Whether you are a professional carpet cleaner or just starting carpet cleaning business, you have to have the best carpet cleaning equipment. 70% of your business depends on your cleaning equipment, and the other 30% is based on your communication skills. The better the equipment you have, the cleaner the carpet. The cleaner the carpet, the more chances you have of receiving a second call. It’s simple algebra.
When buying a carpet cleaning machine, you have 2 options:
1. A truck mounted carpet cleaning machine
2. A portable carpet extractor
Today we are going to talk about portable carpet extractors.
Portable carpet extractors have several different names, such as portable extractors, steam cleaners, carpet cleaners, portable carpet cleaning machines, portable cleaning equipment, etc. However, all of them clean carpet similar, by spraying hot water and solution onto the carpet, scrubbing it, and extracting the dirty water and soil.
There are thousands of different types of carpet extractors on the market. How do you choose the best one? Well, there are many confusing names and features, however, the only difference between each carpet extractor is the brand, the vacuum motors, the pump, the tank capacity, the heater, and the body type.
Let’s go one by one.
1. Brand of carpet extractor – shopping by brand helps you select the right machine from the most popular manufacturers. You most likely prefer to buy your new equipment from a known carpet cleaning equipment manufacturer, such as Chem-Tex manufacturing or Mytee Inc., rather than from some John Q. Public Company. However, the brand name is not always the best way to choose your machine. Some companies over charge solely due to popular brand name. It depends on from whom you are buying. Make sure you compare prices and features before purchasing any equipment.
2. Vacuum motor in carpet extractor – obviously, the stronger motor, the better vacuum performance you get. There are two types of vacuum motors available: two stage and three stage vacuum motors. Three stage vacuum motors are more powerful and require 2 cords, when carpet extractors equipped with two stage motors have less power and usually come with one cord. You can do a great job with either one. The only difference is that with two stage vacuum motor you have to put more pressure on yourself and scrub the carpet harder. A carpet extractor with a three stage vacuum motor will do the same job without your extra effort.
3. Pumps in carpet extractor – the pump affects the spraying force on the carpet. Pump capability is measured in PSI (pound per square inch), which determines how strong the solution pressure is on the carpet. There are two types of carpet extractor pumps, 100psi pump and 1000psi pump. The difference is the amount of power. The more PSI you have, the easier it is to clean.
4. Recovery/Solution tank – the solution tank is where you keep clean solution water and the recovery tank is the one where all the dirty water goes. If you do residential or commercial cleaning jobs, you’ll most likely need a big recovery and solution tank. It is very convenient, since you do not have to empty or fill your tank as often, therefore, you can do more jobs without stopping. It might affect the size of your carpet extractor, however, most professional carpet cleaners prefer to have at least 12 gallons of recovery/solution tank capacity.
5. Heater – the heater is an optional feature and not all carpet extractors come with a heater. It is not critical to have heater or not, however, with a heater you can do a better job much faster with less effort. The solution dissolves better in hot water and it’s easier to dissolve and extract the dirt with hot water. If your machine does not have a heater, you can also buy a bucket heater which would be a great addition to you carpet extractor and accessories.
6. Body type – portable carpet extractors usually come in a plastic or aluminum body. Plastic body portables usually come with a bulky design that take up a lot of space in your van. The advantage of a plastic body is their lightness, however, it is sometimes difficult to get one upstairs by yourself. Aluminum body portable extractors usually come in a box design that makes it convenient to store them in your van. Although, aluminum body is heavier than plastic, it usually comes with air-inflated tires that make it easier for one person to move the machine upstairs/downstairs.
If your machine has 700PSI and up, you can use your carpet extractor as a tile and grout cleaning machine as well. However, if your machine has less than 700PSI, you are limited to carpet cleaning, upholstery cleaning, etc.
We hope this article helps you choose the best carpet extractor for you. If you have any questions, please give us a call at 713-668-1212 and we’ll be happy to help you!
Best Regards,
Chem-Tex Manufacturing.