Choosing The Best Carpet Cleaning Machine

A good carpet cleaning machine, like the Rug Doctor Mighty Pro, can help prolong the life of your carpet.

If you think about the advantages of purchasing a carpet cleaner, the cost savings on equipment rental or professional carpet cleaning is only part of the consideration.

Prolonging the life of your carpet is one of the major benefits of owning a carpet cleaning machine. While “spray and vac” cleaning products are useful, they don’t get the ground-in dirt out of your padding. To remove stains and dirt that have been buried deep in your carpet padding, you need to regularly use a carpet cleaner that utilizes deep cleaning methods. Getting the dirt that lies below the upper layer is impossible to do otherwise.

Many home carpet cleaners have become so affordable that you can quickly recoup your investment in purchasing one compared to the cost of renting one a couple of times a year.

To choose the best carpet cleaning machine for your household you also need a general knowledge of the different types of carpet cleaners available, as different machines function in different ways and for different purposes. Below we go into more detail about the three main types of carpet cleaning methods and tips for choosing your machine.

You can read that for a bit of helpful info, then use our large comparison table to help you choose the best carpet cleaning machine for your home or business.

Overview Of Carpet Cleaning Methods

The three main methods for cleaning carpets are steam cleaning, dry carpet cleaning, and foam cleaning. Please see below for details about each method, and then below that you will find reviews of various carpet cleaning machines for each method.

Hot Water Extraction

Some of the most popular cleaners on the market are hot water extraction machines, also known as carpet steam cleaners, which are great for deep cleaning.

With these machines, hot water and cleaning chemicals are forced into carpet, then the machine extracts the water and dirt by sucking them up like a vacuum. These are probably the machines that most people are familiar with.

Carpet steam cleaners can cost anything from $100 for a basic type to $200 plus for a higher quality machine.

A big advantage of this method is that you really just need the machine and water to take care of business. However, with this method you typically need to wait at least 12 hours before walking on the treated area again.

Dry Carpet Cleaners

The dry compound carpet cleaner method is used for moderately soiled carpets. The method works by putting cleaning compound into the carpet to uproot dirt, then cleaning the carpet with a brush and vacuuming the area.

The dry cleaning method is commonly used on carpets that might have a problem with colorfastness, but is less effective on heavily soiled carpet.

An advantage of the dry cleaning method is that you can walk on the treated area after a very short wait time.

Bonnet Carpet Cleaning

Another way to get your carpets cleaned is the bonnet method, which is another form of the dry cleaning method. For this method water and chemicals are applied to the carpet, then a bonnet is run over it with a rotary floor machine.

The dirt, water, and shampooing chemicals are absorbed by the bonnet when this method is used, just not as deeply as the hot water extraction method.

This is not a popular choice as various carpets can be damaged, especially carpet used within our homes, although many commercial settings find it has advantages.

Foam Carpet Cleaning

The foam cleaning method functions by working shampoo into the carpet, letting it sit for a couple of hours, and then vacuuming the carpet once the shampoo has dried. Foam cleaning can also be done with an extraction machine that professional cleaning companies use.

There are times where carpet steam cleaning or hot water extraction might be needed in addition to this method. This is especially the case with deeply ground in stubborn dirt that needs to be shifted.

Browse Reviews Of The Best Carpet Cleaner Machines