Steam Cleaner Vacuum: Hot Water Power Machines
Lately it seems that stores have been flooded with all kinds of hot water extractors for carpet cleaning. This of course includes small canister types, which have a hose and a nozzle. It also includes a carpet cleaning machine called an upright steam cleaner which resemble and are used similarly to a typical household vacuum cleaner.
How do they work? In a nutshell, a steam cleaner vacuum shoots a combination of hot water and a detergent out onto the carpet, which does most of the washing. Then all the liquid is sucked (“extracted”) back out into the carpet cleaning machine. Some of the machines get a little fancier, adding features like brush rotation to really get at the dirtiest parts of the carpet for a penetrating deep clean.
Not Your Mother’s Carpet Cleaner
As you might expect, the carpet steam cleaner has come a long way since its inception. Many of the first machines had a hose connected to some water supply. You hooked the hose up to a container of detergent and the two fluids were combined when you opened the valve. Some people still use these today, but most prefer the newer self contained cleaners.
The canister steam cleaner is one such machine. These have a standalone hose, but built-in tanks and motor. You hold a nozzle in your hand and wave it around to get all parts of your carpet. Ultimately, canister steam cleaners suffer from the flaw of inconvenience. Unlike other carpet cleaning products they’re hard to store and hard to start using. In particular, trying to move them–say, from your garage or closet to your living room–is much harder than it should be.
Upright is Your Best Choice
What’s the alternative, then? For most people, it’s the self contained upright steam cleaner. These are like the ones mentioned earlier in this article, that work a lot like a vacuum cleaner. You could think of them like a vacuum cleaner “times 100″–just as easy to use but with so much more power. (Even so, let’s not insult the vacuum too much. It’s still an important part of effective carpet cleaning and should be done first to get the most obvious dirt.)
An upright steam cleaner includes a tank, motor, nozzle and so on–all built in to the main machine. You just grab it and push it slowly around the floor for a deep, high quality clean that lasts ages. The cleaning detergent is funneled automatically to a nozzle where it is sprayed and brushed vigorously into the carpet. And to cap it all off, they usually also include a detachable brush and nozzle that you can use when the need arises.
Now You Can Clean Your Carpet on a Whim
Whether you go with an upright steam cleaner or something else, here’s a parting tip: Carpet cleaning is best done regularly. You might even work it into your routine and do it even when the carpets don’t look dirty yet. With upright steam carpet cleaners it’s more than easy enough to do as often as you like and it’ll lead to more effective carpet cleaning in the long run–as well as healthier lungs for you and your family and cleaner and longer-lasting carpets for your home.
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