Carpet vs. Rug Cleaning: What's the Difference?

Wall-to-wall carpet is cleaned in place: hot-water extraction is worked directly into the fibers and padding, then the carpet dries in the room it was cleaned in. It is priced by room because that is genuinely how the job scales.

Area rugs are a different job entirely. Many are made from wool, silk or other specialty fibers that react badly to the wrong cleaning method, and heavily soiled or delicate rugs often clean better off-site, where they can be fully rinsed and dried flat instead of in place. That is why rug cleaning is priced by size rather than by room, and why pickup and delivery is worth using for anything beyond a small, sturdy piece.

If you are not sure which service you need: if it is tacked down wall-to-wall, it is carpet cleaning; if you can roll it up and move it, it is a rug, and it deserves rug-specific care.