The Best Carpet Cleaner

Carpet Cleaners

Once you understand the different types of carpet cleaners that are available, you will have an easier time deciding which one will be best for you.
Spot Cleaners

Spot cleaners are small, compact, and very portable. Their small tank holds the water and shampoo needed for cleaning while a return tank is used for the dirty water that is sucked back up. Some spot cleaners require you to move the device back and forth over the area to be cleaned. Others have rotating brushes so that you can simply place the machine over the spot. Spot cleaners can serve double duty as furniture cleaners. They are designed for home use, and they are not recommended for large areas.

Small Rolling Canister Carpet Cleaners

These carpet cleaners are canisters on wheels. The rolling canister contains the clean water, cleaning solution, and a dirty water return tank. They often have a heating element to heat the water or convert it to steam. Attachments might include a suction wand, furniture cleaning attachment, and a scrubber. It is used by placing the canister next to the area to be cleaned. A hose attaches the wand to the canister. The cleaning solution is sprayed on, and then the dirty solution is suctioned off. It is made for home use, and it can do entire rooms.

Upright Carpet Cleaners

Upright carpet cleaners look similar to vacuum cleaners. They include small, removable tanks that hold the clean water, shampoo, and dirty water. It is pushed back and forth over the carpet just like a vacuum. Some include hose attachments for cleaning furniture.

Large Rolling Carpet Cleaners

Large rolling carpet cleaners can vary in size from a machine that is similar to a vacuum cleaner to larger, self-propelled devices. They include larger tanks in order to cover more square footage between refills. This design can be found in both commercial and home use versions. Smaller units are ideal for household cleaning while the self-propelled models are excellent for large areas such as banquet halls and conference rooms.

Power Wands

Residential power wands are usually found as attachments that come with residential carpet cleaners. Smaller ones are for furniture, and larger wands are used with specific machines like the large rolling canisters. On the other hand, industrial power wands stand alone. They are created to focus on badly stained rugs that need a greater amount of scrubbing. An industrial version will look similar to a floor polisher with spinning brushes at its head.

Carpet Cleaner Features

Large Tank

When a carpet cleaner has a large tank it will require fewer refills. This can greatly reduce your over-all cleaning time. The down side is that the larger the tank is, the heavier the machine will be.

Tools and Attachments

Many of the canister and upright carpet cleaners come with an extension hose and hand held attachments used for cleaning stairs, upholstery, and narrow places.

Power Brushes

Powered brushes are used to scrub out the dirt. Reviews show that most carpet cleaner owners agree that units with power brushes can do a much better job of removing the dirt from carpet fibers. Without the power brushes it is necessary to scrub stains manually.

Powerful Suction

Your carpet cleaner needs a powerful suction to retrieve the water it has just sprayed on to the carpet. If it isn’t powerful enough to remove all of the dirty water, your carpets will take an extra-long time to completely dry. It may leave some of the dirt behind as well.

Long Cords

A long cord allows you to cover a larger area before having to stop and find another outlet. The top rated carpet cleaners have a cord that is 15 feet or longer, and hoses need to be at least five feet long in order to reach upper stairs without having to carry the actual carpet cleaner up the steps.

What to think About

Are you going to be cleaning hard floors? You might need to buy an additional attachment for cleaning hard floors.

How much will you be cleaning? If you have pets, heavy traffic areas, or often deal with large messes, it would be well worth the money to invest in a full-sized carpet cleaner. If all you need is something for the occasional pet accident or small spill, a spot carpet cleaner will be sufficient.

What extra features will you actually need? Some homeowners find that they can get by without internal water heaters, clean rinse features, automatic shut off, and indicator lights. These features might make carpet cleaning easier, but they can substantially raise the final cost of the machine.

Do you mind commercial cleaning solutions? Most manufacturers recommend chemical cleaning solutions. They are safe and effective, but if “green” cleaning is important to you, you may not want to use commercial solutions. Green solutions are available, but using something the manufacturer has not recommended may void any warranties.

Recommendations

If you are looking for the ultimate in carpet cleaning and price is not a factor, the Bissell 86T3/86T3Q Big Green Deep Cleaning Professional Grade Carpet Machine is the carpet cleaner for you. For around $400 you will get an upright that cleans better and dries faster than the rentals. The rotating power brushes and large tank make using it quick and simple.

A more budget friendly option that also cleans thoroughly is the Hoover Carpet Cleaner Steam Vac with Clean Surge. You don’t sacrifice cleaning power for a lower price with this upright. The Spin Scrub Technology and three speed brush control allow you to tackle even the toughest stains and dirt for just under $85.

The mid-price Bissell Little Green ProHeat Compact Multi-Purpose Carpet Cleaner is just right for those looking for a spot cleaner to handle pet messes and everyday spills. It is a powerful wet vac that deep cleans. Special features include a built in water heater, powerful spray, and great suction for quick drying.

Top Rated Carpet Cleaners

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This page about Carpet Cleaner was composed by V. Tobies and published by Alternative.me.
It was last updated on 2024-12-22 08:07:49 and has been viewed 4539 times.