How to Use the Kirby Carpet Shampoo System

The Kirby shampoo system is an attachment for the Kirby vacuum sweeper. This attachment cleans by generating foam to apply to the carpet and does not saturate the carpet with a lot of water. Carpets cleaned with this system dry faster. Kirby vacuum cleaners have been manufactured for over 90 years and are constantly evolving. The shampoo system has and continues to be one its most popular attachments. The shampoo system attaches to the front of the Kirby vacuum after the vacuuming head is removed.

Things You'll Need

• Kirby vacuum
• Shampoo attachment
• Shampoo

Instructions

1. Vacuum the carpet to be shampooed thoroughly. Move as much of the furniture out of the room as possible. Place sheets of wax paper or foil under the legs of furniture remaining in the room, to prevent staining of the cleaned carpet.

2. Remove the vacuuming head from the Kirby vacuum by turning the belt knob to match the red arrows. This releases the belt. Remove the bag assembly from the right side of the vacuum.

3. Turn the knob on the front of the assembled shampoo attachment to match the red arrows. This sets the belt to the open position. Step on the raise/lower switch to raise the unit to its highest point. Slide the shampoo attachment into place and turn the belt indicator to match the green arrows.

4. Fill the tank with warm tap water and shampoo. Attach to the top of the shampoo attachment on the right side of the unit. Connect the solution tank to the collection tray on the front of the unit with the hose. Step on the raise/lower switch and lower the cleaning head to its lowest position.

5. Turn the Kirby on and turn the knob on the top of the shampoo tank until a light fluffy foam is being dispensed onto the carpet. The valve does not have to be opened fully, keep adjusting until just foam is being dispensed.

6. Apply the foam to the carpet in a slow back and forth motion until an area approximately three feet by five feet is covered in foam. Allow the foam solution to sit on the carpet for five minutes. Turn the knob on top of the shampoo tank to the off position.

7. Pull the machine backward over the foam to remove it from the carpet. The Kirby does not vacuum up the foam, when pulled backward the brushes pick up the foam and deposit it in the tray. Use smooth motions with the machine to avoid sloshing dirty solution out of the pick up tray onto the cleaned carpet. Empty the collection tray as needed.

8. Allow the carpet to dry from two to three hours and vacuum thoroughly.

9. Dis-assemble the shampoo unit and rinse all the parts except the brushes with clear water and allow to air dry.

Tips & Warnings

• Pre-treat heavily soiled areas, scrubbing with a hand brush before applying the foam to the carpet.

References

• Kirby shampoo manual
• Additional instructions

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish