[monkeyman]

what vacuum cleaners do you guys use for a pre vac prior to the main clean?

[daysdeepclean]

I use Sebo BS36 for domestic and BS46 for larger jobs ...... Outstanding machines!

[Paul_Ashworth]

Sebo BS36 is the best

[Shaun_Ashmore]

The best one IMO looks like the Royal but the only problems I can see is that it doesn't vac upto the edges and also there's no vac tube to pull of to get into the edges.

Shaun

[vacman]

Well shaun, this is where you guys have the best of both worlds, given that your brief is (i assume?) to pre-vac only the carpet areas that you are cleaning, therefore its not going to be that much of a bother to do edges first with a cylinder/tub cleaner and then the inner areas with a good upright. Unlike us in the domestic general cleaning side where there is more to clean than just the floor, so with an upright the hose is on, then its off, then its on again etc...

Another point with the uprights is that the commercial versions seem to come (inexplicably) with a very long handle, which for the work we do, can be really cumbersome  have you or any guys ever used the Electrolux Sanitaire soft-bag upright? I have one here and its a monster  my word does it sweep carpets.

[markpowell]

I use a BS36 also, on the very rare occasion that i pre-vac 
Mark

[derek west]

the bs36 vacs up to the edges on one side of the machine. good enough for me.
derek

[JandS]

Same as you Mark  what's pre vac?
Most customers ask me if they should vac before I arrive and I always say yes just give it a quick whizz round.

John

[carpetfitta]

i use an ensign 360 (practically the same as bs36) i also have a karcher cw50 which picks up great, looks very similar but doesnt de-tach from the brush, like the bs36 to allow ease of stair vacuuming. seems to be the standard, karcher also do a tbs model which is a direct competitor of the sebo, tends to be overlooked on ebay, and can come very cheaply, in comparison to the bs36/ensign 360

[Karl Wildey]

Bs36 for me too

[Aquakleen Restoration Services]

Can someone please tell me what makes a Sebo so good? Ive never used one, so whats the reason?

[Andrew Briscoe]

I have about 15 sebo b360, of various ages, 1 is nearly 20 year old.

I find them to be a good weight (heavyish) better contact to the floor, strong and robust.
Excellent vac power, good filtration, like all keep a new bag in it.

I vac my own light coloured wool carpet with it daily, when the missus complains carpet looking dirty, teenage girls/make up etc it can look trashed, when i clean it she always says the dirty water dosn't look that bad, this is down to the sebo, pulling out all the solids etc, sometimes the water only looks slightly discoloured.

Hope this helps, BUY one.

Andrew.

[vacman]

Can someone please tell me what makes a Sebo so good? Ive never used one, so whats the reason?

The reliabilty for one thing. Where I get shot down in blazes is when i say that for domestic house cleaning work like i do, they can be somewhat cumbersome and heavy. Certainly some of the ladies who worked with me had a preference for a lightweight upright cleaner. Using one of these Sebo cleaners on 'runs' or expanses of floor is fine, having to negotiate around furniture and what-not is something else. For this reason i myself have never liked or reccomended the Sebo for those who clean houses for a living.

As a side thought, some Sebo cleaners come with a choice of brush-strip, ranging from average to stiff. What do you guys use in your Sebo rollers? The stiff bristles on any upright cleaner will always groom really well but i was warned a long time ago that they can potentially cause friction damage to synthetic carpets. 

[Joe H]

Vacman
For the domestic cleaning situations try the Sebo Dart of Felix.
They have a narrower head, more the standard domestic head size ie Dyson etc.
Still get the same motors as the BS36 so think of all that power going thro a narrower head width.

I have the stiffer red brush on my Sebo BS36, standard brush on my Karcher (which I think is a Sebo built under licence).

[vacman]

Hello Joe, i've had a Felix/dart before now, not overly impressed with it for use day in, day out, but it was one of the better machines i've owned. The thing about the likes of the dart is that it uses a 2nd motor to power the brushes. To that end i think i would prefer a tub-vac / cylinder with electric power-head, as it's the same thing. I find there is a certain something about an upright which uses the power of the suction motor to drive the roller-brush which i quite like. What it is exactly, i don't know.

[carpetworx]

Without doubt Dyson ds14

[carpetworx]

I mean dc14

[vacman]

Well i didnt want to be the first to mention the 'D' word, but i have to agree. I've had several DC04, 7, and 14 cleaners, and all were actually very good. I have owned other cleaners which were more reliable and far less fragile, but these models of Dyson really did knock spots off others when it came to performance.

[derek west]

we've got a dc07 but the misses keeps nicking the bs36 out the van, quite annoying as she never puts it back and i occasionally forget it.
plus theres the argument of turning up at a job with the same equipment as the customer, could seem un professional, "could" not "is" before ya start.
derek

[vacman]

Derek, i have had people who were also wary of cleaning products and machines aimed at commercial use, because they've seen them as a little 'too hefty' for the job. But i take your point.

I think though that its only us in the 'business' who worry that our equipment and products have to be seen to be better than the customers. Heaven knows i use enough supermarket-brand washing up liquid to clean houses, yet people always say they are pleased with the results. Maybe i am lucky that the people i work for generally seem to be pleased with the overall job that is done, not what was used.

Which reminds me, those of you who claim to use vinegar as part of your carpet cleaning process; are you using it straight from the bottle marked Sarsons (or whatever)? Ho does that go down? I am guessing a suprised but not offended reaction from the client?