I bought this unit to clean high traffic areas and I'm amazed at the results. The unit cleans better than the unit I have rented in the past from my local hardware store. A couple of hints I found that work well with this machine: I apply the water / cleaner solution in the forward direction, then release the trigger and suck the solution back up in the backward direction. I found by using this method in retrieves up to 75% of the solution into the waste container....my carpet dried in less than 2 hours. Since I had previously cleaned the carpet with a commercial rental machine, I had left behind a significant amount of shampoo in the carpet. This shampoo acts like a magnet, attracting new dirt and grime. After doing a lot of research on the internet, I found the solution....White vinegar draws the the shampoo soap out of the carpet. In this unit I mixed 1/4 cup vinegar with very hot tap water in the reservoir. It may take several cleanings but the results were amazing.