look, send photos first and we will tell you what to expect.
Does professional cleaning damage carpet?
Hot water extraction is the method most carpet manufacturers recommend for restorative cleaning. Damage usually comes from too much water, harsh spot products or sticky residue. We vacuum first, test spot products in a hidden area and use extra dry passes.
Do you remove or install carpet?
No. We clean carpet and treat pet odor. Removal, pad replacement, stretching and installation are flooring contractor work. We will tell you plainly when that is what you need.
Can you clean just the worst room?
Yes, at $82 for a room up to 200 sq ft, but the visit minimum is $220. Two or three rooms usually make more sense than one, since three rooms are $220.
Get a written price
Text 2–4 photos to (425) 539-5492 or request a written quote, and tell us how old the carpet is. We reply with a written price the same business day (Mon–Fri 9am–7pm, Sat 9am–5pm).
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