Virtually no suction. Just leaves water all over the floors. I bought this brand new and used it right before I was about to be induced with my second child, so that I could come back from the hospital to a nice clean house. This machine soaked the carpets and I had to let everything air dry... Needless to say, when I came back, our whole upstairs, the only part that is carpeted in our home, had a funky odor to it.