Household Rug & Floor Cleaning Equipment - Suggestions

Household Rug & Floor Cleaning Equipment essentially breaks down into two categories:  (1) Rug Cleaning Equipment and (2) Floor Cleaning Equipment.  There is a third category of machine - a Vapor  Steam Cleaning Machine which can be used for cleaning not only rugs and hard floors; but, can be used for cleaning almost every surface or object in or outside of the house.  A GOOD DRY STEAM VAPOR CLEANER PROVIDES A MARKEDLY BETTER & HEALTHIER WAY TO CLEAN YOUR RUGS AND FLOORS!  However, this webpage deals with the traditional categories of equipment as noted above - if you are interested in a Vapor Steam Cleaning Machine "click" here and you will be connected to information on that subject.

We will first provide our suggestions on Rug Cleaning Equipment and then do the same for Floor Cleaning Equipment.

Within the Rug Cleaning Equipment category for Residential use, therefore, there are four types of units:

1. Box-type wet extraction machine
2. Self-contained wet extraction machine
3. Traditional rug shampooer
4. Dry carpet cleaning machine

A box machine uses a hose, wand and rug cleaning head.  It resembles in form and function a canister-style, pull-around vacuum.  Using a box machine is fairly labor intensive as the wand is (vigorously) scrubbed back and forth across the carpet while the user alternately dispenses and extracts back the cleaning solution.  Box machines have waned in popularity with the advent of self-contained carpet cleaning machines.

Self-Contained Wet Extraction Carpet Cleaner:  Balancing price with features, we think that the Hoover SteamVac is probably the best choice for a wet extraction rug cleaning machine for home use.  This unit offers several advantages:

• Self-contained
  • The self-contained design means that the unit - which resembles a slightly oversize upright - is moved back and forth on the carpet while a set of soft rotating brushes provides a scrubbing action
  • In this type of design the labor-intensive character of a box-type machine is largely alleviated, as the extractor itself does the scrubbing work
  • The extractor is simply moved forward and backward across the carpet and the operator controls the dispensing of the solution
  • 12-inch cleaning width versus a standard 8-inch width on a box-type unit
    • Reduces the time spent cleaning
    • A wider width on a wand-head on a box-style machine becomes too hard to readily push; thus, the width is limited to make the use of the wand feasible
• Built-in hose & accessory nozzles
  • On the better Hoover Steamvac models (such as we stock, hooray!) a hose is built onto the unit and is immediately available for usage with any of several accessories:
    • A traditional upholstery nozzle usable for cars, stairs & upholstery
    • An upholstery nozzle with a soft, spinning brush for the same types of usage
    • A nozzle with a spinning, moderately abrasive pad for cleaning tile, grout, etc.
    • No hose to plug-in! No lever to move! the hose is immediately usable
• Easy-fill & easy-empty
  • The clean solution tank lifts off the machine with one, easy motion and can be filled at any faucet
    • A built-in measuring cup makes diluting the cleaning solution simple
  • The separate, solution recovery tank lifts off the machine in one movement by grasping a handle and lifting up
    • This dirty solution can then be easily emptied
  • No faucet hookup & trailing hose needed!
• Easy to unclog
  • If the clear-view recovery nozzle accidently becomes clogged with foreign debris the user can remove the debris without any disassembly
• "Click" here to connect to our webpage on the Hoover Steamvac

Traditional Rug Shampooer:  A traditional rug shampooer dispenses a water/shampoo solution and then scrubs the solution into the carpet fibers with a rotary brush, or, brushes.  Such a method leaves the carpet completely wet - i.e., there is no recovery action of the dirty solution.  The carpet is then allowed to air dry. Such a carpet cleaning method has been largely replaced by the extraction machines, as they go the extra step of recovering the dirty solution which leaves the carpet considerably dryer, as well.  In addition, as noted in our section on Information on Residential Rug & Floor Cleaning Equipment, most rotary brush shampooers are particularly frowned upon by the carpet fiber manufacturers as a rotary brush action tends to flare the carpet fiber.

Unless oneself is shampooing carpet in an extremely limited way, it is our judgment that nobody today is making a first-quality, dedicated rug shampooer for home use (we do carry commercial rug shampooers; however, it would be a rare case for a homeowner to desire to own such).  Perhaps the best choice for a rug shampooer-only model would be a rug shampooer made by Koblenz, as this is available with the main housing made of cast metal (this provides some extra weight and durability for increased efficiency and longevity).  Hoover makes a multi-purpose scrubber/buffer/rug shampooer called a Scrub`n'Vac that, for those interested in the additional functions of scrubbing or buffing floors, would be an overall first choice.  "Click" here for information on the Hoover Scrub`n'Vac.

Dry Carpet Cleaning, if properly done, is an excellent way for the homeowner to clean carpets and rugs. There is no dry time, per se, associated with the method (in distinction to a wet method), and the carpet can be freely walked on during and/or directly after the cleaning process. While there are a few different dry carpet cleaning machines available for home use, most of these are, generally, of relatively poor quality and will neither last too long nor do an excellent job.

Our unreserved #1 choice for a residential dry carpet cleaning machine is the Sebo dual-brush dry carpet cleaning machine.  This German unit embodies the highest quality in a smooth, effortless-to-use design.

• Low profile
  • Allows the user to clean under low furniture
• Twin brush design
  • Two, cylindrical, counter-rotating brushes ensure complete brushing of the dry cleaning compound through the carpet fiber
  • Counter-rotating brush design totally eliminates any torque (twisting motion) as the unit is being used - the Sebo effortlessly glides across the carpet
  • Horizontally revolving brushes meet approved rug fiber manufacturers' standards for the type of brushing action required to clean a carpet without untwisting carpet fibers
• Handle removes for storage
  • By simply pushing one button, the entire handle (formed aluminum for durability) removes, enabling the machine to be easily stored in a small area
• Cogged drive belt
  • Cogged belt means no slipping and extended belt life
• Close to maintenance-free design
  • Clean the underside after using the machine for carpet cleaning - that's about it!
• Includes spot scrubbing brush
  • An ergonomically-designed spot, upholstery and edge cleaning brush

In our estimation, a Sebo dry carpet cleaning machine used for residential carpet cleaning would probably last a lifetime.  If we're wrong, we open the complaint department after the first 30 years of use!

"Click" here to connect to our webpage on the Sebo dry carpet cleaning machine.

Floor Cleaning Equipment:
Floor Cleaning Equipment falls into two basic categories:  Floor Scrubbing Equipment & Floor Buffing Equipment.  In many instances, a particular unit can be used for both; although, usually, a higher speed machine is better used for buffing and a slower speed machine (speed refers to the rpm - revolution per minute - of the brush or pad on the bottom of the machine) for scrubbing.

Floor Cleaning Machine Suggestion:  We believe that the best all-around residential Floor Cleaning Machine is the Oreck Orbiter.  This is a unique piece of equipment that has been manufactured for many years.  The Oreck 13" Orbiter will do the following:

1. Scrub a bare floor
   • Scrubs a floor using either any of an available assortment of floor pads designed for light to aggressive scrubbing or by using a scrub brush
     • Scrubs tile floors, linoleum, concrete, sealed wood, marble, terrazzo, granite, slate, etc.
     • The random orbital motion will not throw the solution up onto walls, baseboards, etc. the way a standard rotary brush(es) does
2. Strips a floor using a stripping pad and stripping solution
   • Will not throw the stripping solution up onto the baseboards
3. Burnishes/polishes a floor at high speed
   • The random orbital "throws" of the pad will effectively provide a burnishing action equivalent to that of a 1750 rpm floor machine
     • The higher the burnishing speed of a floor machine pad the better able the machine is to create a desired "gloss" on the floor
4. Sands a wood floor leaving absolutely no swirl marks
   • Using the same motion as an orbital wood sander, the Oreck Orbiter can be used with successively finer grit sandscreens to completely sand a wood floor preparatory to finishing it with a urethane finish, etc.
5. Dry clean a carpet using a dry cleaning compound and a soft bristled brush made for carpet cleaning

In addition to the above, the Oreck Orbiter has no gears to wear out, and no carbon brushes that ever need replacement.  It requires virtually no maintenance - just wipe it down after use.  It uses an induction-style motor that results in a compact, commercial-grade, all-metal floor machine that can be controlled effortlessly with two fingers - whether used on bare floor or carpet - due to the orbital design providing exceptional stability.  We estimate that for home use it will probably outlast the homeowner.  "Click" here to go to our webpage featuring the Oreck Orbiter.

2nd Choice:  Since life regularly provides more than one choice (although, a particular choice is usually the best choice) we will provide an alternate suggestion for a Floor Machine.  Although not really in the same class as the Oreck Orbiter, we believe the Hoover Scrub`n'Vac is a good choice for many homeowners for maintenance of their bare floor surfaces, especially for the more budget-minded consumer.

The Hoover Scrub`n'Vac does have a unique feature - it will not only dispense a solution for scrubbing a bare floor; but, will then pick up the wet solution after the floor has been scrubbed.  For floor scrubbing, this is an extremely handy feature, as anybody who spends any amount of time scrubbing kitchen floors, etc. knows.  On a smooth floor surface (i.e., linoleum, resilient tile, etc.) the floor is left almost completely dry behind the machine during the wet pickup process.

The Hoover Scrub`n'Vac will, then:  scrub a floor, polish a floor or shampoo a carpet - all the accessories are included.  To obtain further information on the Hoover Scrub`n'Vac, please "click" here to go to our webpage on this product.