The Best Carpet Steam Cleaner

The McCulloch MC-1275 Heavy-Duty Steam Cleaner is similar in appearance to the Wagner 905. It has the long extension hose with the wheel base. What’s great about the McCullogh is that it requires no chemicals to clean. This way, you can use it anywhere around the house or car without any lingering odors

The Bissell 7950 ProHeat is a very nice moderately priced carpet cleaner that has a great built in heater that raises the water temperature to 25 degrees in a quick amount of time. It is self propelled which makes it easier for the operator to handle and maneuver around the floor as your cleaning. It includes the Dirt Lifter brushes that easily lift dirt of a nice fresh looking carpet. You can use it on carpet and water safe upholstery and can be used on bare floors with its bare floor attachment.

The Hoover SteamVac f7452-900 is a great multi use steam cleaner.  A simple adjustment to the height of the brushes allows cleaning of many surfaces including tile. It comes with a variety of attachments for your car and upholstery. It has two reservoirs on the machine for the water holding one tank for the clean fresh water that will be used and another for the dirty water you pull up, so you can see the progress your making. This cleaner can leave streaks in your carpet when you only go one direction but fix that by going over the carpet in two directions.

The Hoover F5914-900 SteamVac with Clean Surge is probably the most popular cleaner available right now. It is also one of least exotic. It has a standard vacuum shape and has been incredibly reliable. For those who are sick of renting expensive steam cleaners, they, more often than not, go with the next best thing, which is this Hoover.

Another small sized, but unsuspectingly powerful machine is Wagner 905 1,500-Watt On-Demand Power Steamer and Cleaner. This is one of the most versatile cleaners on the market. It’s great for carpets, but also does wonders on kitchen floors and even barbecue grills. The fact that it offers an extension hose allows you to reach just about every spot imaginable spot that needs a little freshening up.

For those environmentally conscious shoppers, the Bissell 1400-7 Little Green Multi-Purpose Compact Earth-Friendly Deep Cleaner is your kind of machine. This little guy has more power that its size suggests. It’s great for floors and upholstery. The reason this cleaner is label earth-friendly is because it is specifically engineered to reduce waste. The package, too, is made out of 75% recycled materials.

• Continuous fill capacity steam cleaners are easier to use and safer because there are two tanks. You don’t have to wait 15 to 30 minutes for the unit to cool down before refilling. These models also don’t need safety caps, because you never have to access the boiler, just the reservoir. Unfortunately, these models are expensive.

• Look for a durable hose with a control switch to regulate the flow and level of steam. An on/off switch on the trigger instead of on the machine is also recommended.

• Safety caps on boilers prevent the escape of steam and act as pressure relief valves. For increased safety, cap removal should be a two-step process, such as pushing down and then turning.

• Consider attachments. Brushes of different sizes and made of nylon and of brass (to clean grout), a floor tool and a window tool are standard. Squeegees, extension wands, crevice tools, funnels, filler bottles and measuring cups are helpful extras.

• Instructional videos are helpful. We found many comments that such videos are really helpful. Videos often come standard with the higher-end machines. Either way, for safety reasons, it is important to be fully familiar with the operation manual prior to use.