If you could only purchase a vacuum or shampoo machine, which?

Shampoo machines are great investments BUT they are hideously heavy and cumbersome to move around. It's probably why we don't use them on a daily basis...because they can easily fatigue your body.

You CAN purchase an upright and simply use baking soda to get similar results. Wet/dry vacuums can suck up the wet spills you are concerned about, and steam vacuums (they are NOT shampooers) are also versatile and work similarly, but are pounds lighter.

Hope that helps! I've included a little resource to help you determine the differences further.

That's fine for the carpets but what about other surfaces like hard floors, and I don't know about you but I vacuum dust off furniture, cobwebs off the ceiling, pine needles off the porch, sand out of my car, etc. Will a shampoo machine do all that? How often do you spill things on the carpet, anyway? Quick response with some paper towels takes care of most spills very adequately, and so does spot cleaning even days later. I think a good(meaning fairly expensive) canister vacuum with a beater brush is a much more useful thing overall than a shampoo machine.

You can buy a Kerby vacuum which has more suction then any vacuum on the market and has a shampooing attachment that comes with it, Lifetime guarantee also. Pricey but worth it.