Wednesday 5 September 2018

The Carpet Cleaner Buyer’s Guide

Vacuuming carpets is a good way to remove loose surface dirt, but what about all that ground-in grime that gets pushed deeper and deeper into the pile every time it’s walked on? Plus there are all the airborne pollutants such as dust and chemicals.

Carpet cleaners are designed to remove dirt, stains and allergens and are renowned for their deep cleaning properties with a focus on health as well as cleaning. But what are the most important considerations to make when buying a carpet cleaning machine for commercial use? Let’s take a look.

Steam Power

Steam is well known for killing off the bacteria that lurks deep in carpet pile. Dust mites and other allergy inducing bugs can be wiped out with steam. What’s more, the use of steam rather than water will reduce the drying time needed, which helps prevent mould and mildew from becoming a problem.

The Coccinella steam cleaner is a popular model. It offers professional performance thanks to its continuous dry steam for deep cleaning. There is no pressure cap with this model, which means no waiting for the pressure to drop before you can refill it, unlike with other models.


Rinsing Ability

Most carpet cleaners need the help of chemicals to properly attack grime and bacteria. The key thing is to make sure these chemicals are thoroughly removed from the carpet once the cleaning is done, otherwise they could be responsible for inducing allergy symptoms. For this reason, it is vital to choose a carpet cleaner that thoroughly rinses the fibres once they have been washed.

Simplicity of Use

This is one of the most important considerations. You’ll need to think about various factors. Firstly, the weight of the carpet cleaner. If you have large areas to cover, is it easily manoeuvrable? Can you lift it up and down stairs? Transport it easily from one contract location to the next?

Think also about the length of the power cord and the available attachments. Does the machine offer sufficient flexibility for your specific needs?

Water Reservoir

Is the water reservoir of an adequate size so that it will deal with the area you need to cover? Larger areas need bigger tanks, otherwise you will be travelling backwards and forwards to a water supply over and over again.

Specific Requirements

Think about how you will be using the carpet cleaner. Will you need it for the odd spill as well as larger jobs? If so, something that is easy to deploy quickly and offers flexibility could be a good choice. If you need to deal with regular ground-in, stubborn stains, then you will need to choose a model that can cope with such a requirement. Also think about drying time: some machines will clean carpets using lower quantities of water, allowing the carpets to dry faster.

Product Suggestions

The HOS Orbot SprayBorg Orbital Cleaning System is a multifunction machine suitable for hard floors and carpets. It uses an encapsulation water based solution, providing deep carpet cleaning using Zorb cotton pads. It uses very little water, leaving the floor virtually dry. It’s also easy to transport from floor to floor and up and down stairs.



The Numatic George is the classic all-in-one cleaning machine offering deep cleaning properties for carpets. The powerful motor and pump system make this machine the ideal choice for even the toughest cleaning needs.



The Vax Commercial VCW-06 offers excellent cleaning power to remove most stains and also lift the pile, leaving the carpet clean and dry. The tool kit allows for easy cleaning of stairs and upholstery.


Carpet Cleaners - Tailored Advice

At Anderson Trade, we offer a comprehensive range of carpet cleaning machines. You can browse all our carpet cleaners here.

All our machines come with a complimentary onsite demonstration, so you can rest assured the model you choose will match your individual needs. We also stock an extensive range of parts and spares for all leading brands of commercial vacuum cleaners and carpet cleaners. For more information or to arrange a free demo, please get in touch