A wholesome life requires cleanliness everywhere. Not only the floor but walls, roof, household items, furniture and even your cherished carpets demands to be cleaned thoroughly. Among all the house articles, carpets are one of the most significant parts that help intensify the decor of a house. They are among the first possession when moving into a new house. Available in numerous varieties, such as Persian, Modern, Traditional, Kilims or Runners, these important pieces of decorations give your home a muted and harmonious look.
However, like all other items, these expensive objects are bound to get dirty and may contain bacteria, mites and moulds in their depths. Our feet and shoes, which become dirty during the day, are carriers of dust and germs. At the end of the day, when we press the carpet with our muddy feet, the dirt and germs are spread onto the carpet. Human and animal hair, animal accidents, wine spills and food crumbs add to the mess.
However, the stress related to the mess goes away when you use the right cleaning tools and equipment available in the market. This is where carpet cleaners come in. These machines are excellent for extracting stains and dirt from the depths of the carpet, upholstery and even from your car.
Many people prefer vacuum cleaners to clean the carpets. Do we need a carpet cleaner? What are carpet cleaners, and how are they different from normal vacuum cleaners?
WHAT IS A CARPET CLEANER?
The carpet cleaning machines are different from the normal vacuum cleaners. Vacuum cleaners suck out the dirt from the surface of the carpets. They are not built to remove coffee and wine stains, draw out dirt from the depths of the carpet, and remove foot traffic and pet messes. Their capability is limited only to the surface of the carpet.
On the other hand, carpet cleaners are the ideal solution when the need arises for deep carpet cleaning. Carpet cleaning tools and equipment consist of cleaning solutions, powerful scrubbing brushes and suction machines. This equipment consists of a few chambers. One that holds clean water and solutions and the other to hold dirty water after the cleaning process. During the carpet cleaning process, clean water and the cleaning solution are injected deep inside the carpet at high speed. The powerful brushes of the carpet cleaner agitate and scrub the dirt from the carpet. This dirt gets loosened during the scrubbing process. Finally, the vacuum part of the carpet cleaner then sucks out dirt along with water. This dirty water is collected in a separate chamber, which is discarded later on.
Carpet cleaners have various uses and come in various sizes and types. Commercial carpet cleaners are huge and bulky. If you purchase a full-size carpet cleaner, it could burn a hole in your pocket. Portable carpet cleaners are also available everywhere, and these are affordable too. Thus, before purchasing a carpet cleaner, you should consider your needs first. By doing so, you will be able to choose the one that best suits your requirements.
If you need to obliterate stains from carpet, upholstery, and even from your car, then portable carpet cleaners are your best choice But are portable carpet cleaners productive like their heavier equivalents? The answer is yes.
BENEFITS OF PORTABLE CARPET CLEANER
Apart from being lightweight and easy to handle, portable carpet cleaners have various benefits that make them a preferable choice over heavy and bulky carpet cleaners.
- Whether you want to clean a small carpet or a huge commercial rug, a portable carpet cleaner fulfils all your carpet cleaning needs. These versatile machines can tackle various cleaning jobs, from minute spots to large areas.
- These machines are portable, which means they can be carried easily from one floor to another and can even get into smaller spaces and tight corners. For high-rise buildings, it is not easy to carry heavy carpet cleaners. In addition, if you use truck-mounted carpet cleaners, you have to drag the hoses through the floors, which means shutting down the area for a few hours.
- These bulky machines, unlike portable carpet cleaners, are expensive and require proper training before using them.
So, when so many portable carpet cleaners are available in the market, which one is the best? What are the features of an effective portable carpet cleaner?
HOW TO PICK THE BEST PORTABLE CARPET CLEANER?
To pick a reliable and best portable carpet cleaner, one has to consider certain things, such as the price of the carpet cleaner, the type of carpet to be cleaned, and cleaning needs. If you have thick carpets or need to remove tough stains, a portable carpet cleaner with more suction power and an effective brush would work fine. Portable carpet cleaners have various attachments for specific needs; the most suitable one for you depends on the usage. Some points you should consider before choosing a carpet cleaner are:
Weight: The portable carpet cleaner should be easy to carry. They should be light in weight as well as compact. A benefit of being lightweight is that you can move the machine anywhere you want with ease. One thing to watch out for is chambers, which hold clean solutions and dirty water. The moment these chambers are filled, the portable carpet cleaner is bound to get heavy, making it difficult for you to carry the carpet cleaner. So before finalizing on a portable carpet cleaner, ponder over all the weight you will be carrying while using such portable carpet cleaners.
The capacity of the tank: A larger tank is beneficial if the cleanliness required is comparatively more than normal. It implies that if you need to accomplish more than one cleaning task, you need a portable carpet cleaner with a larger tank to hold water and wastewater because a smaller tank would require consistent emptying and refilling of the tanks. However, for smaller cleaning tasks such as spot cleaning, a small portable carpet cleaner would suffice.
Suction: The suction capability is a vital factor that would help you decide whether to select a particular portable carpet cleaner or not. A portable carpet cleaner that heats water while cleaning would have lower suction capabilities than the one, which does not have this feature. Carpets that do not use heated water direct all their power towards the suction process to draw out the dirt. Thus if you require a carpet cleaner that does not heat water, you should choose the one with 3 to 5 amps of powerful suction.
Attachments: Portable carpet cleaners come with various attachments such as upholstery tools, powerful brushes, and longer and flexible nozzles that reach every nook and corner of the carpet and surely make your life easier. A portable carpet cleaner, which has several attachments to cater to your various cleaning needs, is the one to look out for, as you would not want to see yourself cleaning the carpet all day long.
Consumer rating: It is important to check out customer reviews before buying a portable carpet cleaner. It helps you eliminate cheap and low-quality products and provides insight into the products you wish to buy and suit your needs.
TOP 7 CARPET CLEANERS
With so many carpet cleaners flooding the market, it is not easy to decide which one is most appropriate. While buying a portable carpet cleaner, it is essential to identify your requirements and choose the carpet cleaner that meets your requirements and is affordable. Here are the 7 best portable carpet cleaners for you to select.
- HOOVER CARPET CLEANER
Hoover carpet cleaners are budget friendly and provide high-quality cleaning. These portable carpet cleaners are designed to easily move in narrow spaces and hard to reach areas to deliver a complete cleaning experience. Hoover PowerDash Go Portable Spot Carpet Cleaner is light in weight and easily removes pet mess, paw prints and spills. Hoover’s Spot & Stain Pet tool and the Rubber Nub Pet Tool, along with Hoover Paws & Claws pre-mixed spot cleaning solution, scrubs away the toughest pet accidents and stains, keeping your stairs, furniture and auto interiors smelling fresh and clean. It is easy to store and clean after every use.
- BISSELL SpotClean ProHeat Portable Spot and Stain Carpet Cleaner, 2694, Blue
Among Bissell’s portable carpet cleaners, the one that leads the pack is BISSELL SpotClean ProHeat Portable Spot and Stain Carpet Cleaner, 2694, Blue.
This powerful machine guarantees clean carpets every time. It is a perfect cleaning machine for carpets, upholstery, stairs, area rugs, auto interiors. It has a weight of only 9lbs, which makes it easy to carry and store. With its compact design, this professional cleaning machine is best for cleaning spots and stains. It has a built-in heatwave technology to maintain water temperature that makes cleaning an easy-breezy affair. It comes with a professional spot and stain plus oxy formula to make cleaning more effective. A cord length of 15 ft ensures cleaner nooks and corners.
- BLACK+DECKER spill buster Portable Carpet Cleaner, Cordless Spill and Spot (BHSB320JP), Blue
Spill buster Portable carpet cleaner is a handheld carpet cleaner used for cleaning upholstery and carpets conveniently and without any hassles. Its unique cordless portable design makes it easier to carry and operate. It is equipped with powerful suction and a wide nozzle perfect for cleaning spots in 3 seconds. The powered scrub brush picks up stains and messes from carpets, rugs and upholstery. A built in formula dispenser attacks directly on tough stains for you to easily scrub away the stains. Easy to wash and clean, the nozzles, brushes and collection bowls are dishwasher safe.
- Rug Doctor Pet Portable Spot Cleaner
Rug Doctor Pet Portable Spot Carpet Cleaner removes dirt, tough stains and odours. It is a professional grade machine built for removing pet hair, pet accidents and well set-in stains. This portable machine works consistently to make your carpet, area rugs, stairs, upholstery, pet beds, auto interiors and fresh. With the dual action of Rug Doctor Pure Power Pet Stain & Odour solution and rubberized bristles, this top cleaning machine extracts even the smallest dust particle from your carpets and rugs. It has carpet friendly wheels and a retractable handle for effortless movement. It comes with a 2-year limited consumer warranty and is compact, lightweight and easy to store.
- McCulloch MC1275 Heavy-Duty Steam Cleaner
Equipped with 18 different accessories, this versatile carpet cleaner has an extra-long cord and over a 9-foot steam hose to reach narrow spaces easily. A 2-year warranty and a dedicated customer service team make this product a must have. Not with harsh chemicals but with the power of steam, this machine eliminates grease, grime, and stains from ceramic tile, grout, granite, grills, autos and many other surfaces. Forty-five minutes of steam and 18 versatile accessories such as mop pads, floor mops, nylon brushes, brass brushes and more help tackle the toughest cleaning jobs with ease.
Bissell Multi-Purpose Portable Carpet and Upholstery Cleaner, 1400B, Green
This little and cute portable carpet cleaner has become an Internet sensation in no time. A rating of 4.6 indicates how well the device works on the toughest stains and worn upholstery. The viral videos show how this portable carpet-cleaning machine is perfect for cleaning all kinds of messes, big and small. Two tanks, one for holding clean water and another for dirty water, ensure quick and easy cleanup.
This machine is specifically designed to clean hard-to-reach spots like the stairs, sofas, and cars. Use Bissell spot and stain formula to loosen and eliminate stains and soils.
- Bissell 3624 SpotClean Professional Portable Carpet Cleaner
This heavy-duty carpet cleaner is tough on stains and is ideal for spot cleaning. This machine fits the bill and easily removes all spots and stains such as wine spills, food crumbs, ash, pet hair, pet accidents, and stains. It is lightweight and compact in size. Its superior suction and powerful scrubbing action help to eliminate dirt, stubborn stains and messes. It comes with a trial-size bottle of Pro Max clean with protecting formula for an effective and complete cleaning experience.
After you have purchased the portable carpet cleaner, it is vital to understand that proper cleaning and maintenance of these machines are important to serve you for a long time.
CARE AND MAINTENANCE OF CARPET CLEANERS
The care and maintenance of portable carpet cleaners is a must. Care guidelines should be followed stringently if you want to use your portable carpet cleaner for a longer time. Here are some tips.
- After the cleaning session, it is important to clean the dirty tank and solution chambers. It prevents rusting and restrict bad odour if you leave dirty water in the tank for long. Sometimes sticky substances get accumulated in the tanks, hoses and even parts due to dirty water. As these parts are removable and can be cleaned easily thus, it is better to wash them after every cleaning process.
- Use the portable carpet cleaner as per the instructions. Keeping the spray trigger down for long or mishandling the equipment leads to wear and tear, which would affect the performance of the equipment in the long run.
- Use solutions and products recommended by portable carpet cleaning manufacturers. Cheap and low-quality products might affect the machine and the carpets adversely.
Conclusion
Even after using a portable carpet cleaner, getting carpets cleaned by professional cleaners twice a year is very important for our health. Uncleaned and unhygienic carpets can lead to allergies and diseases. A well-cleaned carpet gives your home a beautiful look and smell, and it extends their life. In addition, clean, sanitized and deodorized carpets affect the air quality in the house and augment its ambience.
