Carpet Extractor vs Wet Vac

[_Jay_]

Hi everybody.



Just got a few questions. I`ve been reading autopia everyday for about 3 months now, trying to soak up as much as i can. I have one question, it`s more than likley really dumb and/or obvious but:





Whats the difference between an extractor and a wet vac? Can you do a decent interior detail with only one of the above? Any idea which I should get?



By the way I`m from the UK, so UK site would be great!



Thanks in advance! :waxing:

[brwill2005]

A wet vac is usually a shop type vacuum that is capable of wet vacuuming of water or liquid material. They are usually fairly cheap and have decent suction for picking up liquid. An extractor is a machine that is capable of pumping liquid and vacuuming liquid. A liquid solution usually with a small amount of detergent is injected at aprox 100PSI into the carpet fibers. The solution is vacuumed up on the return stroke along with any soil or dirt. The water injected into the carpet or fabric is sometimes heated by the extractor for better cleaning. A carpet extractor is a much more thorough machine for cleaning carpets and fabrics, however, a wet vacuum can help assist in cleaning carpets and fabrics by hand.