What is a carpet cleaner?
Carpet cleaners are machines that combine cleaning products with powerful jets of water and rotating brushes, dislodging and removing dirt and stains from your carpet or upholstery. They can also lift the pile in fabric, leaving it looking refreshed and almost as good as new.
Carpet cleaners usually have two tanks – one that sprays clean water onto the carpet, and one that sucks up dirty water from the floor. It’s often astonishing how dirty a carpet can be despite how clean it looks on the surface, and Mumsnet users find it both equally disgusting and satisfying to see the water turn black!
Carpet cleaners come in various sizes, each with a different-sized water tank. Some are more suitable for smaller spot cleaning tasks, while others can tackle a whole room with ease.
Full-sized carpet cleaners often come with extra attachments, including upholstery cleaners and spot cleaners for more precise cleaning, including emergency spills, pet mess and deep stains like red wine.
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Which is better: carpet cleaners, steam cleaners or spot cleaners?
The right cleaner will ultimately depend on what you’re cleaning and the stubbornness of the stains.
Carpet cleaners feature large water tanks that can effectively clean substantial surface areas, such as an entire living room or bedroom. While many upright carpet cleaners include smaller attachments, they can be pretty heavy to manoeuvre, making them a little more cumbersome for small clean-up tasks.
Steam cleaners are an excellent way to remove allergens and maintain the hygiene of your flooring. They can also clean multiple surfaces - from rugs and carpets to hard floors and tiles. While they’re a great way to sanitise your surfaces without chemicals, they don’t tend to suck up as much moisture as carpet cleaners – leaving floors slightly damp after use.
Spot cleaners are more compact and portable, making them a valuable tool for small clean-up tasks, such as drink spills and accidental messes from kids or pets. They’re also conveniently sized for freshening up upholstery and cleaning high-traffic areas, such as stairs or the interior of your car. The downside is the smaller water tank, which means you may need to refill it with clean water more frequently.