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Godfreys Wertheim SE9000 Carpet Shampooer

October 2, 2012

Phone rings.  I answer it and a polite woman with a Chinese accent asks me, “Do you dye carpet”? “Yes, I can”, I tell her, “but if I can avoid it, I do – and why exactly do you want to dye your carpet”?

The lady proceeds to tell me that there are brown and grey marks all over her carpet, and she needs to have it dyed. I arrange an appointment, and go out to have a look at her carpets. As it turns out, she has completely over wet them with a Godfreys Wertheim SE9000 Carpet Shampooer. She proudly points to the wretched machine exclaiming, “My husband buy this for me! Professional one”.

Wertheim SE9000 Carpet Shampooer
Wertheim SE9000 Carpet Shampooer

I don’t have the heart to tell her that there is nothing professional about the machine (in my opinion it’s over priced and underpowered). By using this machine coupled with a complete lack of understanding of carpet and correct cleaning methods, we a carpet which has been wet for 4 days, is LOADED with suds and shampoo residue, and has brown and grey marks all over it.

Brown out and wicking in carpet.
Brown out and wicking in carpet.

This just shows some of the problems that have been created with this “professional” machine. Fortunately I was able to correct all the issues created. (Picture below). No dyeing was required. But it raises a serious question. Why would anybody buy a “Carpet Shampooer”?

Firstly, carpet shampooing is old terminology. Synthetic detergents are used these days, and they are pre-sprayed onto a carpet, agitated, and then rinsed – leaving minimal (if any) residue. Shampooing machines by contrast, have a shampoo solution that is pumped into the carpet with very weak extraction, leaving soil attracting “shampoo” in the carpet.

Secondly, it doesn’t seem to make financial sense buying these machines. This particular machine cost $1000. My service cost to clean the carpets on this home would have been approx $200. A carpet is cleaned in an average home once every 12 months. So, I would have had to have cleaned this house for 5 years, before the owner would have been theoretically positive ROI – and that’s only if you place no value on the home owners time to do the work, and exclude chemical costs. Add in the potential damage expenses created by inexperience, and you have a loser of a proposition. This machine is ONE BAD BUY. My recommendation? Do what the carpet manufacturers recommend. Buy and upright vacuum such as a Dyson or Shark Navigator, and vacuum your carpet twice a week. This will remove dry soiling, which contributes to 79% of the foreign matter in a carpet, will remove fibre wearing sand and grit, therefore prolonging your carpet’s life – and leave the cleaning to a professional once every 12 months.

Carpet browning and wicking eliminated.
Carpet browning and wicking eliminated.