Carpet & Upholstery Steam Cleaning in Melbourne

Aust Facility Services provides professional hot water extraction (HWE) carpet and upholstery steam cleaning for commercial premises across Melbourne. We remove embedded soil, allergens, bacteria, stains, and odours from carpets, tiles, office chairs, lounges, and fabric partitions - extending carpet life and improving indoor air quality.

How Does Hot Water Extraction Work?

Hot water extraction (HWE) - commonly called steam cleaning - is the cleaning method recommended by the Australian Carpet Classification Scheme (ACCS) and most carpet manufacturers for maintaining warranty compliance. The process uses heated water (80–100°C) and cleaning solution injected deep into carpet fibres under pressure, then extracted together with dissolved soil using powerful suction.

Our commercial HWE process:

1. Pre-inspection - identify stains, fibre type, and high-traffic zones
2. Pre-vacuum - removes dry particulate before wetting (critical step often skipped)
3. Pre-spray - commercial enzyme or alkaline pre-conditioner applied and agitated
4. Spot treatment - targeted stain removal for coffee, ink, grease, and biological stains
5. Hot water extraction - heated wand passes systematically, injecting and extracting simultaneously
6. Post-treatment - deodoriser or protector applied as required
7. Air mover deployment - high-velocity fans reduce drying time to 2–4 hours

What Do We Clean?

• ✓Commercial carpets - open-plan offices, corridors, meeting rooms, reception areas, and conference rooms
• ✓Carpet tiles - individual tile extraction, with optional replacement of heavily stained or damaged tiles
• ✓Area rugs - on-site or pickup for off-site deep cleaning depending on size and material
• ✓Upholstered office chairs and task seating - using handheld upholstery tool with appropriate extraction
• ✓Sofas, lounges, and waiting room seating - including healthcare and hospitality upholstery
• ✓Fabric partitions and acoustic panels - low-moisture encapsulation cleaning to avoid saturation
• ✓Staircase and landing carpet - handheld tool extraction on staircases and edges

Encapsulation Cleaning - the Low-Moisture Alternative

For environments where carpets must return to use quickly - or where carpet construction makes HWE unsuitable - we offer encapsulation cleaning. This method applies a crystallising polymer compound to carpet fibres, which encapsulates soil particles and dries to a brittle crystal that is then vacuumed out.

Encapsulation cleaning dries in 30–60 minutes versus 2–4 hours for HWE, produces far less moisture, and is well-suited to loop pile and berber carpet tiles common in commercial offices. It does not provide the same depth of cleaning as HWE and is recommended as an interim clean between periodic HWE sessions rather than as a sole maintenance method.

We recommend encapsulation for heavily-used areas between quarterly HWE cycles, or for spot-cleaning programs in offices that need minimal disruption.

How Often Should Commercial Carpets Be Steam Cleaned?

The Carpet Institute of Australia recommends hot water extraction every 12–18 months for most commercial carpets, with more frequent cleaning in high-traffic areas. As a guide: reception and entry areas benefit from quarterly HWE; open-plan offices every 6–12 months; less-used meeting rooms and boardrooms annually. Most commercial carpet warranties require professional cleaning at specified intervals - we provide a cleaning certificate after every session for your records.

Frequently Asked Questions

Last updated: April 2026