Carpet Care: Selecting Carpet Extractors

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A recent survey found that carpet cleaning technicians have some very strong feelings when it comes to selecting portable or truckmount carpet extractors.   
 
The survey was conducted in late January 2010 for Hydramaster, a manufacturer of truckmount carpet cleaning equipment.  
 
Approximately 1,000 email survey invitations were sent to carpet cleaning technicians.  Links to the survey were also posted on various social media sites.  Altogether, 156 people either started or completed the survey.
 
The results indicated that 64 percent of the respondents use a portable extractor and 36 percent have truckmounts.
 
Among the findings:
 
• More than half purchased their carpet cleaning equipment; roughly 10 percent lease their machines while the others indicated the extractors are provided by their employers.
 
• The majority of the truckmount users say they use their machines to clean carpets in residential settings.  The rest use their equipment in stores, restaurants, and medical facilities.
 
• More than half of the portable extractor users reported using their portables in commercial office buildings; this was followed by residences (about 20 percent), then stores, restaurants, and medical facilities.
 
• Both groups indicated they use their equipment to also clean tile and grout floors in relatively equal numbers.
 
Strong Opinions
“When the respondents were asked what they liked most about their machines, strong system preferences surfaced,” says Wayne Boon, Hydramaster’s director of sales.
 
For instance, portable users appreciate their systems’ flexibility.  “[Portables] can be used everywhere…we never have to turn down a job,” wrote one respondent.
On the other hand, more than half of the truckmount users say they can “make more money” with a truckmount and many believed that “carpets come out cleaner with a truckmount.”
 
“The survey seems to indicate that users should base [their] decision on selecting a portable or truckmount on their needs and goals as well as the types of customers they serve,” says Boone.