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Shark Stratos AZ3000 series vs Vertex AZ2000 series vs Apex AZ1000 series Upright Vacuum Cleaners what’s the difference?

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We will compare Shark Stratos, Vertex and Apex upright vacuums in this post to help you make an informed purchase.

The Shark Stratos is Shark’s latest vacuum series. According to Shark, the Stratos upright is the strongest Shark vacuum ever and has the best hair pickup ability.

Below are some differences between Shark Stratos, Vertex and Apex upright vacuum cleaners, if you are deciding between these three vacuum series, the information below may be helpful to you.

  • Odor Neutralizer Technology
    This is one of the differences between the Stratos and Vertex.
    The Stratos has odor cartridge that helps deodorize whereas the Vertex and Apex do not have this Odor Neutralizer Technology. This feature is newly added.
    The fragrance of the odor cartridges may diminish over time, and the odor cartride should be replaced every
    6 months for optimal performance.

  • Brush Design
    The Stratos and Vertex use flexible silicone fins to replace the bristle brush on the Apex. Shark claims that the so called PowerFins dig deep into carpets and engage floors directly, it helps pick up more dirt, debris, and pet hair in every pass than the bristle brush.

    image from Shark infomercial

  • Headlights
    The Stratos and Vertex has only LED headlights on the nozzle whereas the Apex has LED lights on the nozzle and handle.
    The lights on the handle is useful when you use the accessories to clean low light spots. If you are one of those who love the lights on the handle, go for the Apex.
    The Stratos and Vertex headlights are at the center of the nozzle whereas the lights on the Apex are on the sides (at front).

    images from Shark infomercials

  • Bin Capacity
    The Stratos has the largest dust cup which holds up to 1.48 dry quarts versus 1 dry quart on the Vertex upright, whereas the bin capacity of Apex is the smallest which is 0.88 quarts.
  • Size
    The Vertex are a bit larger and heavier than the Apex.
  • Power Specs
    The Apex power specifications are 1350W,11.3amps.
    The Stratos and Vertex power specifications are 1400W,11.8amps.

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Except for the above differences, there are similarities between them:

  • Powered Lift-Away: allow you to release the canister and use the motorized nozzle to clean carpets and hard floors, this is useful when you want to vacuum under furniture; the lift away feature is also convenient when doing above floor cleaning, you can detach the pod and use the hose with accessories to clean stairs, counter tops, ceiling fans, etc.
  • Dual Brush Rollers: 2 brush rollers to tackle both hard floors and carpeted surfaces.
  • Self Cleaning Brushroll: Shark claims that the self cleaning brushroll technology actively removes hair with no wrapping issues when you vacuum.
  • Anti-Allergen Complete Seal Technology with a HEPA filter capture 99.9 percent of dust and allergens inside the vacuum, this is good for people who suffer from allergy and asthma.
  • Active-Glide Technology: maneuver smoothly on both hard floors and carpets while maintaining powerful suction.
  • Fingertip control for easy turning on/off, switching between surface modes.

Comparison Chart of Shark Apex, Vertex, Stratos

 Shark Apex AZ1000 SeriesShark Vertex AZ2000 SeriesShark Stratos AZ3000 Series
Power SourceCordedCordedCorded
Power Specs1350W, 11.3A, 120V,60Hz1400W, 11.8A, 120V,60Hz1400W, 11.8A, 120V,60Hz
Cord Length30-foot30-foot30-foot
Path Width11-inch12-inch10.63 inches
Dust Collection TypeBaglessBaglessBagless
Capacity0.88 quarts1 quart1.48 quarts
Powered Lift AwayYesYesYes
On/Off Controlon the handleon the handleon the handle
Surface Options3 settings: Thick Carpet/Area Rug, Carpet,Low Pile, Hard Floor3 settings: Thick Carpet/Area Rug, Carpet,Low Pile, Hard Floor3 settings: Thick Carpet/Area Rug, Carpet,Low Pile, Hard Floor
DuoCleanYes, a bristle brush roller and a soft rollerYes, a roller with flexible silicone fins and a soft rollerYes, a roller with flexible silicone fins and a soft roller
Self Cleaning BrushrollYesYesYes
Brush On/OffNoNoNo
Suction ControlNo separate controlNo separate controlNo separate control
Anti Allergen Complete SealYesYesYes
HEPA FilterYesYesYes
Pile Height AdjusterNo separate height adjustmentNo separate height adjustmentNo separate height adjustment
WandYesYesYes
Hose5.5-foot hose5.5-foot hose2.95-foot hose
Headlightson nozzle and handleon nozzleon nozzle
Weight16 pounds16.38 pounds17.2 pounds
Warranty5 year limited warranty5 year limited warranty5 year limited warranty
Dimensions
(L x W x H)		11.2" X 12.2" X 46"12" X 15.09" X 46.25"11.02" L X 12.2" W X 46.46
User Guidehttps://m.sharkclean.com/include/pdf/manual-az1000.pdfhttps://m.sharkclean.com/include/pdf/manual-az2002.pdfhttps://support.sharkclean.com/hc/en-us/article_attachments/4952405500828/AZ3000_IB.pdf

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Some questions and answers:

  • Can you turn off the brush rollers when vacuuming hard floors?
    No. There’s no brush on/off control. If you turn on the machine, the brushes only stop when the vacuum cleaner is in upright position.
  • Can you adjust the suction level?
    There is no control to adjust the suction only. However, there are 3 surface settings to provide different levels of suction power.
  • Can you adjust the height of the brushrolls?
    They have 3 floor settings for hard floors and carpets, however, there is no control to adjust only the height of the rollers.
  • Do they have automatic cord reel?
    No. You have to wind the cord manually.
  • Do they have HEPA filter?
    Yes.
  • Are the filters washable?
    Yes.
  • Are they dual voltage, do they work on 220 volts?
    No.
  • Can you turn off the headlights?
    No, the lights cannot be turned off.
  • Do they use bags?
    No, they are bagless.
  • Do they use belts?
    Yes. They use belts to rotate the brushrolls.
  • Where are they made?
    Made in China.
  • Shark AZ1002C vs AZ2002C

The Shark AZ1002C and AZ2002C are versions sold in Canada, otherwise, the Az1002C is the same machine as AZ1002 and the AZ2002C is the same as AZ2002.
Color and accessories may be different.

The AZ1002C is in Espresso, includes:
12″ Crevice Tool,
Upholstery Tool,
Pet Power Brush.

The AZ2002C is in Rose Gold, comes with:
Dusting brush,
Pet Crevice tool,
Self-cleaning Pet Power Brush.

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For othe difference between Shark AZ1002C and AZ2002C, you can read the comparison information within this post.

Shark Vertex DuoClean PowerFin Upright Vacuum Models Comparison

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The difference between Shark Vertex AZ2000 and AZ2002 upright vacuum cleaners is the color scheme and what accessories are included.

images from Shark infomercial


AZ2000 is in black, grey and blue, comes with 2 attachments: a 12-inch Crevice Tool and an Upholstery Tool.

AZ2002 is in black, grey and rose gold, come with 3 attachments: a Dusting Brush, a Pet Crevice Tool, and a Self-Cleaning Pet Power Brush. At this moment, we can find it at Amazon.com, bestbuy.com, and sharkclean.com.

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The Self-Cleaning Pet Power Brush
is an air driven tool that helps to remove pet hair and dirt from carpeted surfaces and upholstered surfaces with no hair wrap feature.

image from Shark infomercial

The Shark Vertex Upright Vacuum cleaner is a newly released model, what’s new in this Shark vacuum is that it uses flexible silicone fins to replace traditional bristles, you can see that in the infomercial picture:

image from Shark infomercial


According to Shark, the PowerFins helps pick up more dirt, debris, and pet hair for every single pass, clean better and faster than the original DuoClean nozzle. In fact, the PowerFin roller does not just have the silicone fins, it still have soft bristles between the silicone fins.

More information about Shark Vertex Upright Vacuum you may want to know before buying:

  • DuoClean PowerFins utilize a brush roll with silicone fins to clean carpet deeply and engage hard floor directly, and a soft roll to help pick up particles from hard floors and gives the floor a polished look.
  • Self-Cleaning Brushroll lowers hair wrap problems.
  • Powered Lift Away feature makes the vacuum versatile, you can lift away the pod for above floor cleaning or using the motorized nozzle to get under low profile furniture.

    image from Shark infomercial

  • Hypervelocity Accelerated Suction: Shark claim that it generates the most powerful suction of any Shark vacuum.
  • Fingertip Controls to turn on/off the vacuum, switch between surface settings with no need to bend down.
  • Anti Allergen Complete Seal System with HEPA filter capture 99.99 percent of dust and allergen down to 0.3 microns.
  • Active-Glide Technology: maneuver smoothly on both hard floors and carpets while maintaining powerful suction.
  • LED Headlights on the nozzle illuminate low light spots for thorough cleaning.

    image from Shark infomercial

  • 3 Surface Options, including Thick Carpet/Area Rug, Carpet/Low Pile, and Hard Floor, to fit different cleaning needs, tackle both hard floors and carpeted surfaces.
  • Washable pre-motor and post-motor filter, the pre-motor filters should be replaced every 2.5 years, the post-motor filter should be replaced every 3 years.
  • 5 year limited warranty.

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Specifications:

  • one quart dust cup capacity
  • 12-inch cleaning path width
  • weighs 16.38 pounds
  • Power Specs: 1344 watts,11.8 amps,120V,60hz
  • 30-foot power cord
  • 5.5-foot hose
  • Dimensions: 12″ X 15.09″ X 46.25″ (LxWxH)

Questions and Answers you may want to know:

  • Does it have lights on the handle?
    No. There are only headlights on the nozzle.
  • Is there a suction control?
    No separate suction adjuster. The 3 different surface settings provide different suction power levels and brush roller speeds.
  • Does it allow you to adjust the pile height?
    No separate height adjustment.
  • Does it have brush on/off control? Can you turn off the brush roller when vacuum hard floors?
    No. If you turn on the vacuum, the brush will only be off when the vacuum is in upright position.
  • Does the cleaner head swivel?
    Yes.

The powered lift away feature makes it versatile, it allows you to release the pod from the vacuum, and using the motorized nozzle to clean, this is convenient for getting under low profile furniture such as beds and couches. And this is also good for cleaning stairs, high and low spots, auto interior,etc. when attaching accessories.

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You can download manual at sharkclean.com to learn more about this new Shark upright vacuum series. If you want to get the link directly, here it is:
https://m.sharkclean.com/include/pdf/manual-az2000.pdf
https://m.sharkclean.com/include/pdf/manual-az2002.pdf

Compare Shark UltraCyclone Models CH901,CH950,CH951

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The Shark UltraCyclone Cordless Handheld Vacuum has a few models on the market at this moment:

  • Shark UltraCyclone Pro CH901
  • Shark UltraCyclone Pet Pro CH950
  • Shark UltraCyclone Pet Pro Plus CH951

So, what’s the difference between the Shark UltraCyclone Pro CH901, Pet Pro CH950 and Pet Pro Plus CH951?

images from Shark official site sharkclean. com


The difference between them are as it follows:

  • Power specs:
    The Pro CH901: 7.2V, 65W, 9amps, (anyone know the battery spec, please share by commenting)
    Pet Pro CH950: 10.8V, 80W, 8amps, 2000ma battery
    Pet Pro Plus CH951: 10.8V, 80W, 8amps, 2000ma battery
  • Weight
    The Pro CH901 is lighter than the other two, it weighs about 2.2 lbs. While the Pet Pro CH950 and Pet Pro Plus CH951 weigh 2.8 lbs.
  • Accessories
    The Pro CH901 comes with a Crevice Tool to help clean tight corners, baseboard edges, and other
    hard to reach spots, and a Scrubbing Brush to scrub door mats, area rugs, seats,etc. to remove stuck-on dirt.

    images from shark official site


    The Pet Pro CH950 comes with a Crevice Tool and a Motorized Pet Power Brush with rotating brushroll to help clean pet hair and debris from car seats, upholstery, couches, and more.

    images from shark official site


    The Pet Pro Plus CH951 comes with a Crevice Tool, a Scrubbing Brush and a Self Cleaning Motorized Pet Power Brush which is claimed to be able to picking up pet hair from car seats, upholstery, couches, etc. without hair wrap issues.

    images from Shark official site


    All accessories above can be purchased at Shark official website sharkclean.com.
  • Color
    The Pro CH901 is in Green, Pet Pro CH950 is in Burgundy, Pet Pro Plus CH951 is in Black.
  • Price
    Commonly, the Pro CH901 is the cheapest while the Pet Pro+ CH951 is the most expensive.

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These Shark UltraCyclone bagless handheld vacuum cleaners are powered by lithium ion battery. They can be used to clean home, boat, autos, and more. The two Pet versions also come with motorized tool to help remove pet hair from upholstered and carpeted surface.

Specifications, information, questions and answers you may want to know:

  • Dust cup capacity is 0.45 quarts/0.11 gallons.
  • CleanTouch Dirt Eject feature allows users to empty the bin without touching the mess.
  • UltraCyclone technology that utilizes two cyclonic air streams to provide suction and help prolong filter and motor life.
  • Use lithium-ion battery.
  • Come with an AC adapter.
  • Carry 2 year limited warranty.
  • How long does it take to fully charged?
    Battery charging time is approximately 6 hours.
  • How long will it run per charge?
    The running time is approximately 10 to 15 minutes, depends on what accessory is used with.
  • Can you leave the UltraCyclone on the charger when idle?
    According to Shark customer service, Yes. They said it’s ok to leave the vacuum connected to the charger.
  • Do they come with a charging dock?
    No. The charger included is a plug in charger.
    Shark does offer a charging dock that can be purchased separately.
  • Do they come with a wall mount for storing the vacuum and accessory?
    No.
  • Is the battery swappable?
    No. You can not use an additional battery to swap, the built-in battery is not replaceable.
  • Do they use HEPA filter?
    No. They use a fabric filter which is rinsable, the filter should be replaced every 6 to 9 months to get best cleaning results.
  • Can they be used to pick up wet messes?
    No, they are not wet dry vacuum, they can only be used to vacuum dry debris.
  • Where are they manufactured?
    China.

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Download Shark UltraCyclone manual to learn more:
https://m.sharkclean.com/include/pdf/manual-ch951.pdf

Hoover PowerDash vs Bissell TurboClean: similar and 2 of the best carpet cleaners for small apartment,homes,spaces,area rugs

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If you have a small home, buying a compact size carpet shampooer will be a better option than getting a bulky one. Since it is lighter, smaller, easier to move around and requires less room to store. And it’s much cheaper.
When compared to little spot cleaners, the compact uprights handle the jobs better on cleaning a whole area rug. Because you do not have to knee down and use your hands to keep pressing the hand tool to scrub the rugs, and the hand tool usually is too small to clean an entire area rug, it takes much more time and effort than an upright.
So, for small areas, a compact rug shampooer is a better choice than a full size or a spot cleaner.

Then what’s the best carpet cleaner for small areas?
In fact, there are not so many good choices on the market. The Hoover PowerDash Pet and Bissell TurboClean PowerBrush Pet are two of the best ones out there, at least, above average. Though they are not perfect and do not clean as deeply as the full size ones, they do their jobs for their size and price.

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Hoover PowerDash Pet vs Bissell TurboClean PowerBrush Pet, which is the best to buy?

images from Hoover and Bissell infomercials


These two machines has many similarities:

  • They are small upright carpet extractors.
  • Easy to put together.
  • Pretty lightweight, weigh less than 13 pounds. Some big ones weigh approximately 50 pounds, such as the Bissell Big Green 86T3.
  • Feature separate clean water tank and collection tank, and have a tank capacity of 0.5 gallons.
  • They do not have a separate detergent tank. You pour the detergent into the clean water tank.
  • The operation process is almost the same, you fill the clean water tank with warm water to the water line, then add detergent to the formula line. Squeeze the spray trigger for a slow forward and backward wet pass, then release the trigger to make one slow forward and backward dry stroke over the same spots.
  • Please note that both of them do not come with any attachments for cleaning upholstery, couches, or other above floor spots.
  • Both come with a trial size bottle of formula.
  • Have a 20-foot cable.
  • Easy to remove nozzle with no tool needed.
  • Need tools to remove screws to reach the brushes.
  • Carry one year limited warranty.
  • Similar price tag. Commonly the TurboClean costs approximately 100 dollars on official sites while the PowerDash costs approximately 110 dollars.

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The major difference between Hoover PowerDash and Bissell TurboClean:

  • Handle
    The Bissell TurboClean has a retractable handle that collapses for storing in small space.
    The Hoover PowerDash handle is not extendable.
  • Side Brushes

    image from Bissell infomercial


    The Bissell TurboClean has side brushes to help clean along baseboards and around furniture.
    The Hoover PowerDash does not have any edge bristles.
  • Power Rating
    The Bissell TurboClean: 3.4 amps
    The Hoover PowerDash: 7. 0 amps
  • Maintenance
    Both require tool to remove screws to clean the brushes and brush compartment. However, the Hoover PowerDash takes more effort to clean up, it has like 5 to 6 screws to remove while the Bissell TurboClean PowerBrush Pet has only one screw to remove, and the Hoover brush compartment is also harder to clean.
  • Performance
    They both do the jobs. The cleaning results at the same level, no significant difference.

Overall, these two small upright carpet cleaners are designed for homes with limited space and pets, they are very similar, they have similar size, price, performance results. The main thing that may affect your buying decision is the Hoover PowerDash Pet requires a bit more work to clean up after each use than the Bissell TurboClean PowerBrush Pet.

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If you also want to have a look at some bigger ones that clean more deeply and come with accessories to help above floor cleaning, you may interested in reading the best carpet cleaners for pet pee and poo stains and odors.

Bissell TurboClean PowerBrush Pet Carpet Shampooer 2085:
This small budget carpet cleaner is designed for small homes, pet owners, and high traffic areas. It features a 4-row rotating DirtLifter PowerBrush to help remove spots,pet stains,messes and dirt from carpet.

  • Corded, has a 20-foot cord, 3.4 amps power rating.
  • Dual tank system to separate clean and dirty water.
  • 0.5 gallons tank capacity.
  • It weighs only 12 pounds, much lighter than big ones.
  • Has a collapsible handle that is helpful when storing somewhere short.
  • 9.5-inch cleaning path width.
  • Edge Sweep Brushes help clean along baseboards and around furniture.
  • Detachable nozzle for easy cleanup.
  • No hose, no tools included.

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One year limited warranty.
Download manual to learn what is covered by the warranty:
https://support.bissell.com/app/answers/list/p/67375/c/26115

Hoover PowerDash Pet Carpet Cleaner FH50700

You can learn more info by reading the: difference between Hoover PowerDash Pet FH50710 and FH50700.

Some more information about these 2 shampooers:

  • Do the Bissell TurboClean PowerBrush Pet and Hoover PowerDash Pet vacuum as well as wash the carpet?
    No. They are not vacuum cleaner, it is recommended to use a traditional vacuum cleaner to vacuum thoroughly before using them to wash carpet, especially if you have pet hair and human hair to pick up. These carpet shampooers do pick up some pet hair, but that’s not what they are intended for. If you do not vacuum, there will be hair stick to the brush and dirty water tank, this will cost you time and effort to clean after each use.
  • Does they have a heater?
    No heater.
  • Do they steam?
    No.
  • Do you need to pre-treat the stains if using them to wash carpets?
    Always recommended. You will get better results.
  • Read the user manuals before using the little machines, or you may have leaking issues or other problems.

What’s the Best Hoover Carpet Shampooer?

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Hoover offers a few carpet cleaner machine series, some of them are designed for spot cleaning, some are compact machines for small homes, some are full size for larger spaces.
Here are some of the top selling Hoover carpet shampooers at this moment:

  • Hoover SmartWash
  • Hoover Power Scrub Elite Pet
  • Hoover PowerDash
  • Hoover Spotless

images from Hoover infomercials


So, which is the best one to buy?
You should know your needs first, then choose the right one.

SmartWash
If you need a full size carpet washer to deep clean wall to wall carpet, and want accessories for above floor and spot cleaning, then you can consider this one.

Power Scrub Elite Pet
This is another full size machine, but has larger tanks, and a quick cleaning mode for faster drying.

PowerDash
This one is compact and lightweight, has small tanks, best for small space, such as an apartment.

Spotless
This is a portable spot cleaner for everyday spots and pet messes cleaning.

You may also be interested in reading the comparison of SmartWash and Power Scrub Elite Pet, comparison of PowerDash and SmartWash.

Hoover SmartWash Automatic Carpet Cleaner
This Hoover carpet/rug shampooer has dual rotating brush rolls to deep clean carpets/rugs. It is very easy to use. You just fill the clean water tank and solution tank, no need to measure and mix; push the shampooer forward to wash the carpet/rug, pull it backward to dry, no need to press a trigger. It also has a dry only mode to extract water for drying more quickly.
The machine has a clean water tank and a collecting tank to separate clean and dirty water.
Its nozzle and brushes can be removed to clean up.
The upgrade model SmartWash Pet features a detachable handle which has its own formula bottle, you can remove the handle to pre-treat stubborn stains.

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Hoover Power Scrub Elite Pet Carpet Shampooer
Among these carpet extractors, this one has the largest tank which holds up to1.25 gallons. It uses a different brush design from the SmartWash, its five brush sets spin but not rotate on carpet. According to Hoover, such design is more gentle on carpet.
Unlike the SmartWash, this one requires you to press a trigger to dispense solution.
It has a quick clean mode for surface stains cleaning. In this mode, carpets/rugs dry more quickly than in deep clean mode, usually in less than one hour and even faster.
Like the SmartWash, it blows hot air generated by the motor onto carpet/rug to speed up drying.
Unlike the SmartWash, this Power Scrub Elite Pet has a Rinse/Wash mode selector that allows you to choose the mode you want. When using the SmartWash, you need to remove the detergent bottle to rinse.
For maintenance, its nozzle and brushes can also be detached

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Hoover PowerDash Compact Carpet Cleaner
This is a lightweight and compact size carpet cleaner for small areas like a small apartment. Just like the bigger size SmartWash and Power Scrub, it also has separate dirty water tank and clean water tank, but the tank size is much smaller, it requires frequent emptying and refilling. One other thing you should know about it is: the brushroll is not easy to remove to clean. It takes much more time and effort to get it done than the two bigger size machines. You will need tools to unscrew drivers.

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Hoover Spotless Stain Cleaner
This is a small portable carpet and upholstery cleaner for removing everyday stains, spills, pet accidents, and other small jobs. You can use it to clean small spots on carpeted steps, area rugs, upholstery, and more. Like the big ones, it has dual tanks for separating clean water and dirty water This little machine also features Self-Clean Technology flushes the hose clean after each use to help prevent odors and bacteria growth.

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Similarities, info, and tips:

  • Using any detergent made by yourself or anything other than Hoover carpet cleaner solutions will void the warranty.
  • They do pick up some wet messes such as wet pet hair, but they cannot be used as a vacuum cleaner. It is recommended to vacuum prior to using these carpet washers to clean your rugs/carpets, this is important, especially if you have dogs, cats, or other pets.
  • All of them do not have a heater, they do not heat up water, you should use warm water instead.
  • To get the best results, tough stains need to be pre-treated, and you should move the machines slowly while cleaning, this is important, do not go fast, or it may not work well.