Regardless of what you may think, they’re not the same. Steam cleaning uses water in steam form for removing grease, stains, and other forms of dirt. With wet cleaning, the professionals use a water extraction procedure. They soak carpet fibers with warm soapy water and scrub it with the machine before suctioning it and rinsing the fibers. The debate about which method is more effective is still on, so you should benefit from both to compare the results for your carpets.