Stiff Kirby Brush Roll

[bagintheback]

I have really matted down carpet from 1996 (came with the house) that needs a good brush roll. Is there any really stiff, like dyson stiff, brush rolls for kirbys? The stiffest brush rolls i have are in my Eureka Precision (VG2), Hoover Tempo and Hoover Empower and those are my best performers. I'd like to take advantage of my Heritage II's great suction power and use it normaly, but with the brush roll that came with it, the Kirby is not a vacuum I would think of a deep cleaner.

So, does anyone know of a stiff brush roll for my Kirby?

 

[vintagehoover]

Don't Kirby sell some sort of 'carpet renovator' fitting, for lifting flattened pile?

 

[bagintheback]

Yeah, it's call the Miracle Head, or the "carpet fluffer". I've used it many times, and it works wonders! But, it doesn't last for long, and you have to use it alot to keep it like that! I'm probably wrong, a kirby fanatic can correct me, but I don't think you vacuum with it, you use to revive your carpet after you vacuum the carpet.

I found online that Kirby sells a pet brush roll for the g5 and up. thanks kirby for thinking of us! Why can't they make one for older kirbys? If they are built to last, why can't I use it as it should!? Anyway, I need a brush roll like that for two reasons:

1. I own a Siberian Husky, which sheds like crazy, and her fur fills up the vacuum bag very quickly. Plus a have a cat too.

2. My house has 13 year old carpet, which has had very heavy use with 5 people, and at one point, 4 pets. (I now have 2 pets, the others passed away.) Thankfully, the carpet has been well taken care of by my collection of vacuums, which for the first year of living here (2003) was vacuumed by a Hoover Elite and Eureka Boss. I wish I had pictures of the house when we moved then, because the carpet was much cleaner! (I have a horrid Bissell lightweight deep cleaner)

 

[vintagehoover]

Have you tried washing the carpet with a full-size water-extraction machine, a like a Rug Doctor? I've always found that works wonders - our carpets are getting on for 13 years old now, and get very heavy and constant wear from 6 people and 2 pets. Regular vacuuming improves their appearance temporarily, but nothing has done quite as well as my Vax Dual-V carpet washer. It removes all the grease build-up which ordinary vacuuming can't shift, and this helps restore volume to the pile, brightens the colours, and removes any stains, pet odours, etc.

Here's our hallway after being washed with the Dual-V. Obviously this carpet gets a LOT of wear, being the first surface people walk on when they come in from outside - but it still looks pretty good, thanks to the Dual-V!

 

[bagintheback]

How well does the Kirby shampooer work? I don't have alot of money right now, and if I could find a Kirby shampooer, that would be great.

 

[riccarlover]

Here is my view on the Kirby Shampooer...

It's a quick fix. I fluffs up the carpet nice but a few days later it looks just the same. You really need to extract soap and water when carpet shampooing. If I were you right now(seeing money is tight) I would rent a Rug Doctor. Around here they are $25 to rent for a day. I guess you just have to figure out what it's worth to you!!!
Clayton

 

[vintagehoover]

Personally, I don't like the idea of any shampooing system which doesn't collect moisture and residue from the carpet as it goes along. I've also been reliably informed by vacuum/ extraction cleaner-industry designers (whose job it is to test, analyse, and if necessary, copy the competition!!) that they often leave the carpet quite wet - and a damp carpet is perfect breeding ground for dust-mites.

Something like the Rug Doctor or the Dual-V will have the carpet thoroughly dry within as little as two hours if you use it as directed in the manual. Less time for dust-mites to breed, and it means you can put furniture back and start using the room again much quicker.

Clayton's advice about renting a Rug Doctor is spot-on. If you don't want to run to the cost of buying one, renting one is the next best thing, and the results are well worth the expense.

 

[kirbyman89]

I agree with Clayton

The Rug Doctor is the Cadillac or Kirby of all the Carpet Shampooers in my opinion. If you have a G Series Kirby, I highly recommend getting a new Sentria style brushroll for it. You can find them on eBay. If you don't have a GSeries Kirby I highly recommend a Panasonic vacuum.

http://ebay.com

 

[bagintheback]

Thanks, I would have wasted my money on a Kirby shampooing kit! I'll save up for a Dual-V.

kirbyman89, I've used a Panasonic before, and I love them. But again a can't afford one.

 

[riccarlover]

Nathaniel...

Woho!!!
Hold that bus!!!
Just an FYI, I believe that Kirby put the tough brushroll in the Sentria and then put the softer ones in. I'll post the link for the tough one. I have this one in my G6 and on berber there is NO jumping on the Kirby.
About the Dual-V:
They are AWSOME machines at first. Keywords here: AT FIRST. I have had my piece-of-junk-China-made-Dual-V for just over two years. I wear earplugs when I use it now. I got so sick of it I bought a Bissell ProHeat and it's TONS quieter and cleans BETTER than the Dual-V because the Spinscrub brushes end up pushing dirt further down. The Bissell Dirtlifer Powerbrush spins it upwords like a vacuum. Now for all of you who are going to argue about my statement with Spinscrub pushing dirt further down, think about this: Wouldn't vacuum manufactures have used something along that design if they truley removed dirt?
Clayton


http://cgi.ebay.com/Oblique-Angled-...ash=item1c097b6cdd&_trksid=p4634.c0.m14.l1262

 

[bagintheback]

Thanks again, now I won't by one of those. My kirby is a Heritage II, so that's the type of brushroll I need.

 

[vintagehoover]

Clayton, I have to disagree with you there. First off, if your Dual-V became louder after a period of use, it's likely because because you allowed foam to get into the motor and residue to build up on the fan, causing it to run off balance. This is user error, and not the fault of the machine!

Second, the Dual-V is made at the Hoover plant in Mexico. And FYI, Bissells are also manufactured at factories in Mexico and China, and contracted South Korean companies do some of the manufacturing. So I'm not really sure what your point was here!

The SpinScrub brushes DO NOT push dirt further down. That's complete nonsense! It's a completely different technology to a vacuum cleaner brush, which is using a sweeping action and vibration to dislodge dirt into an airstream. SpinScrub brushes are working a mixture of water and cleaning solution down into the carpet pile, where it sits for a few moments until you remove it with the reverse stroke.

'Dual-V' is more than just an appliance name; like the SpinScrub brushes, it's a specific, patented technology, whereby the nozzle is spilt into 2 sections, so airflow is optimised across the length of the nozzle - it's this intense, even suction which removes the deep-down dirt, not an aggressive brush-roll.

I'm totally, 100% happy with my Dual-V, and I entirely recommend it. It's been used for many, many hours, on all my carpets at home, and a number of my friends and relatives' houses, and still works as perfectly as it did when I first took it out of the box.

And Vax are confident enough to supply their version with a full 6 year warranty.

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[tolivac]

I too would defend Hoovers-or Vaxes "Spin-Scrub" brush system.Remember the machine is not being used as a vacuum cleaner in this case-Its being used as a wet carpet cleaner.The Spin Scrub machine I have is branded as Hoover-and actually does a better cleaning job than many truck mount cleaning machines.When you look at how the Spin Scrub system works-as the rotary brush turns over the carpet-the carpet fibers are cleaned on both sides from the rotating brush.Since these brushes are air turbine powered-no slipping from wet belts.Honestly there is enough torque from the brushes air motor you cannot stop them by pushing your hand on them.I have stopped wet belted brushrolls on other wet cleaners.The Hoover machines wet pickup is realy excellent.I like the Hoover Spin Scrub over the Kirby Dry Foam system.Remember the Kirby system is NOT an extractor.For lots of the carpet cleaning I do at my home use the Host or Capture.The Hoover is reserved for the really dirty areas.In my climate it does take a really long time for the carpet to dry.and to top it off my home has particalboard subflooring which I try not to get wet.If you use the wet systems you have to be careful not to saturate the carpet.I have noticed many of the commercial truck mount systems use rotary brushes much like Hoovers Spin scrub on their cleaning wands rather than a rollerbrush.The rollerbrushes are fine for a regular vacuum cleaner-but not good for a wet carpet cleaning machine becuase of the wet belts loosing traction on the wet brushroll.And when I have finished using the Hoover machine I go over the area with the Kirby "Fluffer" after the carpet has dried.

 

[riccarlover]

My point is...

If it happened to me, I'm not the only one having problems with it. I could go on and on but everyone likes what the choose. And about the brushroll on a carpet shampooer "slipping", it has a cogged-belt system. It would really have to be in lots of water for that to happen. And for all you Hoover-lovers, turn the Spinbrushes off and see all the water you can pick up with them off. I will stay grounded in what I like and so can you. Heck, it's America!!!
Clayton

 

[vintagehoover]

'If it happened to me, I'm not the only one having problems with it.'

...and since your Bissell hasn't YET broken down, you're assuming no one elses' has?!

'And for all you Hoover-lovers, turn the Spinbrushes off and see all the water you can pick up with them off.'

It's recommended that you switch the Dual-V's brushes off when you're finished washing. Why? It reduces carpet-drying time by directing airflow away from the SpinScrub turbine and to the nozzle for better water pick-up. What point were you trying to make here?!

Feel free to keep your Bissell - I wouldn't touch it!

 

[kirbysthebest]

I am neither arguing or agreeing.

As you know I am a Kirby lover, just look at the screen name. And what you say about the old style shampoo machines pushing the dirt into the carpet was true. In Kirby training and sales they used to emphasize that their brushes moving upward, were pulling the dirt up and out of the carpet. Whereas the old style shampoo system were pushing it down into the pad where it dries and then migrates back up to the surface.

However, with the Hoover Spin Scrub system, The spinning brushes are able to wash all sides of the fiber, and then it is followed immediately by a strong suction that pulls the water and dirt from the carpet.

I personally don't like the Kirby system as it leaves a residue in the carpet that is sticky. Also in the older models, I can't speak for the G series; but in the Classic and Omegas (the only ones I have had experience with) the Renovator allowed too much moisture to enter the vacuum and was notorious for knocking out the front bearings. I am sure they addressed this issue in the newer models.

 

[ibaisaic]

My Mum has a Bissell 2X Proheat and I have a Vax Dual V, so I know what both cleaners are like.

The Bissell is a lot quieter than the Vax and the two rows of stiff brushes do an excellent job of cleaning. The Bissell however, leaves a lot more water in the carpet than the Dual V.
I used my Dual V to extract a considerable amount of water left in the carpet hours after I had cleaned them using the Bissell.

Reliability with the Bissell has been a problem. The brushroll motor had to be replaced just after a year, though to give Bissell their due, they sent a box to pack it in and had it collected, repaired and returned very quickly. It is no longer under guarantee, so I would recommend a Vax Oasis Complete (similar to the old style Hoover Steamvacs) or a Dual V to my Mum when the Bissell packs up. Bissell offer a 2 year guarantee against Vax's 6 year guarantee.

I always go over the carpet a few times with the Spinscrub brushes off to extract as much water out of the carpet as I can and my carpets are usually dry within two hours.

So in conclusion, there are pluses and minuses with Bissell and Vax/Hoover carpet washers, but for me the Dual V wins due to its ability to extract more of the dirty water from the carpet. I just wish it was quieter!

 

[rolls_rapide]

Bissell

I have a Bissell Pro-heat Pro-tech with single agitator brush. Since it only sweeps in one direction, the user would ideally have to turn around and do the carpet from another angle, which is very time-consuming - hence the dual agitators on the newer Bissell models.

Remember also, that the Hoover Shampoo-Polisher from days of yore, used rotary brushes to good effect. The Dual-V is an update and enhancement of this technology.

 

[kirbyduh]

I

think the spin scrubs are extremely effective. Btw...when i use my kirby g3, the carpet dries in 30 minutes or less. After i vacuum it abd fluff it, the residue is gone. It performs extremely well. I don't think any moisture coulod get into the machine because there are vents all ocer the shampoo nozzle.