Extractor idea

[honda2112]

So I just picked up a Bissell Little Green Machine and while I`m quite happy with it I got to thinking. What if you just filled up a pump sprayer with boiling water and APC as the sprayer and modified an extractor hose to a wet vac? I`m sure it`d be a whole lot cheaper and give you more suction power. What say you?

[rzatch]

Try it and let us know!! Don`t know why it wouldn`t work.

[mrclean81]

Boiling water would be too hot for the plastic hose and such, but I get what your saying. Yes it would work just fine. Theres 3 things that factor into the basics of extraction. Solution, water temp, and lift power. Higher powered extractors put out some high psi levels as well, but thats more of a convenience than a must have. I cleaned carpets for years with a bucket of hot water and Woolite, a brush, and a shop vac.

[honda2112]

Alright, I`ll scrounge around work to find an old hose and let you know.

[rzatch]

Boiling water would be too hot for the plastic hose and such, but I get what your saying. Yes it would work just fine. Theres 3 things that factor into the basics of extraction. Solution, water temp, and lift power. Higher powered extractors put out some high psi levels as well, but thats more of a convienience than a must have. I cleaned carpets for years with a bucket of hot water and Wollite, a brush, and a shop vac.

Ditto Thats all I used to know, and it still works!

[Blindman]

Just be careful with HOT water. 4 years ago I spilled boiling water, I jumped but you must land sometime. ouch. 1 foot reconstruction, full foot skin-draft & over 200 stiches later my foot was saved. If the bottle you`re planning to use can`t hold up to the Heat, you could run into a unwanted situation. Always think about the worst situation, if you`re Ok with that, then go on. Remember better safe than sorry. Caribbean weather is beautiful today.

[honda2112]

So I made an adjustment to my method. I had one soiled Outback wagon to clean so I used Meg`s APC at 10:1 in the solution tank of the Bissell Little Green Machine (warming the water makes a big difference). I scrubbed while pulling the trigger getting the carpet nice and sudsy, then scrubbed using a stiff bristle brush, then extracted using my Shop Vac and the extractor tool so I could see the grime coming up. On hard spots I used Folex and that worked great especially on the floor mats. I applied a liberal amount to the mats, scrubbed, pressure washed and then extracted any remaining water/ cleaner. The mats looked brand new and the carpet looks amazing.

[Art of Shine]

What type of extractor head did you use with the vac?

[honda2112]

Just the cheapy plastic one the came with the Bissell. If I find a better one around I`ll get it. It was just a test for me, I don`t do enough interiors where I would spend the cash on an industrial type unit. I like it because I can see the junk coming up through the clear plastic.