Steam Vacuum Cleaner Types
You might be wondering what steam vacuum cleaners are available out there. Now, there have been a lot of innovations of steam vacuums. The Earlier models of steam vacuums are much more manually controlled. It consists of a special wand and nozzle that is actually used to either wet or dry utility type of vacuum cleaner. The long hose is connected to a nearby hot water source. The cleaning solution come in a small bottle on the wand and is mixed with hot water before being sprayed on the carpet. Through the use of a finger controlled valve, you should control how much water is sprayed into the carpet. Very manual indeed but even today, this type of vacuum is still being used.
Through innovations the modern types are more self-contained in the sense that water and detergent mixtures are placed into a tank on the machine. In other words this will actually free you from the long water supply hose.
Models of steam vacuum cleaners would include:
"Upright Steam Cleaner"
It looks like upright and also has the tanks, suction motor, main nozzle, and other features built into one. The entire vacuum unit is pushed around much like using an upright vacuum cleaner. Normally, the solution is gravity fed to the spray nozzle which is directly behind the suction nozzle. Most types have brushes mounted in the same area to agitate the carpet for overall better cleaning. For cleaning upholstered furniture and carpeted stairs, most types will have a special hose and smaller nozzle that will come with stationary brushes that can easily be detached
"Canister Steam Cleaner"
This type of steam cleaner will come with a separate hose and nozzle and has the tanks and suction motor built directly into a case that is pulled along with you. The nozzle at the end of the hose and the wands are moved back and forth across the carpet to clean it. There are some deluxe models that have a drive motor style revolving brush in the nozzle that will help you with the process of cleaning. These types of nozzles are much lighter to move across the carpet than the upright types of steam cleaners. But the disadvantage is that they aren't as convenient to set up and store as the self contained upright type. Therefore, having to pull them around with you can be really a pain in the neck.
"Smaller Portable Extractor"
This is actually a variation of the canister type in a small package. Even though this may sound great to have for stairs and furniture, the effectiveness they offer is actually quite poor as compared to the canister type.
