Food messes and drink spills on carpets and upholstery can leave nasty stains behind. Not to mention pet/urine stains that also leave horrible odors that linger for years. Fortunately, steam cleaning can take care of these problems. Here we will discuss what steam cleaning is and how it works. We will also review some of the best steam cleaning machines you can buy.
Topics Covered
- What is steam cleaning, and how does it work?
- Steam cleaning machine reviews
- Steam cleaning detergent
What is steam cleaning, and how does it work?
A steam cleaning machine heats water and then releases that water and steam through a nozzle. The water and vapor penetrate deep into the fibers and is hot enough to kill, disinfect, and sanitize mold, bacteria, and pet urine, while also removing dirt/stains/odors.
Some of these machines allow you to add a cleaning solution while also providing suction to remove excess water from the material being cleaned. These steam cleaners work best on fitted carpets, loose rugs, car interiors, upholstery, and mattresses.
Steam cleaning machine reviews
In the following section, we will review some of the best steam cleaning machines you can buy.
You will notice two types – the full-sized upright and smaller portable carpet cleaning machines. The full-sized upright machines are suited for fitted carpets and rugs, while the small portable ones are ideally suited for specific stains on carpets and upholstery.
The Rug Doctor Portable Spot Cleaner
Extracting pet urine, odors, and general stains from upholstery and carpets is a breeze with this portable spot cleaner from Rug Doctor.
It penetrates deep into upholstery and carpet fibers to break up and remove even the stubbornest of stains, thanks to its motorized brush that moves 1200x a minute.
Also, its suction power is one of the strongest of any of the portable steam cleaners we have tried, so your carpets and upholstery dry much quicker.
And despite being so effective and powerful, it’s still compact and light enough to carry around and operate easily.
The product has dimensions of 16.1 x 11 x 15.7 inches and weighs 19.84 pounds.
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Bissell SpotBot Handsfree Portable Deep Cleaner
Why get your hands dirty when you can use the hands-free SpotBot portable deep cleaner from Bissell?
With the push of a button, it will spray water, detergent, and steam onto the stain, brush, and then vacuum the excess water. There are two cleaning modes – a quick clean option for fresh stains and a deep clean option for older stains.
The portable steam cleaner comes with a hose and a small stain tool so that you can remove stains from tricky areas.
It’s also exceptionally compact with its 9 x 17 x 13.5-inch dimensions and weight of 14.35 pounds.
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Bissell Pet Upright Carpet Cleaner Machine
This carpet steam cleaning machine weighs just under 12 pounds, which makes it the lightest upright machine from the trusted company, Bissell. And this makes it easy to carry and maneuver around.
But just because it’s lightweight, does not mean that it lacks power because the suction on this carpet cleaner is impressive. This incredible suction power combined with its four rotating brushes loosens and removes even the stubbornest dirt and stains.
There are two storage tanks – one for clean water that gets sprayed onto the carpets and one for the dirty water it sucks back up. Also, the nozzle that sprays water/detergent can be removed and washed after each use.
The steam cleaner has dimensions of 17.3 x 9.8 x 45 inches, and its collapsible handle makes storing it, even in confined spaces, easy.
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Bissell Big Green Professional Carpet Cleaner Machine
The Big Green Professional Carpet Cleaner Machine from Bissell is more for heavy-duty applications while still being easy to use at the same time.
You could do your entire house with this carpet cleaner. Its tanks can hold just under 7 liters of water and provide incredible suction power. With this machine’s deep scrubbing abilities, you will easily be able to remove most stains from your carpets, leaving them smelling good and looking clean.
It comes with a hose and fitting so that you can clean upholstery too, and it has a 25-foot long cord for better maneuverability.
The product has dimensions of 20.5 x 11 x 42.2 inches, weighs 48 pounds, and has a 5-year limited warranty.
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Steam cleaning detergents
Steam cleaning carpets and upholstery with quality machines and hot water alone is not enough, which is why using a cleaning detergent specially formulated for such tasks is essential. Sure, you will receive some with most steam cleaning machine purchases, but it won’t last forever.
That is why we recommend Carbona 2-in-1 Oxy Steam Cleaner as it makes removing impossible stains possible and has your upholstery, rugs, car interiors, and fitted carpets looking like new.
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