Carpets are great for a number of reasons. First, they provide insulation in your rooms to help cut energy costs during wintertime. Second, their natural anti-slip feature makes them a must-have piece in homes with hard floors. Third, any personal problems you have can be swept under them and out of sight.
The only hassle of owning a carpet is when it comes time to clean them. There are a number of different things you can do to keep your carpet spotless on a regular basis, the most popular of which is hiring a pro.
They can get the job done in a fraction of what it’d normally take you to drag it outside, but it can be quite expensive in the long run.
Another option is dumping carpet-cleaning chemicals on your rug and praying away the embedded dirt and food particles.
However, it’s not a good idea to dump harsh chemicals while indoors, so you’re back at square one by dragging the carpet outside beforehand.
The best thing you can do for your carpet and overall health is getting a high-quality carpet steam cleaner.
Our Recommended Carpet Steam Cleaners
3) Bissell ProHeat 2X Revolution Max
The Bissell ProHeat 2X Revolution Max offers a lightweight and pleasant carpet steam cleaning process. It weighs less than eighteen-pounds, and has a very comfortable and mobile design.
While using the Bissell 1986 Carpet Steam Cleaner, you’ll be relying heavily on the Dual Dirt Lifter Power Brushes. By using these power brushes, you can remove the dirt, gunk, and grime that is within your carpet. But, these brushes also make scrubbing extremely easy, no matter what it is that you are scrubbing.
With the Pet Upholstery Tool and Clean Shot tool, you have even more versatility and power. Both tools allow for thorough carpet cleaning that is for small stains and messes that the main cleaner can’t reach.
- Every Purchase Saves Pets. BISSELL proudly supports BISSELL Pet Foundation and its mission...
- Engineered to be our best and most powerful carpet cleaning system for the toughest pet...
2) Hoover Power Scrub Elite FH50251PC
For an elaborate and very efficient carpet steam cleaner, the Hoover Power Scrub Elite FH50251PC is a great choice. It offers an excellent brushing system as well as a very useful detergent system.
While you are moving the Hoover Power Scrub Elite Carpet Steam Cleaner across your carpets, the Spin Scrub System brushes and scrubs your carpet. As it does so, all of the stains and messes on that carpet are removed quickly and efficiently.
To enhance the overall effectiveness of this carpet steam cleaner, there is an excellent detergent system. It consists of two tanks, one of which holds water and detergent. By using this tank, you can add a lot of detergent, enhancing the steam power of this machine.
- SPIN SCRUB SYSTEM: Powerfully removes deep-embedded dirt and stains with 360 degree...
- FAST DRY TIME: Tackle surface stains as they happen with Quick Clean Mode and enjoy dry...
1) Hoover PowerDash Pet FH50700
The Hoover PowerDash Pet FH50700 is an inexpensive carpet steam cleaner. It is, as the name implies, excellent for cleaning up pet stains of all sorts.
A big part of what makes the Hoover PowerDash Pet Carpet Steam Cleaner so powerful, is its excellent brush roll. By using the Powerspin Pet Brush Roll, dirt, gunk, and grime is lifted off of the carpet. But, along with that, nasty pet stains are easily scrubbed off.
With the steam power this carpet steam cleaner offers, the brush roll is even more effective. It allows for nasty stains and messes to be scrubbed off in a more effortless manner.
- EASY TO USE: Lightweight & compact design for efficient cleaning and storage
- POWERFUL CLEANING: Perfect for pet messes, high traffic areas, area rugs, and small spaces
What is a Carpet Steam Cleaner?
A carpet steam cleaner is a tool specifically designed to simplify the task of cleaning large, heavy carpets. From the name of the device, it’s safe to assume that it uses nothing but water and an internal boiler to produce bacteria-killing steam. The heat and steam work well in loosening any grime residing between the carpet’s fuzz and pad.
How Does It Compare to Traditional Cleaning?
Without a carpet steam cleaner, the procedure for thoroughly cleaning your carpet is quite exhaustive.
You need to drag the carpet outdoors, hang it on a strong wire or cable, give it a few whacks with a tennis racket to loosen any embedded debris, run a hose across the entire surface of the carpet, apply soap, scrub the entire surface, rinse it, and hang it to dry.
The final steps include taking the carpet off the wire or cable, dragging it back inside, and then passing out from exhaustion.
With a carpet steam cleaner, simply fill the tank with water, give it a minute or two to heat up, run the tool over the entire surface of the carpet, wipe the carpet with a clean cloth, give it another pass if you have time to kill before giving it another wipe-down, then prepare the tool for storage.
The carpet will dry on its own, even when indoors, without leaving annoying wet spots that invite bacteria and other microscopic creatures.
Carpet Steam Cleaner Buying Guide
Like any house-cleaning device, finding the right model for your own unique needs will take a bit of research. This guide lists and describes the most important features to look out for if you need a carpet steam cleaner for your home.
Types of Steam Cleaners
There are four main types of steam cleaners for you to consider. The first is a handheld steam cleaner which is the most compact and lightweight type available. It can be used on a wide range of surfaces but might be a bit troublesome on large areas such as on carpets.
The second type is called a steam mop. It works extremely well on hard, flat surfaces like hardwood floors and even countertop. However, you may need to purchase an attachment for steam to use it on carpets.
The next type is a cylinder or canister steam cleaner. It’s larger than the previous two types, but this is because it stores a greater quantity of water in the tank.
This means fewer refills per session, so cleaning multiple carpets, depending on their sizes, is entirely possible on a single tank. Due to the size, however, they’re harder to store and a bit of a sight for sore eyes to some.
The final type – the vapor steam cleaner – is the easiest to use, despite its large size. What really makes a vapor steam cleaner such an excellent tool is that it takes virtually no time at all for your carpet or other surfaces to fully dry.
Vacuum Cleaner Feature
You might be interested to know that there are steam cleaners that work both as a mop and vacuum cleaner. This is extremely helpful if you don’t feel like running a clean cloth over the steamed area to pick up loosened particles.
This is one of the handiest features you can find in a carpet steam cleaner. This feature allows users to refill the tank with fresh water while the machine is still operating. Steam cleaners with this feature come with two tanks – one which provides steam while the other waits idly by.
As one of the tanks runs out of the water, the second tank jumps right in to pick off where the other left off.
Heat Time
After each refill, it’ll take some time of the internal boiler to bring the water up to temp. However, many of the newer models can heat up their tanks to more than 200°F in less than a minute.
Temperature and Steam
Temperature isn’t the only thing to consider, though it is of grave importance. You’ll want a steam cleaner that can heat up water to beyond 200°F in order to properly kill and eliminate bacteria, microscopic bugs, and their eggs.
Since steam is the magic sauce behind this tool’s magical cleaning abilities, you’ll want a model that can produce steam quickly, easily, and consistently.
It’s also a good idea to find a model with steam volume control, so you don’t go overboard with your steaming when not completely necessary, thus saving water and using less electricity in the process.
Final Remarks
A carpet steam cleaner is one of the most reliable ways to keep your carpet spotless – free of embedded crumbs and microscopic creatures. With one of these bad boys standing by in your closet, you can delete the number of the pro cleaners who charge you outrageous prices to do something that’s easy to do on your own.
The only thing you need to do is get a steam cleaner that you’re comfortable using and has all the proper specs and features. A few bonus attachments for cleaning curtains, upholstery, and beds would also be nice.
If you have any questions or comments, please add them below in the comment section. Similarly, please let us know if you spot any mistakes or omissions. Thanks!
Last Update: 2024-04-17 | Affiliate links/Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
