What is the best vacuum cleaner for carpet cleaning.

[amibar]

Hi guys,

I run a carpet cleaning business in Rockville MD.

My vacuum cleaner is actually getting used frequently and i am seeing the need in getting multiple vacuum cleaners.

What vacuum cleaner would you require i get?

https://www.usacleanmaster.com/carpetcleaning/rockville/

 

[compuvac]

My recommendation

Here are 2 manufacturers I would recommend.

Sebo are a German commercial vacuum cleaner manufacturer. Have been in the industry since 1978. They are sometimes sold under Windsor or Karcher in the US

Lindhaus are a Italian cleaning equipment manufacturer. They make some really high quality and cool vacuums and other equipment.

I assume you would want a upright for carpet cleaning.
In case you want a canister look into a Sebo D4 or Lindhaus HF6


1st picture: Sebo BS36
2nd picture: Lindhaus CHPRO38

 

[compuvac]

 

[panasonicvac]

For just vacuuming carpets, especially if they are residential. I would highly recommend that you stick with a direct air upright as those would clean the best on carpets. I recommend the Perfect P101 with the shake out bag as you'll constantly need to empty it more often than you may think. Also the same thing as the Bissell BG101, Global Industrial 12", Lavex 12", etc.

If you feel like you would need a hose on board, I recommend the Workhorse Cyclonic upright vacuum. You can see of what's coming inside of the dust bin as you're vacuuming, you can never tell with a vacuum that uses a bag. This is what alot a professional carpet cleaners would use, especially if you see their vacuuming videos on YouTube.

 

[eurekaprince]

I’d say go with a classic Sanitaire upright - with the easy to replace ST high filtration bag. The all-brush spiral Vibra Groomer is a great brushroll, and replacement parts for these classic Sanitaires are plentiful. I think the model number you want is SC888. It has a nice long 50 foot cord as well.

Here’s a link:

https://www.sanitairecommercial.com/products/tradition-upright-vacuum-sc888m

 

[lesinutah]

Get

A sanitaire or eureka with a headlight. There beasts at cleaning carpets.
There is also a Kirby that is great on carpets. If you read everyone recommends Kirby for wall to wall carpeting.
If you want a direct air machine ticcar/simplicity have very good vacuums.
There is a few suggestions.

 

[oliveoiltinfoil]

Oh god. This argument again.

 

[mike811]

Sebo Felix, or any other Sebo upright with manual height adjustment.

Kirby Generation series and newer models with stiff oblique brushroll.

I know there is a lot more, but these are my recommendations.

 

[blackheart]

Well...

I'd suggest a Sanitaire tradition. why? Their carpet cleaning ability is on the same level as a Kirby, but their parts are cheaper and more available.
These can be had in either a 12" or 16" width I'd imagine the 16" would be better suited to your line of work.

I will note that these being a direct air all the debris passes through the fan before going into the bag over time too many impacts from heavy objects (coins and other heavy metallic objects) being picked up can cause the fan to break. BUT don't let this concern you as the fans are like $6 and are easy to replace

 

[kirbyg6]

I would go with a G series yes I’m a Kirby fan yes they are a pain to convert into different units but just for deep cleaning they are fantastic and in my opinion an absolute joy to use that’s just my opinion

 

[vaclab]

How Much Profit Do You Want To Make?

Run these generalized numbers:

Cheap Walmart plastic bagless vac for around $100 new. If it lasts for 1 year, you've spent a total of $100 per year or $8 per month. No bags, belts, brushrolls, bulbs or specialized maintenance required. Simply empty the bin and wash/dry the filters. It will probably last for more than one year.

Expensive bagged machine, say $500. Now add belts, bags, other filters, bushrolls and/or brush strips, plus any other specialized periodic maintenance required. In the first year, you may see a total expenditure of $700, which would translate to $58 per month. This amount would drop significantly over time of course. This type of vacuum should last several years though, until the motor (or carbon brushes) wear out.

While a high airflow Sanitaire would certainly clean pile carpets better, under heavy use, say a new bag every other job and new belt every two weeks, costs begin to add up quickly in the professional world.

Since most customers only care about the surface of the carpets appearing clean, why bother with the added expense and time of using high airflow deep pile cleaners? It's up to you, but since everyone is in such a hurry to finish and get to the next job, the added expense and effort on your part will probably go un-noticed.

I own and have formally tested Kirby, Sanitaire, Royal, Rainbow, Dyson and various other bagged and bagless machines. On pile carpets, the high nozzle CFM direct air machines (including 50 year old Hoovers) win along with a few unusual clean air ones.

 

[bisonian]

Former Hospital Executive Housekeeper here...

... I'm highly partial to Sebo/Windsor, especially the two-motor uprights We ran them constantly in a healthcare setting, and they held up very well.

Having said that, if you're looking to buy multiple machines, the Sanitaires others have recommended are hard to beat from a pure value standpoint. They're true workhorses at a much lower price than anything else with comparable performance.

Kirby's are brilliant vacuums, but they're far too expensive for your needs, and I seriously question how well the self-propel mechanism would hold up under heavy use. They're also heavy machines to carry.

Good luck in your venture.

 

[lesinutah]

Advice and comments

Advice would be if you are doing mass cleaning often I would look into protea. Backpack vacuums. They have an option to get a power nozzle. They clean more area than other vacuums.
If people mention Kirby weighing too much it's funny. The Kirby ranges from 21-24 lbs. Every vacuum recommended weighs from 17-26 lbs. Take that info with a grain of salt.
I'd get a sanitaire 7 amp with a headlight. The headlight does help with seeing where your vacuuming. You don't think headlights are useful until you vacuum with or without one and notice it is or would be beneficial.

 

[tolivac]

For commercial carpet cleaning-----don't overlook the NNS Pig versian that can be used with the matching powernozzle.Main expense would be for bags and belt for the power nozzle.The belts in the NSS powernozzle can last a long time.And---the Pig can even do pretty well with its non powered carpet tools.For uprights my favorites would be Royals,Kirbys-then Sanitaires.Don't know how good Sanitaires are now since they are under Bissel.Usually Bissel was the kiss-of death for vacuum brands acquired by them.Sebo is the only clean are upright I like.

 

[n0oxy]

my suggestion

I would suggest the Sebo Felix. It's fairly light and will clean carpets very well, and should the time come when you need to clean hard floors, you can remove the power head and replace it with a hard floor brush. As far as I know the Sanitaires that were mentioned do not do well with hard floors but I'm not sure on that. With the Felix you are prepared should you need to expand in to cleaning hard floors as well.
Mike

https://store.sebo.us/content/felix-1-premium

 

[thevacomaticiec]

Also it depends what pile or type of carpet and your budget and what klind of machine you want .Canister id say Tristar CXL or upright Kirby or Sanitaire direct air .

 

[beagledad]

It depends on the type of carpet. I go to LA Fitness and I really hate that some of the clubs use an old style fan-first upright to vacuum the glued down commercial carpet. It definitely isn't necessary. A straight suction backpack vacuum like some of the other clubs use does the job just fine and is much quieter. I hate the loud noise of the upright while I'm trying to listen to my own music.