Are steam cleaners for carpet cleaning a good idea? Can they replace carpet shampooers? Do you need to invest in a carpet cleaner if you already have steam cleaners for carpet maintenance? Answering these questions becomes easier if you know the basic difference between steam cleaners and carpet cleaners.

Steam cleaners are naturally low flow machines that harness the heat of dry steam to remove stains and spots from carpets. They can effectively remove ink, food, wine, and other types of stains from hard surfaces and carpets. However, even the best steam cleaners cannot replace carpet shampooers if you wish to clean the entire carpet. Steam cleaners cannot maintain pressure levels sufficient enough to clean large stretches of carpet. While the low pressure levels paired with high steam temperatures make the best steam cleaners ideal for a wide variety of hard surface cleaning applications, they are simply not designed to clean large expanses of carpet.

Steam cleaners also have another advantage – they are ideal for chewing gum removing. High temperatures and added gum solution can soften the hardest gum deposits, which can then be brushed off or extracted by steam cleaners equipped with a chewing gum removing kit. However, this gum removal process is, again, only designed for hard surfaces.

Carpet cleaners or extractors, on the other hand, are designed to maintain high pressure levels and extraction while cleaning large carpeted areas. With pressure levels up to 500 psi and temperature levels reaching 210°F, carpet shampooers can effectively eliminate and extract a host of stains and residues from deep within carpets. The best machines are paired with low flow technology to clean efficiently with greatly reduced drying times.

Clearly, the analysis of these two types of machines brings about key differences. A vapor steamer, though capable of spot cleaning carpets, is designed for maintenance, cleaning, and sanitization of hard surfaces. A carpet cleaner, on the other hand, can remove even deeply imbedded stains from carpets and upholstery.

If you run a car wash or cleaning service, it would be advisable to invest in a low flow carpet cleaner. Paired with a specialized upholstery tool, these systems can deep clean vehicle carpets and upholstery, leaving them to dry in only a few hours. You may also wish to purchase a steam cleaner for windshield cleaning, tire cleaning, and hard surface cleaning tasks in the interior and exterior of vehicles.