Know the difference between a vacuum and carpet washer, steamer or cleaner?

Question: What's the Difference Between a Vacuum and Carpet Steamer or Cleaner

Although some carpet steamers and cleaners do have a suction mechanism to remove the cleaning fluid and water from your carpet after cleaning the area, they should only be used for steaming or cleaning a carpet and never used as a vacuum cleaner.

Answer: The term 'carpet cleaner' or shampooer used to relate to types of carpet cleaning appliances which did not have a water tank and cleaned using a cleaner in conjunction with brush action.

The cleaning fluid actually stayed in the carpet to protect the fibers and was not removed, nor was any water applied.

Today, the term generally means any appliance that is used to clean a carpet and carpet cleaners have changed considerably in the last few years.

Today, most carpet cleaners are in fact steamers. Along with a liquid cleaning solution, hot water or steam is applied to the carpet. Brushes rotate to help lift the rug fibers and the water and solution is then extracted into a waste water reservoir that must be emptied. This allows carpets to be deep-cleaned and the water is then vacuumed by the same machine, allowing it to dry rather quickly.

Before steaming your carpet, always do a thorough cleaning with a vacuum to ensure pieces of debris are removed. After the steaming process and once the carpet has dried completely, it's a good idea to re-vacuum the area to lift fibers and remove detergent residue.