Carpet cleaner that blows its own noisy trumpet (Ozkleen Carpet Power)

Member Name: dmandrew

Product:	Ozkleen Carpet Power
Date:	17/08/09 (77 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Works almost every time

Disadvantages: Sometimes is defeated by really tough stains

Finding a carpet cleaner that really does the business is the holy grail of household management. I remember when I was a lot younger, so about forty years ago, that a CERTAIN MANUFACTURER had a catchy song about cleaning a palace in one for less than half a crown.

Well, this isn't 1001, and it costs about three quid. It's CARPET POWER and it comes from a firm called OZKLEEN so no prizes for working out its origin.

We have cats, all three of whom are lovely but who occasionally poo in the wrong place. Now I'm sorry if reading that upsets you, especially if you do your Dooyoo writing and reading over a PC lunch, but it's true, and it's relevant to my review.

We have tried a variety of carpet cleaners to get rid of stains. The very best is of course the Rug Doctor, but that's an expensive machine to own or to rent, and more appropriate if you are doing a complete house, rather than an individual stain.

One day, we saw OzKleen's Carpet Power on the supermarket shelf. It's not a product you can easily miss. Despite the subtle white colour of the plastic body, the rest of it is designed to shout out at you. Most prominent is a lilac label with a close-up carpety texture, on which are emblazoned words in red and yellow like SHOCK! and CARPET POWER ACTUALLY WORKS! and ELIMINATES BAD ODOURS and PLEASANT LAVENDER FRAGRANCE.

The top, which is a trigger operated nozzle, is also red and yellow. This product says LOOK AT ME! So you do, and notice that there's a label there too, which also says SHOCK! It also says THIS PRODUCT ACTUALLY WORKS!

After all this hype, which is both exhilarating and exhausting, you get to read the label on the back. This is much more sober, mainly in black and white.

It makes a few further claims - "removes stains such as coffee, grease, red wine, make-up, dirt, pet stains (GOOD NEWS FOR ME!) and many others. So you could have a really disorderly party and still cover up all traces. There's a testimonial from Allan of Sussex, who has found Carpet Power brilliant for removing pet stains (by this time I had to buy it) and some reassuring information about not testing on animals.

So, the big question Does it work?

You operate it with the trigger, and white foam comes out, which you work into the carpet. I use a toothbrush for this. You then wait five minutes and then damp-rinse the excess and leave to dry, vacuuming if necessary. So it's easy to use, and the foam comes out reliably.

We have found that it does a good job on stains, but it can struggle with the really tough ones, so that you need several goes, or to alternate it with Rug Doctor. Sorry to mention cat poo again, but it can vary in its ability to penetrate a carpet. Sometimes it comes out straight away - at other times, we have to treat it several times before we get a result. Other stains go quickly, including mouse blood!

Now it has to be said that the smell isn't that nice, despite the claims. If you hold the container up to your nose and sniff, there is a tiny hint of something vaguely lavenderish, but it's heavily overlaid with chemicals.

Apart from that, though, this is the best on-the-spot carpet cleaner we have tried, and although it is not infallible, it is easy to use and very often succeeds, and is not too expensive.

Get a bottle for your kitchen cupboard.

Summary: Good value and better than the rest