by: John Murray

Everyone wants their carpets to stay looking new and fresh, and of course to extend their life as long as possible. Regular vacuuming certainly helps but cleaning your carpets regularly will make a really big difference. Carpet Steam Cleaners can be rented or you can high a professional. Read on for the pros and cons of carpet steam cleaners.

Steam cleaning is a very good type of carpet cleaning. It's also very good for getting into those tiny cracks and crevices that are usually difficult to reach. Steam cleaning is safe for your rugs, your drapery, and your furniture as long as it is done properly. Another benefit to steam cleaning is that there are no chemicals but you have a very sanitary clean because of the heat factor. It will clean dirt, kill parasites like carpet mites. A very safe process!

Steam carpet cleaning equipment works much like a boiler where the tank gets heated up to a very high temperature, around 250 F, and the vapor or steam is allowed to escape through the powerful jets. The vapor sanitizes and cleans the surface very quickly and very efficiently. . Your house will sparkle!

Here are 6 Top Carpet Steam Cleaners

1. Eureka Atlantis Deluxe Steam Cleaner

Comes with a deep cleaner with 62 scrubbing brushes and a looped handle to give you better control. Great for cleaning carpets, floors, and upholstery. Costs around $160.00

2. Bissell Little Green Clean Machine Steam Cleaner

This is the perfect machine for cleaning up spills and stains. It's a little small for doing a full carpet but in a pinch you could. It's not that it isn't capable of cleaning a full carpet it's just its portable size that could be a bit awkward. Its high pressure sprayer is excellent for loosening dirt and stains. Costs around $80.00

3. Hoover SteamVac Plus Steam Cleaner

This gem is designed for some heavy duty cleaning with a 12 inch path and an 8 foot hose. 27" cord assures you won't be constantly looking for a new plug. It deep cleans both forward and reverse and has a two speed option. Use on carpets, floors, or upholstery. No tap hook up needed as it carries two tanks one with clean solution and one with the dirty solution. Costs around $190.00

4. Bissell PowerSteamer Proheat Plus Carpet Cleaner

The deep cleaning action on this machine will have your carpets sparkling clean. Use on carpet or upholstery. Comes with upholstery tool. Built in heater heats up tap water and maintains the temperature. 12 inch path for each cleaning and a wide nozzle that works in forward or reverse. Costs around $190.00.

5. Bissell Big Green Clean Machine Steam Cleaner

This is the big brother to the awesome little green machine talked about earlier. Full size ready for those full clean jobs. Comes with a two gallon tank which is double the size of most uprights. A canister model with a high pressure rotating brush and 40 jets for that deep cleaning action. Its biggest draw back is the power head has been discontinued. Costs around $150.00.

6. Dirt Devil Easy Streamer Carpet Extractor

Lightweight and easy to use this upright cleaner is up for most jobs. Carry handle and dual cord hooks. 11 inch wide. Feather light but a heavy weight in the cleaning department. It has a motorized roll brush for deep cleaning.

These are our top picks for carpet steam cleaners but of course there are plenty of other excellent choices. A quick search on line will provide you with all the information you need and many more choices.