Types of Carpet Cleaning Machines and How They Work

If you have a busy home, chances are good that your carpet gets quite dirty from time to time. Newer carpets seem to have a way of getting even more dirty than older carpets. This means that every once in while you’ll have to use carpet cleaning machines to get your house looking brand new. You might not know it, but there are actually several different types of cleaning machines that you might want to choose from.

Let’s take a quick look at a few of the most popular types of carpet cleaning machines and discuss what makes each one of them different.

Steam cleaners

This is probably the most common type of carpet cleaner. You may have also heard it referred to as a carpet extractor. This type of machine sprays a detergent or soap mixture onto your carpet and then uses a very powerful vacuum to suck that mixture back up. These machines can operate in several different ways. For instance, some machines may use a heater. The advantage to this type of cleaner is that it does a great job of sucking up all the dirt and grime from your carpet, but it will leave your carpet wet and unusable for short period of time.

Bonnet cleaners

A bonnet cleaner is a type of pad or fabric that you put onto your carpet. Pressure is applied to the top of the bonnet and it pulls carpet fibers and other dirt from the carpet underneath. It is certainly not one of the carpet cleaning machines that you may have heard about, but bonnet cleaning can be very fast if you need to get a room looking nice in a hurry. However, it does not clean deep down.

Self-contained steam cleaner

A machine like this works almost in the same way as a regular steam cleaner, but the big difference is that a self-contained machine uses a brush. The process is simple – it shoots a detergent and water mixture onto your carpet, then as you roll over that spot of the carpet, the brush does some deep down cleaning and helps push any dirt and grime into the vacuum. This is one of the best ways to get your carpet incredibly clean and fresh.

Professional systems

Professional carpet cleaners use a variety of different carpet cleaning machines. However, one of the most common types is a truck-mounted system that uses a power generator attached to their service vehicle. This power generator is attached to a hose which gives a great deal of suction. This allows professionals to clean a dry carpet easily. However, some professional systems might include brushes or hoses that shoot hot water on your carpet as well.

If you’re going to be cleaning by yourself, then it is usually recommended that you use one of the steam cleaners. These can really get your carpet clean and smelling fresh. The only drawback to using carpet cleaning machines like this is that your carpet is left wet for a period of time. However, after it dries, it will be clean and looking like new.