Home Carpet Extracter/Cleaner

[oneheadlite]

Hey Gang

Looking for input from folks on if anyone has experience with more industrial options for home carpet cleaning.

We pretty much annually have a company come out and do all the carpets in the house, and it's hard not to look at that bill and start wondering how much you could do it for yourself. I've got a little spot bot for light duty use, and a full size bissell or hoover thing that's your normal home grade carpet shampoo'r. While it worked fine when new, it never blew me away, plus now that it's got some (mostly idle) years on it it leaks from the fresh water/soap mixing valve o-ring.

Poking around a little it, I found the Bissell Big Green Machine (86T3) and it's "commercial" counterpart the BG10. Sounds like they're largely the same machine with slight variations of plastics used and power cord. I could pick either of these up for less than a full house carpet cleaning.

Anyone have any experience with either of these machines? One thing I like about them is the availability of repair parts if needed. Plus the option to use a hose so it could be used for more thorough automotive use as well.

I'm open to advice if there are other options that really stand out to look at.

 

[oneheadlite]

Forgot to add after doing some additional reading trying to educate myself on the subject -

One other factor that comes into play is I would like to stick with a unit that uses a single 15amp power cord - the wiring on my house is bare-bones and I don't have 20 amp circuits to work with.

Also, carpet wise this is more of a maintenance project than restoration - this is for my own house, not a rental, and we clean (vacuum) every weekend and keep a pretty clean baseline.

 

[Flash Gordon]

I have a Aztec Hot Rod that I've maybe used a dozen times. After years of doing filthy interiors I finally got smart and started sending those jobs elsewhere. Those type of customers never turn into anything but a 1 time nightmare. I end up cussing too much and throwing bottles and brushes everywhere.

Saying all that I wouldn't get one unless you have alot of extra space to store. I'm sick of tripping over mine/wasted space.

 

[Rsurfer]

Forgot to add after doing some additional reading trying to educate myself on the subject -

One other factor that comes into play is I would like to stick with a unit that uses a single 15amp power cord - the wiring on my house is bare-bones and I don't have 20 amp circuits to work with.

Also, carpet wise this is more of a maintenance project than restoration - this is for my own house, not a rental, and we clean (vacuum) every weekend and keep a pretty clean baseline.

Although not a commercial machine, I have a Bissell Pet (N0 pets) and it does the job.

Like you we vacuum weekly and don't have any pets or kids running around. Got tired shelling out $250 every six months, so I now DIY.

Never had a problem with it tripping our 15 amp fuse. The Bissell is about 3 years old and never had a problem.

We use Folex from Home Depot by the gallon size.

 

[TTQ B4U]

Forgot to add after doing some additional reading trying to educate myself on the subject -
One other factor that comes into play is I would like to stick with a unit that uses a single 15amp power cord - the wiring on my house is bare-bones and I don't have 20 amp circuits to work with.

The key to your decision is the limitation with one 15amp cord. You won't find a commercial-grade portable (vs truck mount system) that's capable of driving a wand and a multi-jet carpet tool unit like what you'll see being driven from a truck or a typical commercial company like that without serious power pull. To get the proper power required, with say a 2000w heating system and ability to push 500-1200 psi and add in 2 3+ stage vacuum systems and that would put you in a starting point of $3k more likely upwards of $5k for a good one.

 

[oneheadlite]

Thanks all for the replies.

Flash - Sorry my thread title may have been misleading - I when I said Home carpet extractor/cleaner, I meant for doing home carpet, not doing automotive carpets at home. Based on what I'm getting from your description of your clients from this and other threads, I believe you when you say that interiors aren't worth doing for you. Also had to chuckle when I googled the Aztec Hot Rod to see what you were referring to, a post of yours from 2011 saying they're the best was one of the first I saw.

Rsurfer - good to know on your experience with your Bissell. The machines I listed are a bump up from the regular carpet cleaners; more like a Rug Doctor than a stand up cleaner.

The current one I have (that I think is like yours, and that's now been idle long enough the rubber's drying out and leaks) I was never super enthralled with; it's supposed to have a heated air drying aid, but it only worked the first couple times I used it.
I figure if I'm buying a machine again, I'd like to get something that's been around a while and will have replacement parts available. Also, from the reviews I've been reading, the suction power's supposed to be pretty good and folks comment it leaves carpet dryer than other machines they've rented.

Have you been using Folex in the tank, or spraying separately then following with your machine?

TTQ - Upon further reading I quickly realized the power issue would be a limiting factor. Truth be told, I should have been clear I wasn't expecting commercial cleaning power, just an upgrade from a traditional carpet shampooer. A side benefit would be having a machine that's got a little more horsepower than the Spot Bot I've been using in the past for cleaning car interiors.


One other question I had on the carpet cleaning front was if it's better to use a portable sprayer of sorts to apply the cleaning solution and just stick to water in the machine, or just mix the solution as directed? Saying it out loud I guess it sounds silly; obviously the directions are there for a reason...

 

[Rsurfer]

Thanks all for the replies.

Flash - Sorry my thread title may have been misleading - I when I said Home carpet extractor/cleaner, I meant for doing home carpet, not doing automotive carpets at home. Based on what I'm getting from your description of your clients from this and other threads, I believe you when you say that interiors aren't worth doing for you. Also had to chuckle when I googled the Aztec Hot Rod to see what you were referring to, a post of yours from 2011 saying they're the best was one of the first I saw.

Rsurfer - good to know on your experience with your Bissell. The machines I listed are a bump up from the regular carpet cleaners; more like a Rug Doctor than a stand up cleaner.

The current one I have (that I think is like yours, and that's now been idle long enough the rubber's drying out and leaks) I was never super enthralled with; it's supposed to have a heated air drying aid, but it only worked the first couple times I used it.
I figure if I'm buying a machine again, I'd like to get something that's been around a while and will have replacement parts available. Also, from the reviews I've been reading, the suction power's supposed to be pretty good and folks comment it leaves carpet dryer than other machines they've rented.

Have you been using Folex in the tank, or spraying separately then following with your machine?Both, I'll spot spray if needed.

TTQ - Upon further reading I quickly realized the power issue would be a limiting factor. Truth be told, I should have been clear I wasn't expecting commercial cleaning power, just an upgrade from a traditional carpet shampooer. A side benefit would be having a machine that's got a little more horsepower than the Spot Bot I've been using in the past for cleaning car interiors.


One other question I had on the carpet cleaning front was if it's better to use a portable sprayer of sorts to apply the cleaning solution and just stick to water in the machine, or just mix the solution as directed? Saying it out loud I guess it sounds silly; obviously the directions are there for a reason...

:xyxthumbs:

 

[Flash Gordon]

Thanks all for the replies.

Flash - Sorry my thread title may have been misleading - I when I said Home carpet extractor/cleaner, I meant for doing home carpet, not doing automotive carpets at home. Based on what I'm getting from your description of your clients from this and other threads, I believe you when you say that interiors aren't worth doing for you. Also had to chuckle when I googled the Aztec Hot Rod to see what you were referring to, a post of yours from 2011 saying they're the best was one of the first I saw.

No worries. I've said alot over the years. I still stand by that statement. The Aztec Hot Rod is a great machine. Has plenty of power and the water gets super hot. I just got tired of working on vehicles that require that sort of cleaning. Gotta save work for the new guy/gal to cut their teeth on

 

[TTQ B4U]

One other question I had on the carpet cleaning front was if it's better to use a portable sprayer of sorts to apply the cleaning solution and just stick to water in the machine, or just mix the solution as directed. Saying it out loud I guess it sounds silly; obviously the directions are there for a reason...

Use a separate sprayer/applicator. The only product in the machine is hot water with a corresponding rinse agent that will match up with the pH of said cleaning solution. Rinse agents tend to be around a pH of 3 or 4 to counter most upholstery products at a pH of 9 to 9.5