Carpet Extractor vs Carpet Cleaner: The Difference Between Carpet Cleaners and Extractors

Curious whether you need a carpet extractor vs carpet cleaner? You’re not alone. We have customers ask us about the difference between carpet cleaners and extractors every single day. So, we decided to put together this detailed resource comparing the two solutions. 

Carpet might be more comfortable than a hardwood floor, but it can also be a nightmare to maintain. It traps odors and messes like you wouldn’t believe. Every little piece of dirt, each spilled drink, and all the smells that come into your space take up residency in carpet fibers.

The good news is that keeping your carpet pristine is as simple as having either a carpet cleaner vs carpet extractor in your arsenal. Contrary to popular belief, though, these are not the same thing. Learn more below! 

Quick Carpet Cleaner vs Carpet Extractor Comparison 

Benefits of Carpet Cleaners 

You may see these referred to as “carpet shampooers,” too. Whatever you call them, these lighter-duty cleaning machines are common in households. They spray a cleaning solution onto the carpet, scrub it with a rotating brush, and then suck up the mess and excess water.

Think of carpet cleaners as your “routine maintenance” tool. They’re smaller, more portable, and less powerful. They tend to be more affordable, too. But they will probably not get the job done when you’re up against a heavily soiled area. That’s where the other half of the carpet cleaner vs carpet extractor conversation comes into play. 

Benefits of Carpet Extractors 

As the name suggests, these machines pull embedded dirt, allergens, and stains from deep within your carpet. They spray a cleaning solution into the carpet under pressure and agitate it using a brush or roller before sucking everything back up - solution, soil, and moisture.

These have separate tanks for clean water + solution and dry, contaminated water. This lets you work across a large carpeted area diligently, which is why they’re a must-have in pretty much any commercial space. 

There are actually quite a few types of carpet extractors, though. We have a self-contained carpet extractor collection and a separate carpet extractor with wand selection here at SweepScrub. There are even unique tools called carpet spotters.

Our blog has a detailed comparison of the heated vs non-heated carpet extractor, for instance. But let’s turn our attention to the carpet extractor vs carpet cleaner below. 

Carpet Extractor vs Carpet Cleaner: Which is Right For YOU?

One is not inherently better when comparing the carpet extractor vs carpet cleaner. Just better for a specific job or facility. Here’s a side-by-side comparison so you can fully grasp the difference between carpet cleaner and extractor.

Cleaning Power and Depth

Carpet extractors work much deeper to extract the stuff you can’t even see. They are the go-to for deep cleaning tasks, whereas a carpet cleaner is more than fine for light-duty maintenance. Carpet cleaners are typically used to clean the surface of your floor. 

Water Pressure and Suction Strength 

This sort of goes back to cleaning power. Carpet extractors have way more water pressure and stronger vacuum motors - typically two- or three-stage vacuum systems. 

That doesn’t just help them flush and recover more solution from deep within the carpet pile, though. It also translates to faster drying times in many cases. You don’t have to worry about mildew, and you can reopen the area sooner.

Carpet cleaners work at lower PSI and usually have just a single-stage vacuum. The advantage here is they run quieter and more efficiently for surface-level cleaning.

Tank Capacity and Cleaning Speed 

As you can probably guess by this point in our carpet extractor vs carpet cleaner machine, one of these tends to be bigger - that’s the extractor. It has larger tanks (solution and recovery) so you can make quick work of more expansive layouts. 

Carpet extractors have tanks in the 6-15 gallon range while carpet cleaners might only have 2-gallon tanks. That means more frequent dumping/refilling in commercial settings. This is an important difference between a carpet cleaner and extractor from an efficiency point of view.

Ease of Use 

You’ll probably find that using a carpet cleaner is a lot simpler than a carpet extractor. Most of them plug into a wall (or have a rechargeable battery) and a simple on-off switch. There’s really not much to them.

In contrast, commercial carpet extractors have more settings for temperature, pressure, and brush speed. They’re not rocket science by any means, but you’ll definitely spend more time familiarizing yourself with the equipment.

Size and Storage 

It’s easy to put a carpet cleaner on a shelf in your closet when you’re done with it. Commercial-grade carpet extractors need a little more room due to their larger footprint. Plan for that ahead of time. Compare specs to make sure you can accommodate a carpet extractor.

Cost 

One final point of distinction between the carpet cleaner vs carpet extractor: price. 

Carpet cleaners are really affordable. They’re often meant to be used around the house, after all. Expect to spend under $1,000. Meanwhile, a good carpet extractor can cost a few thousand dollars. They’re a commercial-grade machine, though, so they pay for themselves faster than you’d think in the form of time savings, customer perception, etc. 

Plus, you can get the best price online with hassle-free financing at SweepScrub.

Find All the Carpet Care Equipment and Supplies You Need at SweepScrub 

Whether you’re looking for the best commercial carpet extractor or the best commercial carpet cleaning chemicals to go with it, your search ends here at SweepScrub. We carry the top brands the industry has to offer backed by world-class customer service from A to Z.

Get in touch with our team today if you’re still not sure whether you need a carpet extractor vs carpet cleaner. We can talk you through it and point you in the right direction! 

Related Carpet Cleaning Resources 

Carpet extractor vs shop vac | How to use a carpet extractor | How to clean commercial carpets