When I first set up my Hoover SteamVac, I didn’t expect there to be as many parts as there were. It had more stuff to put together than my Hoover MaxExtract did. But that’s okay, it was still pretty easy. Here’s some photos to show you how this steam cleaner gets put together.

More photos can be found on our Flickr set for this gallery.

When you are looking for a carpet steam cleaner, you start to notice a few of the same features or specs from machine to machine.

Clearing path width, water capacity, brush rotation, heating capabilities and more. All of these are things that you need to look out for. We’re going to take a quick look at the major features you will need to consider when buying one of these carpet cleaning machines for home use.

Affordability vs. High Price

One thing you will notice is that there is a large range in prices for all sorts of classes of carpet cleaners. You will be able to find steam carpet cleaners for as cheap as $80 and as expensive as $600 or more.

The cheaper ones are designed more for light use, use in smaller homes, or for spot cleaning. They can do a good job cleaning large areas too, but you will need to be more patient, maybe too patient for some users in these situations.

Large more expensive machines are capable of cleaning larger areas effectively with fewer maintenance concerns.

Brush Action

Some carpet cleaners have brushes that rotate. Some have brushes that rotate multiple directions. Some have multiple brushes that rotate multiple directions. And so on. The point is that there are a lot of options here depending on what models you look at.

Two nice feature to look for here is brushes that rotate both ways and brushes that can be removed easily for cleaning.

Spot Cleaning Ability

Some models have specific spot cleaning modes or surge modes that apply more detergent or water to the areas that need extra attention. This feature can be useful if you have to deal with tough spot for any reason.

Hose Length

Machines with longer hoses are going to be easier to use in situations where you need to use the attachments. If you are going to be cleaning a lot of upholstery or stairs, a longer hose will be a better option for you.

Power Cord Length

If you need to roam long distances in your home when cleaning the carpets, a longer power cord can come in handy, for obvious reasons.

Water Container Size

This is important to look at in all models that appeal to you. If you want lighter operating weight, get something with smaller water containers. If you want to make less trips to fill or empty water during usage, get a machine with larger water containers. Some machines have quite large water containers but can also be heavier during operation. However, larger water tanks is the only way to go if you have large areas to clean.

Separate Detergent Compartments

The machines that let you keep the detergent separate from the clean water are a little more efficient in that you don’t waste any detergent that you don’t use. Also, these machines prevent you from having to pre-mix detergent and water, which can be a little more efficient during usage.

It’s a popular question. Should I rent a carpet cleaner? Should I just hire somebody? Should I just buy one? There’s valid reasons and arguments for all situations.

Personally, I like to have my own carpet cleaner at home, for spot cleaning and cleaning my carpets on my own. And then maybe hire somebody to come in every once in a long while to do a professional cleaning.

But, there are lots of opinions out there. Check this conversation out. There’s some pretty interesting comments in support of or against any of these options.

Some arguments that are made against renting a carpet cleaner:

• Sometimes the machines haven’t been cleaned well by the previous renters.
• There is a sort of “gross-factor” for some people where they don’t want to use a machine that has been used and maybe not properly cleaned on many different grimy carpets in many different people’s homes.
• Doing it yourself with a heavy, rented machine can be a lot of work.

Some arguments that are made for renting a carpet cleaner:

• Rented machines can be pretty powerful and can do a pretty good job.
• The machines can usually hold a lot of dirty water (less emptying).

Some arguments that are made against hiring a carpet cleaner:

• Can be expensive to have somebody come in and professionally clean your carpets.
• You still may have instances where you wish you could spot clean (because of spills or high traffic areas) and it would be overkill to hire somebody to come in and clean that stuff.

Some arguments that are made for hiring a carpet cleaner:

• They empty the dirty water into their own tanks and take it with them (not dumping it your tubs, toilets, sinks, etc.).
• They often have pretty powerful cleaning machines, and might even move your furniture around for you (less work for you).

Some arguments that are made against buying a carpet cleaner:

• Many of the machines that you can buy small dirty water tanks, and you might spend a lot of time emptying dirty water.
• Doing all the cleaning yourself for a large home with lots of carpet can be a lot of work.

Some arguments that are made for buying a carpet cleaner:

• You have the machine available at all times, and can use it whenever you need to, which comes in handy for spot cleaning and regular cleaning of high traffic areas.
• They can be pretty affordable compared to the cost of renting or hiring on a regular basis.

As you can see, there is really no clear answer to which scenario is the best. They all can have certain situational benefits.

Consider these situations:

Maybe you are currently a renter. You don’t have pets. You don’t have kids. You only spend maybe a year at most in most apartments you live in. In this situation, you might be best served by just hiring somebody to come in and clean the carpets when you move out of your apartments. Without kids or pets, there’s less likelihood that you’ll need to do spot cleaning. You may be able to get away with a cheap only-when-you-move-out type of cleaning.

Maybe you have kids or pets, or have high traffic areas where you can tell the carpets get dirty on a regular basis. You feel the need to clean your carpets with a deep cleaner every month, or every couple months. You often have situations where you need to spot clean messes or spills on carpets. You may be best served by buying a good carpet cleaner to keep in your home. It will be there when you need it, which might be pretty often.

Maybe you have the need for somewhat regular carpet cleanings, but you don’t really have the desire to store a carpet cleaner or make the commitment of buying a machine. This could be for many reasons, really. In this situation you may be best served by just renting a machine when you want to clean your carpets.

It all comes down to your situation – your budget, storage options and desire to do the cleaning work in your home. What does your gut feeling tell you, after weighing the options?

I just ran across this video today, it’s a good quick example of how to remove ink stains from a carpet.

In addition, here’s what I’d like to add.

I would pretty much do this, but also would use my carpet steam cleaner to take care of the final polishing phase. A carpet cleaner would do a great job of extracting the extra water out of the carpet, and it would help to dry it all up and put a nice finishing touch on the stain spot.

I’ve had to do this for many types of spills in my carpet-heavy home. Wash, blot, rinse – and then use the steam cleaner to finish it up. It works great.

One mistake I made when I was a new carpet cleaner owner was not cleaning the machine enough. I had a fairly decent Hoover steam cleaner as my first model, and it had these brushes called “SpinScrub” brushes.

They are pretty neat in that they have a spinning action that does a really nice job of scrubbing the carpets when the machine is at work. I like it a lot better than the way Bissell machines work. Many Bissel machines I have seen just have a big spinning bar with brush bristles, sort of like what most vacuums have.

The Hoover brushes I think do a little better job of scrubbing the carpet from many different angles, breaking loose all sorts of stuff from the fibers. I could be wrong as a don’t have scientific evidence to back this up, but I just get the feeling that these SpinScrub brushes scrub very thoroughly.

Don't let this happen to yours! It's pretty easy to take this apart and clean these brushes up.

Well, anyways, I should get back to my main point. I didn’t do a good job of regularly cleaning my SpinScrub brushes at first, and the first time I did actually try to clean them, after months of use, it was a really big pain in the rear.

I had to use a metal brush to clean most of the junk out of the brushes, and that was something that I only figured out after experimenting with a few different methods of scraping the junk out of the brushes on the steam cleaner.

How I cleaned my SpinScrub brushes

Taking the carpet cleaner apart to access the brushes wasn’t too bad. I was able to take it apart without having to really read any instructions on how to do it. So for that reason I would consider it pretty user-friendly from a maintenance standpoint.

Once I had taken my machine apart enough to get the individual brushes out of the unit, I started running some really hot water in the bath tub. I basically sat on the edge of the tub, running the brushes under hot water, using a metal brush to scrape the junk out of the brushes. It didn’t take too long once I got a groove down and figured out the best approach.

The stuff I scraped out of the brushes was remains of detergent, carpet fibers and other stuff, so it was like trying to get condensed lint or something out of a really tight brush. It wasn’t too hard, but it wasn’t really very easy either. I’d put it in the moderately difficult and frustrating category.

I’d imagine this experience is about the same for any type of carpet cleaner. They all have brushes of some sort that will get dirty from heavy use.

My recommendation for cleaning carpet cleaner brushes

I would recommend that if you have a carpet cleaner that you use regularly, that you clean the brushes on a regular basis. It’s an easy thing to forget. But it’s easier to do if you don’t let it go for too long. I ran into trouble because I put it off for months. But then I learned. So just keep up on this sort of stuff and maintenance will generally be a lot easier. This applies to many things, really.

Here is a video we have posted of us using our Hoover Max Extract 60 carpet cleaner. It’s been a pretty reliable machine for us, we use it quite a bit and have been using it on at least a monthly basis for a couple years now. We used it to clean up a lot of messes that the cats have left on the carpet and it’s been good for that, it just keeps running.

Stay tuned for a full review of this model soon.

Making use of a good carpet steam cleaner will surely leave your carpet crisp, clean and looks like you just had it the same day. If you don’t have a carpet steam cleaner at home, you can always rent one. Either buying or renting the tool, it is still way cheaper than getting the job done by any company or a professional who is offering the service.

However, not everyone knows how to use a carpet steam cleaner. Of course, when you buy or rent one, it will include a list of instructions on how to use a carpet steam cleaner, but some may still find it hard to understand the given instructions.

If so, you may want to read this article from top to bottom, because I will be giving you a general outline to follow if you don’t know how to use a carpet steam cleaner. Although each carpet steam cleaner come in different models, features and styles, they generally share the same procedures of how to use a carpet steam cleaner.

Please see the instructions below.

General guidelines on how to use a carpet steam cleaner:

1. Prepare the entire room for steam cleaning. As much as you can, move objects that are situated in the area. Don’t leave anything in the room especially large objects like your living room items (sofa, table, entertainment counters etc…). However, if you can’t move them, you can still process with your steam cleaning, but expect that discoloration in your carpet may likely to happen because of some parts that can’t be clean steamed.
2. Before using your carpet steam cleaner, make sure to clear the entire area from dust, debris and other particles left on the carpet. You can do this by vacuuming the entire room and sweep it clean.
3. Once you are done with your vacuuming, go get your steam cleaner ready. Find the container on the body of the steam cleaner. Remove it and pour hot (not too hot) water combined with a cleaning agent of your choice. Make sure to read the user’s manual guide for the amount of water to be poured. Also, check the label of your cleaning agent on how much solution should you use on a specific amount of water. But then, most manufacturers of the cleaning agents normally suggest that you can make use of more amounts in order to have the toughest cleaning capability. You may also want to check the filtering system of the steam cleaner because there are times when it gets dirty after a prolonged used. If so, take the filter out and rinse it with hot water. This should remove the debris and grime within. When done with your water and cleaning agent mixture, snap in the container back to where you removed it.
4. Another thing that you have to consider if you don’t know how to use a carpet steam cleaner is to start cleaning from one place of the house and work your way backwards. Spray in water to the carpet (just the right amount) using the trigger of the cleaner and push the entire body forward and backward. Do more strokes on areas that have heavy stains. You can also make use of a stain remover before gliding the carpet steam cleaner on that area.
5. Once you are done clean steaming the whole area, allow the carpet to dry before putting back all of the things inside the room.

Tips on how to use a carpet steam cleaner effectively

1. Always use clean socks covered with plastic (garbage bag) so that you won’t get any area of the carpet dirty again. This will help you preserve your carpet steam cleaner and not over use it.
2. Make sure to use a cleaning agent always. This will help you achieve good results faster.
3. Clean the body of your carpet steam cleaner after every use. This will maintain its quality to a tip top condition all the time.

You know when you need a steam cleaner for you home if the old fashioned vacuum cleaning is not doing the perfect job for you anymore. If you are deciding on buying your carpet steam cleaner, you may want to consider the tips on how to use it as well. The whole procedure of steam cleaning will require you to have a good solution for cleaning carpets which you have to mix in with the water of the steam cleaner.

Don’t attempt to do the job without having any kind of carpet steam cleaning tips in mind because you might end up cleaning the entire area manually which should not be the case if you have the proper knowledge on how to fully utilize the tool.

This article will focus on giving you some helpful carpet steam cleaning tips that you can do at home and eventually discover a few more techniques as you gain more experience from doing so. See the guidelines below:

The best and most effective carpet steam cleaning tips for a beginner:

1. Unlike vacuuming which you normally do every other day if not every day, with steam cleaning, it is recommended that you do this every 2 months. So you don’t have to worry about the long preparation and the time consuming process because you don’t have to deal with it every day. In fact, some homeowners say that they do steam cleaning at least once a year, and yet – they can still manage to keep their carpets clean and in good condition, just like when they first had it. But then, the frequency of steam cleaning will of course depend from one household to another. A family who have more members will likely to mess their carpet more than the ones who have a few members only.
2. Another beneficial carpet steam cleaning tip that I can share is that you have to be very conscious about the water amount being sprayed to the carpet. Do not over spray you carpet because there are times when the carpet steam cleaner won’t be able to sip it back. What happens after that is – the water will go under the bottom part layer of your carpet and stay there until it moist the whole thing. What you should worry now is the buildup of bacteria which is likely to happen under a moist environment. You will also suffer from foul smell caused by these bacteria that can also lead to buildup of molds and bring diseases to your family. So this is a very important carpet steam cleaning tip that you have to consider always.
3. Allow your carpet to dry with at least an hour exposed to open air. However, there are times when the carpet won’t dry as easily. What you can do to speed up the process of drying the carpet is you can turn on your home’s air conditioner – if you have, or you can use your stand fans or ceiling fans to blast air inside.
4. If you really don’t have the time to do your carpet steam cleaning, or you are just not confident enough to do it by yourself at the moment, your best option is to find a professional who can do the job for you. Although this carpet steam cleaning tip is costly and may be expensive, you are at least confident that the job will be executed well without the risk of anything that was stated above. Also, since they are hired and paid for this service, they should be using only the best equipment and products to steam clean your carpet at home. You on the other han can also watch them as they do the cleaning for you. That way, you will have a good idea on how it should be done – the professional way! And what are the best products for steam cleaning that is highly recommended by the professionals in the field.

If you are hiring a professional: If you are hiring a professional not just because you want the job to be done the right way, but because you want them to fix your damaged carpet, then you are thinking of the wrong thing. The professionals will not amend anything, but just clean the area and some spot removing. For severely damaged carpets, you may want to deal with a special service provider for that.

Ahhh – what a morning.

I woke up very early today due to my wife repeatedly kicking me in her sleep. I don’t think she meant it, but who knows

So, I got out of bed, all tired, and decided to just get to work.

I went into the home office and proceeded to dig into some work for the day, and then I heard one of the cats scratching at the carpet in the corner – he had peed on the carpeting.

At least I noticed it right away this time.

I quickly dabbed up a bunch of the pee with paper towels, and then sprayed some oxy clean on the spot for a quick pre-treatment. While the oxy clean was doing it’s thing, I pulled my MaxExtract 60 (a Hoover) out of the closet and filled up the water tank.

My wife didn’t even wake up, even though I was running the steam cleaner in the room right next to the bedroom at 5am.

Within about 15 minutes, the whole mess was clean.

Back before I had this steam cleaner, stuff like that would have completely ruined my day due to the difficulty in cleaning cat messes without some sort of carpet deep cleaner.

But now, I don’t sweat it too much, since I know I will be able to clean up the mess fairly quickly, and do a good job of cleaning as well.

It still was a frustrating situation, but in a lot of ways I’m appreciative of how fast I’m able to clean up after the cats now. It saves me a lot of stress on days like today.

If you are considering having carpets in your home, you must also consider the fact that you will do some extra cleaning on it, in order to keep it clean and free from growing bacteria that may cause health problems to the people who are living inside the house. In this article, I will be giving you the tips and tricks on how to clean your carpet with a carpet steam cleaner.

How does a carpet steam cleaner work?

1. It sprinkles a small amount of water plus cleaning agent into the surface of the carpet.
2. The carpet steam cleaner sips the water back together with the dirt and debris from the carpet.

What are the things that need to be considered on or before using the carpet steam cleaner?

You will have to prepare the entire area first and make it ready for steam cleaning. It is best to steam clean the carpet if it was pre vacuumed already. Doing so will take away the debris that are easy to remove and leaving the debris and dirt that are much harder to remove. You can also start working on spots that needs to be treated with stain remover. Also, you may want to read the user’s manual guide just before you start working on your carpet steam cleaner just to avoid any mishandling during the process.

When dealing with stain removers, try not to use the right stain remover that is used for carpets alone. In the market, you will be seeing lots of different kinds of stain remover which serves its own use. Example, if you have a stain remover for your leather things like bags, furniture, wallets etc…don’t think that you can also use this for your carpet and think that it can be a great substitute. Carpet stain removers are made to be not too harsh on your carpet and will not cause any kind of damage like soiling and discoloration.

When dealing with the extraction of your carpet steam cleaner, make sure that it is working just enough to damp the carpet. You know if the carpet steam cleaner is extracting properly by touching the area and feel if the amount of water is just enough to damp the area and not wet it too much. Wetting the area too much will just lead to moisture and bacteria build up eventually, because the carpet steam cleaner will not be able to get all the moisture out.

Just a tip! Some people say that neutralizing a carpet is also one way to achieve a professionally done carpet steam cleaning. To neutralize the cleaning agent you have sprayed on to your carpet, you can mix vinegar and water. This will rinse out any sticky feeling from the carpet after carpet steam cleaning. Neutralizing the carpet will always keep the quality of it in tip top condition.

And last but not the least, make sure to allow your carpet to dry for about half an hour, to an hour, depending of course in the size of your carpet. If you think that the air from the windows will not be enough to dry your carpet, you can help speed up the process by taking your fans on and let the moving air dry out the moisture from your carpet.

So there you go! These are the tips I can share with you if you want to work on your carpet steam cleaner. Whether you have one for your home or you are renting one, knowing how to use it will definitely cut down the possible cost of hiring a professional to do the job for you. It is never cheap to hire a professional, plus they will not work on heavily stained carpets, unless you are willing to shed some more. But if you know how to do it yourself, you will be able to touch everything that needs to be cleaned.