Any advise on what`s a good one and a good price on it.

I'm curious to get a reply on this too....Do they sell carpet shampooers or do I just get a steamer and it works well? And if so which type?

If you are willing to pay for it, a kirby is really good but expensive. My mom has one and it is a vaccum and a shampooer and it works wonderfully

I have the Bissell ProHeat Select and really like it. I also have the Spot Bot for small spills, (or if my cat gets a hairball, LOL) Love them both.

I have the Bissell big green machine. Really, any of the Bissell's are good though.

Consumer reports

July 2003
The best way to really clean carpets
The last time we tested deep-cleaning machines for carpets, we found that most machines were mediocre at best. Our advice then: "Before you shell out a couple of hundred dollars, be sure a deep-cleaner is what you need. Rent first."
Things have changed a little. Our latest tests pitted three leading vacuum-sized appliances against a rental unit available at the supermarket and a nationwide cleaning service.

Who won? Judged strictly on removing soil, the pros from Stanley Steemer took the honors. But most of the products and services have something to recommend them. We looked at price and made judgments on cleaning and dryness (the amount of water left in the carpet afterward).

Professional cleaning. Stanley Steemer got test carpets at a staffer’s home the cleanest. But it’s expensive. We paid $181 for two rooms and a hallway. (Prices vary from one area of the U.S. to another and with the number of rooms being cleaned.) Because the service wasn’t tested in the lab, we couldn’t measure the amount of moisture left in the carpets.

Vacuum-sized cleaners. These gave mixed results in our lab tests. All work by scrubbing in a solution of water and detergent, then vacuuming up the water and dirt. All are expensive and take up a fair amount of broom-closet space. They also require you to use their own special detergent, at $8 to $12 for a 64-ounce bottle. The Dirt Devil was hardest to push.

Rental. The Rug Doctor was OK and inexpensive, but inconvenient. And, we found, performance varies from one machine to the next. (Look for the cleanest, least-worn brushes.)

The bottom line. You’ll get the best results if you hire a pro. As a more economical alternative, try renting a machine when the carpet needs a good cleaning. Remember, too, that the do-it-yourself machines aren’t stain removers. It’s best to go after stains with specific cleansers, and spills as soon as they happen.



Price Paid Cleaning Drying

Hoover Steam Vac 260 Very Good Excellent
Bissell Pro-Heat 250 Very Good Very Good
Rug Doctor 20/Day Good Very Good
Dirt Devil Platinum 200 Fair Very Good

Keep in mind this article is from 2003!!!

I have the Bissell ProHeat Select and really like it. I also have the Spot Bot for small spills, (or if my cat gets a hairball, LOL) Love them both.


Love my Bissell, its better than any rental machine and have done alot of rental apartments with it....

I bought the Bissell ProHeat today and have already broken it :( I'm so pissed....The stupid brush won't turn and when I called they weren't much help. I can either take it 40 miles away to get it fixed or mail it back...such wonderful options....

There are several "Proheat" models.

We bought the 9400 model http://www.amazon.com/Bissell-ProHeat-Select-Upright-Cleaner/dp/B000ASDCWK/ for $199 a month ago when Amazon had free "standard" shipping on it. Standard is a step up from the super saver supposedly but I don't find it makes much of a difference.

As for the 9400 ... we love it. It definitely works better than the Rug Dr you can rent. It heats the water itself. Ones we had before didn't and won't worth it.