Types To Consider:
Self Contained Carpet Extractors
Self Contained Carpet Extractors work without a hose and wand. This machine will dispense clean water with carpet cleaning solution into the carpet, scrub it with a motorized high speed cylindrical brush, and vacuum up the excess dirty water for quicker drying times. Self Contained extractors are much more productive for cleaning large open areas such as hall ways faster than their "hose and wand" cousins "Canister Carpet Extractors". Most are operated by pulling the unit backwards by the handle to keep the operator off the freshly cleaned wet carpet.
Canister Carpet Extractors
Canister Carpet Extractors - Canister Carpet Extractors work with a hose and wand. This machine will dispense clean water with carpet cleaning solution into the carpet through the wand end, scrub it with the wand, and vacuum up the excess dirty water for quicker drying times. Canister extractors are much more versatile for cleaning obstructed areas around furniture, stair steps, upholstery, etc. than their " Self Contained " cousins.
Options To Consider:
PSI or "Pounds Per Square Inch" - PSI is a measurement used for "pump pressure". The higher the PSI, the greater pressure the cleaning solution is "squirted" into the carpet. Higher PSI means deeper more aggressive carpet cleaning! Sandia offers very high PSI options of 100, 200, 300 or 500 PSI!
"Water Lift" - "Water Lift" is a measurement used for "suction power". This is equivalent to taking a vertical tube, placing the bottom in a container of water, attaching the vacuum cleaner hose at the top and measuring how high above the water surface the water in the tube rises. Hence the higher the "Water Lift", the greater the suction is removing the dirty water from the carpet!
Single Vacuum Motor vs. Dual Vacuum Motors Style Extractors - Two motors are always better than one when it comes to getting the dirty water out. Dual Vacuum Motors means dryer, cleaner carpets in less time!
One Stage, Two Stage or Three Stage Vacuum Motors For Extractors - "Stages" work like gears in a car's transmission, ramping up the speed. The more "Stages" the better the "suction" for getting out more dirt and water - hence, dryer, cleaner carpets!
Extractors with "Heaters" vs. "Non-Heated" models - For every two degrees of "heat" or "temperature" of the cleaning solution, it is estimated that cleaning results can improve by as much as 10%! Super heated cleaning solution also means a savings in the amount of chemical additives required saving you money in the long run. Sandia Carpet Extractors with Heaters raise the cleaning solution temperature up to as much as 205 Degrees!