What is the best home carpet/upholstery cleaner on the market to buy?
Answers:
You know, I'm not sure (I've always just rented a cleaner when I needed one... but I was single and didn't have kids or pets)
If you can, go to your local library and see if they carry a copy of the July 2003 issue of Consumer Reports. They evaluated carpet/upholstery cleaners in that issue. They purchase all the appliances they test, and rate them on performance and cost. I know that the report is several years old, but it could point you in the right direction as to what is best today.
Consumer Reports ALSO has a web-site, but I think you have to pay a subscription to access it (because they are non-profit and don't take any advertising to cover their costs).
Good luck... I know it's not much, but I hoped it helps.
Other answers:
Just my two cents, we bought a little green machine and we love it we were living in a townhouse with white carpet threw out the whole place with two toddlers, let me tell you that thing was a life saver, it comes with a steam option now, grrrr i didnt wait to get that model, but at any rate i clean up all sorts of spots really quickly with that little machine, and i clean our carpets in the cars every spring with it also. I used to help detail cars and this really really works well for doing auto carpets, just as good as the professional auto carpet cleaners, But thats just for smaller cleaning it wont completely clean your whole carpet, well it can it will just take FOREVER lol but i just thought i would throw out there that this product is totally awsome for everything else you want to do, and when we bought it we only paid like 60 bucks, so maybe you can get this and buy a cheaper carpet cleaner because you dont have to worry about getting one with a thousand differnt attachments, and thats how i would do it, because you can keep water stored in the green machine. So its always ready to go when you have to clean up quicker then filling and measureing and and pulling out all the attachments on the upright :) Just my thoughts happy hunting!!
Just my two cents, we bought a little green machine and we love it we were living in a townhouse with white carpet threw out the whole place with two toddlers, let me tell you that thing was a life saver, it comes with a steam option now, grrrr i didnt wait to get that model, but at any rate i clean up all sorts of spots really quickly with that little machine, and i clean our carpets in the cars every spring with it also. I used to help detail cars and this really really works well for doing auto carpets, just as good as the professional auto carpet cleaners, But thats just for smaller cleaning it wont completely clean your whole carpet, well it can it will just take FOREVER lol but i just thought i would throw out there that this product is totally awsome for everything else you want to do, and when we bought it we only paid like 60 bucks, so maybe you can get this and buy a cheaper carpet cleaner because you dont have to worry about getting one with a thousand differnt attachments, and thats how i would do it, because you can keep water stored in the green machine. So its always ready to go when you have to clean up quicker then filling and measureing and and pulling out all the attachments on the upright :) Just my thoughts happy hunting!!
With over 400 models of machine to choose from, if you can answer some of these questions, we can really narrow down the search!
What size tank capacity are you looking for? (3-4 gallon, 6-7 gallon, 9 to 12 gallon, 15 to 17 gallon, 20+)
Do you want a heater installed? (Heated machines are twice as aggressive as non heated machines. Every 1750 watts of heat adds 25 degrees to cleaning temperature to carpet cleaning and 50 degrees to upholstery cleaning. Do you want to mount the heater on the inside of the machine? Or use an external mounted heater to lighten the weight of the extractor and make it easier to lift the equipment in and out of the truck?)
Do you have a limit to the number of power cords you are willing to pug in? Are you 'OK' with using the customers electric 220 volt dryer plug? (Machines are made to operate on one, two, three, or four 120 volt power cords or have a 220 volt option <remember power consumption is a direct result of cleaning efficiency>)
Do you need a machine that is auto fill and auto dump? (Great for cleaning larger jobs, using power wands, and de-flooding)
What is the maximum hose length you would like to run? (Do you want to: have the machine follow you around the house <dual 2 stage vacs>; leave the machine on the first floor and just run the hoses to the second floor for cleaning <dual 3 stage vacs or triple 2 stage>; or even leave the machine in you truck while you clean <Quad 2 stage vacuum>?)
How much water pressure do you what? (More psi means being able to clean faster. With 100 psi machines, you have to prescrub and preclean the carpet and use the machine to just rinse the carpet, while 400 to 500 psi is preferred by most pros)
Will you use the same machine to clean ceramic tile floors? (1000 psi capabilities)
How heavy can the machine be? (What is the height of the floor of the service truck you have to lift to? Do you want to use a ramp to save your back? Are you going to have a helper and be able to team lift the machine? The maximim weight that most poeple can lift by themselves is 140 lbs.)
Are you going to cleaning alot a vacant apartments where you are going up and down a lot of stairs? (Machines that have ten inch wheels or larger, or have balloon tires, or both)