Karcher DE4002 Steam Vacuum

How to Identify and Fix Common Vacuum Problems ?

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Can I clean my windows with a steam cleaner? Absolutely. Using steam to clean windows is one of the most effective and easiest methods to use. A steam cleaner is the ultimate cleaning machine that uses hot steam to remove all forms of dirt and grime from windows.
Only Use Water in the Reservoir

With the exception of a few models that have dual functions, steam mops are typically designed to be used with water and nothing else. The steam alone does a great job of cleaning the floor. Always read the manual on your mop model thoroughly for complete use guidelines.

Heat: To effectively sanitize, the steam cleaner must heat the water to 200 degrees. The hotter it gets, the drier the steam, resulting in a lower probability of damaging certain surfaces with excess water.
We recommend draining the water from your steam appliance every 30 days, in other words – do not let water sit in your steam appliance for more than 30 days.
Fill the water tank on your steam cleaner, and allow time to heat-up time. Your cleaner may have an indicator light to let you know when it`s ready, or you may just have to wait a few minutes.
What should I do if the steam cleaner does not heat up? Check the power cord and fuse, as well as the thermostat and pressure switch. Top up the water. If the water shortage light does not go off, please consult one of our service partners or contact us directly.
Fill the Tank With Vinegar

Fill the tank with distilled white vinegar or cleaning vinegar. Avoid using other types of vinegar because they may have sediment that interferes with the cleaning process.

So, where does the dirt go when you steam clean? Actually, it doesn`t go anywhere. Instead, the heat and vapour of steam cleaning ensure that all the unwanted substances or stains are fully broken down and easy to get rid of.
It Can Harm The Unit

Without water to cool and lubricate it, the pump will work harder than it should, causing it to wear down quickly. This can happen even with just a few seconds of running the pressure washer without the water being turned on. However, the pump is not the only part that takes damage.

To ensure a thorough clean, pre-spray your carpet with a biodegradable cleaning solution. You can combine one part of distilled white vinegar with three parts of cold water in a spray bottle.
Keep the steam mop moving constantly as you wash, and don`t allow it to idle on any given spot. Change the pad as it grows dirty, as you don`t want to simply spread dirt around the floor. For thorough cleaning, you might want to make multiple light passes over the entire floor.
A good rule of thumb is to have your carpet professionally steam cleaned at least once a year, twice if you seem to track a lot of dirt in. This way you get a good, deep cleaning and don`t let the dirt build up. Vacuum once or twice a week to keep it clean in between your steam cleaning sessions.
Soap only lifts dirt and oil into water, making them suspend in water. Therefore, the more soap you use, the more your mop gets saturated with dirt. So, if you do not remove all the soapy water from the floor, the dirt remains, forming streaks on the floor.
Except when you are descaling a steam mop, do NOT put anything other than water in the tank. Not only does this defeat the primary purpose of steam cleaning (in avoiding chemical cleaners), but you can possibly damage your steam cleaner.
After you get out your carpet cleaner, fill the clean tank to the line with hot (not boiling) tap water. Hot water does a better job cleaning than cold but, if you boil it, you run the risk of melting parts of your carpet cleaner. Add formula to the tank according to the bottle directions.
Steaming is touted as an excellent method of removing stains and odors from clothing, upholstery, rugs, and other fabrics.
Baking Soda

It is also a cleaning agent. Fill the steam cleaner with hot water, then add 2 cups of baking soda. Clean the carpets, concentrating on any stained areas.

Steam cleaning can take anywhere from 8 to 24 hours to completely dry. However, it only takes 4 to 8 hours to dry when carpets are cleaned without the use of traditional steam cleaning methods that use large amounts of water due to their reliance on soaps and shampoos.
Heat-up time: Heat-up time on most steam cleaners is relatively short. Most models offer a heat-up time between 25 seconds and 8 minutes, though some cleaners can take up to 12 minutes to heat.
If there is no indicator, turn the unit on by using the on the switch. After the unit is done heating, usually 3-5 minutes depending on which machine you have, the indicator light will turn off. This indicated the water is hot and you are ready to begin steam cleaning.
Look for a machine with a quick warm-up time; some produce steam in just 30 seconds, while others take 3 minutes or more. Handheld units provide around 10 minutes of cleaning time before needing a water refill. Larger canister versions can last up to 45 minutes but are harder to maneuver.
Hot water makes the difference. Efficient pressure washer cleaning. Even better results with hot water. Kärcher hot water pressure washers offer impressive advantages in terms of economy, cleaning results and environmental impact.
Do: Wipe up excess dirt before steaming. Steam mops essentially employ steam to loosen grime, which the mop head then clears away, but there`s no suction element in this appliance. This means that surface dirt will need to be vacuumed or swept up before you begin or you`ll only succeed in pushing dirt across the house.
“We would recommend vacuuming at least once or twice a week—and more often if we have pets—with the right tools to remove dust quickly and effectively,” Patel advises.

Relevant Questions and Answers :

the most relevant questions and answers related to your specific issue

Need instructions for use of dirt devil spot scrubber; have borrowed one to use to get some serious spots off of carpet; no instructions with it; need to know how to fill the container and how much solution to use for cleaning.
ANSWER : To have a manual mailed to you at no charge, please contact our customer service department at 1-800-321-1134.

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Instruction maual I can’t find my instruction manual & want to use the shampooer. Any chance of getting the instructions online?
ANSWER : Spent some time, snapped 20+ pictures. I hope this will be informative enough. Any comments would be appreciated Kirby Shampoo Manual

Good Luck

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I HAVE LOST MY INSTRUCTION BOOK FOR THE STEAM VAC SPIN AND SCRUB. I WANT TO USE THE STAIR ATTACHMENT, BUT I CAN’T FIGURE OUT HOW TO HOOK IT UP, OR OPERATE IT. I SEE WHERE THE PLUG IN PART GOES IN THE FRONT OF THE MACHINE, BUT I CAN’T GET THE OTHER PART TO SLIDE INTO PLACE ON THE FRONT OF THE RESOVIOR TANK AFTER I REMOVE THE FRONT PANEL, AS THE DIRECTIONS ON THE FRONT OF THE RECOVERY TANK SAY TO DO. THE FIT IS JUST TOO TIGHT. WHAT AM I DON’T WRONG- OR HOW COULD I GET A REPLACEMENT INSTRUCTION BOO
ANSWER : You can download a PDF version of the manual at the link below. I believe you can contact Hoover as well and they might mail you one.

http://www.hoover.com/CustomerService/Manuals/Default.aspx

Good Luck!

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We lost our instructions to the Kirby Shampoo attachement and how to attach it to the main unit, the belt and how to use it. We need complete instructions and explanations on how to use this as we have tried and the belt does not attach to the main unit, the brush does not turn and the hops along the carpet and no water, etc. returns to the tray.
Please help us with as simple and complete instructions as possible.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH,
LOUIE CAPLAN
ANSWER : First, you’ll need to fill the tank with water (warm or cold). There are three fill lines on the side of the tank. Fill to the desired line and add one shampooer tank lid full of Kirby shampoo for each line of water. A full tank will require three lids full of shampoo.
Remove the outer cloth bag by rotating the bottom boot AWAY from the side of the main unit. Put the tank where the bag was, line up the notch (or may be a small arrow) on the tank with the notch on the Kirby near the hole. Set the tank down onto the Kirby and rotate it toward the Kirby to lock it on.
To remove the Kirby power nozzle, go to the front of the machine and turn the belt lifter clockwise until the red arrows line up. Turn the latch at the top to release the nozzle and take it off.
Make sure that the GREEN arrows on the hood’s belt lifter are lined up. Put the shampooer hood onto the tray, covering the shampooer brush and splash guard. The belt lifter should be FACING the hole in the center of the tray. While looking into the large hole in the rear of the shampooer hood, turn the belt lifter slowly and “hook” the belt with the belt lifter. Continue to turn it until the RED arrows on the top or the belt lifter line up. This stretches the belt to it’s highest position, preparing it for attachment to the main unit. This action also binds the hood to the tray. It may be a bit hard to turn, as the belt may be stiff if the shampooer isn’t used often.
Attach the shampooer assembly to the Kirby in the same manner as the power nozzle. (Put the little hooks on the hood onto the outside edges of the bar in the front, push it toward the Kirby and lock it on)
Now, turn the arrows back to green matching green. This will position your belt onto the drive shaft and make the nozzle ready to shampoo.
Lower the front of the Kirby to it’s lowest setting. You may raise it up one click if you have thick carpeting. Either one is fine.
Now, all that’s left to do is attach the tank to the tray using the hose. One end goes on the tank shampoo outlet which is located near the on off valve. The other end “pops” into the hole in the center of the tray.
Turn the Kirby on, turn the foam setting to “on” and lay the foam out onto the carpet by pushing FORWARD QUICKLY and BACKWARD SLOWLY. The foam is ONLY being laid out onto the carpet when the machine is going BACKWARD and wastes into the front tray when going forward, so going forward quickly uses less shampoo for the same job. The quantity of foam being deposited to the carpet is controlled by the speed of the backward movement. The slower you go, the thicker the foam.
Lay the foam out in strips, overlapping the edges a bit for good coverage. For tough stains, try going over the area in two different directions when laying the foam in that area. Don’t go over an area too many times though…it will get too wet and can cause a thick build-up of carpet protecter and soap. Pick up the foam by turning the shampoo valve back to “off”. Simply run the shampooer slowly and smoothly over the foam and it will pick it up and deposit it into the tray in the front.
Once you get the feel for the foam laying process, you should be able to do a whole room without emptying the tray. Make sure that you transition from forward to backward slowly and smoothly, especially as the tray fills up with dirty water. Jerky movements will cause the funk to slosh back out onto the clean rug.
PERSONAL ADVICE>>> I like to lay the foam in 3′ to 4′ square blocks and then pick it back up before moving on to the next area. This prevents the foam from being spread over too large an area. If it takes you too long to pick the foam up, it may dry out a bit and won’t do as good a job as when it’s fresh and damp.
Now that you’ve gotten this far, I imagine that you’re enough of a veteran to detach the shampooer and reassemble the vacuum. My advice in this area is for the shampooer cleaning process. Make sure that you release the belt from the hook by turning the belt lifter to GREEN before trying to seperate the hood from the tray. If you don’t do this, you’ll never get them apart.
If this guide was helpful to you,Thank you!

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When I was putting my new rug shampooer together and the directions said to press the trigger and the clean surge button until I heard a snap, I did just that many times and never did hear a snap so I thought it had likely happened and I didn’t hear it so I proceeded to fill the solution tank and get busy but no solution came out so I used the clean surge button instead and got the job done (I think). Can I continue to use it that way or is there a way I can get it to snap and use it the way it
ANSWER : My husband figured it out and it now works great! Thank you

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I bought a Bissell Poweredge Pet vacuum from target. There were no boxed products so I took it off the shelf. The instructions are in the clear filter, but I can’t get the vacuum to release and let me get the instructions. How do I ge the instruction pamphlet out of the clear filter portion of the vacuum?
ANSWER : Hi,

If you go to this website, http://www.bissell.com/poweredge-hard-floor-vacuum/
you can download a manual for you vacuum. Look on the right side of page for “downloadable documents and click on the manual.
This will give you instructions so you can take the filter apart.

Hope this helps,

Handie Andie

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I have a hoover 3000 i have not used in awhile, and since I removed a large rug, I would like to use it again on my slate floor. HOWEVER, I cannot get it to pick up ANY water in the water recovery unit……it is dry, dry, dry. I have put in a new filter, cleaned the nozzle unit, the scrubber , and reconnected both the recovery unit and the water unit several times, but to no avail. I would like to get a graut attachment a well as replacement part, but since I can’t get the basic unit to work, I
ANSWER : Have you made sure the plastic filter cover with the round hole in it that covers the filter is in place ( part # 59177096 ). This piece seems to get lost, and without it there is no pick-up. The other common problem is that the wheel assembly has been damaged. Look at the bottom of the Floormate. You will see a black plastic wheel assembly. There are two pegs at the rear attaching it to the base. If this piece has a crack in it where it attaches to the base, there will be no pick-up.

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LlllSteam vac ws working very well–shilfted to using hand vac on furniture–when I shiftead back to wanting to use the floor vacuum using the 6
brushes and the floor vac system, the r6 rotaty
brushes will not turn or function. What do IO havae to do to get them to turn and function?
The lever on the side ils set for carpet terrain.
What do I do now to get brushed to turn and scrub
as they should and did previously.
James Yerges
1’630-232-2798
JMYerges&comcast.net
ANSWER : What is the exact model number of that unit. There are several with that name. The only things that it could be are the handle mechanism that activates the brushes or the indicator is not working nad the level that selects the brushes is not working. The unit has no belts.

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