I've gone through many carpet cleaners in my life and I've never had one as powerful and great as this one! When you turn it on, it almost sounds like an airplane engine getting ready to take off. I vacuumed before hand, twice. Just to make sure I got all the dirt. Then I used the steam cleaner. I was shocked by how much dirt and debris this machine picked up. My only negative would be how small the tank is where you put the water and cleaner. I ran out about half way through the house and had to refill and empty the dirt tank. All in all, this is an amazing product with amazing cleaning power!