So, I finally got my hands on one of those shampooer vacuum combo things. My living room rug was looking pretty sad, honestly. Years of just, well, living. Spills, dirt tracked in, you know how it goes.

Getting Started

First thing, getting it out of the box. It wasn't too bad, mostly assembled. Had to click the handle into place, felt sturdy enough. Looked over the instructions, but mostly just winged it. Seemed straightforward: one tank for clean water and soap, one tank for the dirty water it sucks up.

Filled the clean tank first. Added the cleaning solution they recommended. It smelled okay, kinda generic clean scent. Then, the big moment – plugging it in and getting ready.

The Actual Cleaning

Okay, pushing this thing around is a bit more work than regular vacuuming. It's heavier with the water in it, for sure. I started in one corner, like the instructions kinda suggested. You press the trigger to spray the soapy water mix, then slowly pull it back to suck it up.

Here's the thing: You gotta go slow. Like, really slow on the backward pull if you want it to suck up most of the water. I did a couple of passes over the really grimy areas by the doorway.

• It was loud. Not like crazy loud, but definitely louder than my normal vacuum.
• You could see the dirty water getting sucked up through the clear cover on the nozzle. Kinda gross, but also satisfying?
• Had to refill the clean tank once for my medium-sized rug.

The Aftermath - Dirty Water and Drying

Finished the whole rug. Now, the fun part: emptying the dirty water tank. Man, that water was nasty. Like dark grey mud. Shows it was working, I guess, but still gross to look at and pour down the drain. Rinsed the tank out really well afterwards.

Cleaning the machine itself wasn't too bad. Had to pull out some fuzz and hair from the roller brush underneath. The nozzle part came off for rinsing too. Left the tanks off to air dry completely before putting it away.

The rug itself? Definitely looked better. Brighter, cleaner smell. It was pretty damp, though. Took several hours to dry completely, even with a fan pointed at it. Had to make sure nobody walked on it while wet.

Final Thoughts

So, yeah, it did the job. It's work, don't get me wrong. It's not a magic wand. But for deep cleaning a rug yourself instead of renting or hiring someone? It worked out okay. Glad I tried it. The rug looks refreshed, and seeing that dirty water proved something was getting cleaned. Just gotta be prepared for the effort and the drying time.