Carpet washers: are they worth the investment?

I had never used any carpet washer before and was astounded by how much dirt it removed. I was also astonished at how cumbersome and awkward it was to use, and how wet it left my carpet – I cleaned in the morning and it was unusable until later that evening.

While I was impressed with the results, at $40 for a four-hour rental and the faff of making two trips to a store got me intrigued about my home carpet-washing options. So I bought a Bissell ProHeat 2X Revolution Pet Deep Cleaner ($629) and a Living & Co Carpet Washer ($129) and cooked up my carpet-cleaning shoot-out.

First impressions

Out of the box, neither option compared favourably to the commercially purposeful Rug Doctor. The Living & Co looks like a child’s toy: “my first carpet cleaner”. However, that’s not necessarily a bad thing – it’s simple and looks like it would be easy to use.

The Bissell has a label stating it’s “Professional”, but it looks distinctly domestic. Festooned with tanks, knobs and multi-coloured parts, it seemed considerably more complicated and daunting to a newbie like me.

How they work

Both models use an identical process. Turning the machine on starts up a vacuum. Pushing it forward over a small area, you pull a trigger to squirt a detergent solution on to the carpet, while the machine agitates the wet spot with a brush. Then, you release the trigger, drag the machine slowly backwards over the spot, and its vacuum sucks up the dirty water.

However, there’s a critical difference in the “agitate” part of the process that explains why one is so much better at cleaning.

Underneath the Living & Co is a loosely fixed scrubbing brush that rubs the carpet as you push the machine back and forth. In comparison, the Bissell has two belt-driven brush bars that spin and scrape deeper into the carpet. It’s a harsher process, but the considerably murkier water collected shows it extracts much more embedded dirt.

The trial

I set up the trial on my dining room rug – too long a trap for anything dropped from the table above and never properly washed. The rug was split down the middle: half to be cleaned with the Living & Co, half with the Bissell.

Both sides were tackled with the same amount of water (about 2L) and cleaning solution. I followed the instructions on both cleaners and took the same time to tackle the job. While my trial wouldn’t pass muster in an accredited test lab, it’s a decent starting point for how these cleaners would perform in the home.

Notes from a carpet-cleaning novice

There wasn’t much difference in using the two machines. The Living & Co had few instructions about how much water or detergent to use. The tank was a little awkward to clean. The trigger needed a firm press and was uncomfortable to hold in, but the machine was light and easy to maneuver. It was incredibly noisy though.

The Bissell had more thoughtful touches. The water tank stands upright in a sink, making it easier to fill. It has markings showing how much detergent to add. Its controls don’t get tiring to use, but it is heavier to push than the Living & Co. While it’s certainly noisy, it isn’t unbearably loud.

The Bissell also comes with a useful suite of accessories. There’s a 3m hose and mini powered tool for cleaning upholstery and stairs. This Pet model also comes with a cleaning head fitted with a small tank and filter to trap unmentionable pet dirt, so it doesn’t contaminate the entire machine. Then there is “the amazing self-cleaning carpet washer” tray. The Living & Co comes with no attachments or accessories, and none are available to buy separately.

The results

After washing and drying, there was barely any noticeable difference in the colour of my grey-brown carpet – you wouldn’t know which side was cleaner by looking. However, the difference in the water was startling.

The Living & Co extracted some mildly grimy water and left the carpet rather wetter than I expected. The water from the Bissell was filthy – not just opaquely brown, but with grit and carpet fluff mixed in. There was also about two to three times more water retrieved. The Bissell side of the carpet immediately felt much drier. After six hours, the Bissell side was dry enough to use, while the Living & Co side was still too damp.

The verdict

At $129, the Living & Co Carpet Washer costs little more than two full-day rentals of a Rug Doctor with a stair-cleaning attachment ($56.49 for eight hours). It’s definitely easier to use, but that’s about all. It can’t clean stairs or upholstery, leaves carpet very wet and, most importantly, doesn’t actually clean carpet very well. So, no, I wouldn’t buy one.

The Bissell ProHeat 2X Revolution Pet Deep Cleaner is easier to use and has various attachments that allow you to clean floors, stairs and upholstery. It removes a lot of dirt and leaves carpet drier than a Rug Doctor. However, $629 is quite an investment. Renting a Rug Doctor twice a year for five years would still be cheaper, and you wouldn’t need to find somewhere in your home to store a bulky machine. Despite the Bissell doing a great carpet cleaning job, it’s not an investment I can justify.

However, I can see a reason why buying the Bissell beats renting a Rug Doctor. If you have pets that require more regular clean-ups, there’s much more value in having a carpet washer to hand. If the full-size ProHeat model sounds like too much carpet washer for you, consider the Bissell Stain Eraser Pet 2006F cordless spot cleaner we trialled.

*The Living & Co Carpet Washer is currently unavailable*