Professional cleaners need at least two machines. I got both of these from the firm in Nottingham where I did my training.

I bought the smaller one first and then upgraded to the larger, top of the range, one.

I use the bigger one as often as possible. Its main advantage is that you can leave it on the ground floor a 3 storey house and the vacuums are so powerful that it is just as effective as it would be on a ground floor lounge carpet.

But if I have a flat on a 3rd floor and there is no lift it is way too heavy to carry up.

The smaller one can be carried, not without difficulty, upstairs. It is an excellent machine and, while the pump and vacuums are not as powerful, the quality of the clean does not suffer as the machine is closer to the carpet or sofa you are cleaning. It also has the advantage of having a very effective water heater built in.

But the main reason for having two is that machines break down. Pumps and vacuums will eventually fail even with the best maintenance regime and mine is very strict.

I don't want ever to be in a position where I have to cancel a job at the last minute because my machine has broken down.

As they say in the scouts- Be prepared.