What affects the cost of rug and carpet cleaning in Singapore?
By The Carpet House team · Updated
The cost of cleaning a rug or carpet in Singapore depends mainly on two things: its size and what it is made of. Repairs, if your rug needs any, are priced separately. With us, pickup and delivery anywhere in Singapore are free, so you only pay for the work itself. To see a price range for your own rug or carpet, use our instant rug and carpet cleaning price calculator. It takes about 2 minutes.
Below, we explain what goes into the price, why some rugs cost more to clean than others, and how to get an accurate quote. (We clean loose rugs and carpets at our own facility. We don’t clean wall-to-wall or fitted carpet.)
At a glance
- Size: a bigger rug takes more water, more washing and more drying time.
- Material and how it was made: silk, art silk and handmade rugs take more care and time than machine-made ones.
- Repairs: fringes, edges, holes and moth damage are quoted separately, from photos.
- Free: pickup and delivery anywhere in Singapore, and storage after a wash if you need it.
- Your price: the calculator gives you a range in about 2 minutes, and we confirm it from your photos.
What affects the price of rug and carpet cleaning?
| What affects the price | Why it matters | What to tell us |
|---|---|---|
| Size | More surface to wash, rinse and dry | Length and width, in feet or centimetres |
| Material | Silk and art silk need slower, gentler handling than wool or synthetic fibres | Wool, cotton, silk, art silk, or “not sure” |
| How it was made | Handmade rugs need more care than machine-made ones | Hand-knotted, machine-made, or “not sure” |
| Repairs | Each repair is different, so we quote it from photos | Photos of any holes, worn edges, loose fringes or moth damage |
| Pickup and delivery | Free anywhere in Singapore | Your area and a convenient time |
Why does the size of a rug matter?
A bigger rug or carpet simply takes more work. It needs more water and shampoo, more scrubbing by hand, more rinsing with the rake until the water runs clear, and more space and time to dry completely. A large rug can take noticeably longer to dry than a small one, especially in wet weather.
That is why our calculator asks for the length and width of each rug: it works out the area and gives you a price range for that size.
Why do silk and handmade carpets cost more to clean than machine-made ones?
Silk is delicate. A real silk rug has to be handled gently while it is wet, and its colours have to be tested carefully first, so it takes longer to wash safely.
Art silk (also called viscose or bamboo silk) looks like silk but is a man-made fibre that becomes much weaker when wet. Viscose can lose 30 to 50% of its strength while it is wet [2], so it needs slow, careful handling to avoid damage.
Handmade rugs and carpets, such as hand-knotted Persian and oriental pieces, are often made with natural dyes and fibres. High humidity and water can make colours bleed [1], so we test the colours before washing and adjust how we wash each rug.
Machine-made rugs are usually made from sturdier fibres and are more uniform, so they take less time.
If you’re not sure what your rug is made of, choose “Not sure” in the calculator. We’ll check it when we see your photos or the rug itself.
Are repairs included in the price?
No. Repairs are priced separately, because every repair is different. A loose fringe (the tassels at each end) is a quick job; rebuilding a worn or missing area knot by knot takes much longer. Send us photos and we’ll give you a quote for each repair.
As a guide, fringe repairs and small holes usually take 1 to 2 weeks, and re-weaving takes 3 to 6 weeks. We usually recommend washing a rug at the same time as repairing it. See our rug and carpet repair page for more.
What’s included when we wash your rug or carpet?
Every wash includes the same six steps:
- Inspection and colour test. We check what your rug is made of and test a small spot so the colours won’t run.
- Vacuuming to lift the dust and grit from the surface.
- Soaking and hand-washing with a gentle, wool-safe shampoo with no bleach, scrubbed by hand.
- Rinsing with a rake until the water runs clear.
- Drying in natural sunlight, or indoors with large air blowers in bad weather, until it is fully dry right through.
- Final check and delivery to your door.
Pickup and delivery anywhere in Singapore are free. If you’re not ready to have your rug back, we can wrap it in breathable material and store it with us after the wash, free of charge, for as long as you need. If a job needs a lot of packing, we tell you any cost before we start. See storage and delivery.
Why does hand-washing cost more than a quick clean?
A hand-wash takes days, not hours. Each rug is soaked, scrubbed by hand, rinsed until the water runs clear and dried completely before it comes back. A quick steam clean in your home is faster, but it was designed for fitted carpet and can make the colours of handmade rugs run or leave them damp underneath. We explain the differences in our guide to hand-washing, steam cleaning and dry cleaning.
Is regular cleaning worth the cost?
For a good rug or carpet, yes. Dirt and dust work their way deep into a rug and act like sandpaper, grinding away at the fibres and the base of the rug [1]. Soil left in the pile (the soft surface you walk on) can damage the fibres permanently and shorten the rug’s life [3]. The Carpet and Rug Institute recommends a thorough clean every 12 to 18 months [3].
Singapore’s humidity adds to this. Our air is humid all year round, at around 80% on average [5]. Doctors note that dust mites grow faster in humid air, that carpets often hold a lot of them, and that vacuuming alone doesn’t remove them [4]. A full wash in water removes the dust and grit that build up deep inside a rug, which vacuuming can’t reach.
Cleaning a handmade rug every year or so costs far less than replacing it.
How do I get an accurate price?
- Measure the rug or carpet. Measure its length and width in feet or centimetres. A rough measurement is fine; we’ll check it when we collect.
- Check what it is made of. Look at the back. On a hand-knotted rug, you can usually see the pattern clearly on the back, and the fringe is part of the rug itself. On a machine-made rug, the back often looks very even or is covered, and the fringe may be sewn on. If you’re not sure, choose “Not sure”.
- Take photos. One of the front, one of the back, and close-ups of any stains or damage.
- Use the calculator. Our instant rug and carpet cleaning price calculator gives you a price range in about 2 minutes. You can add several rugs at once.
- Send it to us on WhatsApp. Lock in your estimate and send your photos. We confirm your price before we collect.
Prices for hotels, offices and designers
For hotels, offices, building managers and interior designers, we give a written quote for each rug, with any repairs we suggest and proposed pickup and return dates. We can collect in batches, so a space is never left bare. Send us a list of your rugs with photos and rough sizes. See our hotel, office and designer page.
Common questions
References
- Canadian Conservation Institute, “Basic care: Carpets and rugs”. https://www.canada.ca/en/conservation-institute/services/care-objects/textiles-costumes/basic-care-carpets-rugs.html
- Cleanfax, “Rayon: The fiber that just won’t go away”. https://cleanfax.com/rayon-the-fiber-that-just-wont-go-away/
- Carpet and Rug Institute, “Carpet & Rug Care Guide”. https://carpet-rug.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Carpet-and-Rug-Care-Guide.pdf
- German JA, Harper MB, “Environmental Control of Allergic Diseases”, American Family Physician, 2002. https://www.aafp.org/pubs/afp/issues/2002/0801/p421.html
- National Environment Agency (via data.gov.sg), “Relative humidity: annual mean”. https://data.gov.sg/dataset/relative-humidity-annual-mean