[ SHOWGSD-L ] Re: Carpet cleaner advice
- From: diane holliday <dlholliday@xxxxxxx>
- To: Showgsd <showgsd-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 12 Nov 2005 12:17:44 -0700
Consumers Reports rates the Hoover Steam Vac as the best of the in =20
home units (followed by the Bissell Pro Heat and last the Dirt =20
Devil). They are sold at many stores. Especially as we get into the =20
Christmas season, there will be many sales and coupons. Sears, =20
Target, Costco, Walmart, all sell them, as well as HSN.com and =20
Amazon.com. Shipping can cost around $15.00 if you buy on line.
You put in a tank full of hot water, a capful of cleaner and yes, =20
some oxiclean (which also rated best), and the rotating spinning =20
brushes get up any kind of doggie accident. On some models, you can =20
remove the brushes to get rid of dog hair. I usually use a clean =20
scooper to get up some of the dog accident first. But the carpet =20
scrubber does the rest.
I have had several brands and types of carpet scrubbers over the =20
years. I like my Hoover the best, and like the ability to get up =20
accidents right away so I like the in home unit. It costs more to =20
hire a cleaner for one visit, than it did to buy my carpet scrubber. =20=
I prefer the uprights, as for me, they are easier to use. On most of =20
them, you use your hand to hold in a trigger like the trigger on a =20
hose nozzle sprayer, to spray out clean water and the cleaner. When =20
you release the trigger, the machine sucks up the dirty water into a =20
separate container.
There are many different models. Most have a built in small hand vac =20
that is great for use on steps, car carpet, or upholstery. I don't =20
find them to be too good on bare floors. There is a different machine =20=
designed specifically for bare floors that just works better as it =20
leaves bare floors dryer.
I am sure there are better deals, but just for price comparison,
Hoover SteamVac Deluxe with Bare Floor Tool - Item: 535-718
HSN Price: $159.90 (3 easy payments with credit card)
Hoover SteamVac=99 Dual V=99 Floor Cleaner, Silver
Sears item #02084890000 Mfr. model #F7226-900 $227
Hoover F7425-900 SteamVac Dual V with SpinScrub Hand Tool
Amazon $249
So like everything else you buy, how much it costs depends on how =20
many bells and whistles you want. I don't know of any carpet =20
scrubbers that are self propelled. I find with any of them, I only =20
want to do a room or two at a time, as they are pretty heavy.
I am always surprised that even though I vacuum before I use the =20
carpet scrubber, I seem to get a lot of dog hair in the dirty water. =20
I wish I could train myself to just scrub one room per week.
Anyway, here's what it says in Consumers Reports:
"The best way to really clean carpets
The last time we tested deep-cleaning machines for carpets, we found =20
that most machines were mediocre at best. Our advice then: "Before =20
you shell out a couple of hundred dollars, be sure a deep-cleaner is =20
what you need. Rent first."
Things have changed a little. Our latest tests pitted three leading =20
vacuum-sized appliances against a rental unit available at the =20
supermarket and a nationwide cleaning service.
Who won? Judged strictly on removing soil, the pros from Stanley =20
Steemer (professional cleaning service) took the honors. But most of =20
the products and services have something to recommend them. We looked =20=
at price and made judgments on cleaning and dryness (the amount of =20
water left in the carpet afterward).
Professional cleaning. Stanley Steemer got test carpets at a =20
staffer=92s home the cleanest. But it=92s expensive. We paid $181 for =
two =20
rooms and a hallway. (Prices vary from one area of the U.S. to =20
another and with the number of rooms being cleaned.) Because the =20
service wasn=92t tested in the lab, we couldn=92t measure the amount of =20=
moisture left in the carpets.
Vacuum-sized cleaners. These gave mixed results in our lab tests. All =20=
work by scrubbing in a solution of water and detergent, then =20
vacuuming up the water and dirt. All are expensive and take up a fair =20=
amount of broom-closet space. They also require you to use their own =20
special detergent, at $8 to $12 for a 64-ounce bottle. The Dirt Devil =20=
was hardest to push.
Rental. The Rug Doctor was OK but inconvenient. And, we found, =20
performance varies from one machine to the next. (Look for the =20
cleanest, least-worn brushes.)
The bottom line. You=92ll get the best results if you hire a pro. As a =20=
more economical alternative, try renting a machine when the carpet =20
needs a good cleaning. Remember, too, that the do-it-yourself =20
machines aren=92t stain removers. It=92s best to go after stains with =20=
specific cleansers, and spills as soon as they happen."
Diane Holliday
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