Clarke® EX20™ Portable Carpet Extractor, 12.5 Gallon, 100 PSI

It's Friday evening. There's a coffee trail from the break room to the conference room, the stairwell carpet hasn't been deep cleaned since spring, and the board meets Monday at 8. A self-contained walk-behind can't climb stairs, and a rental unit means a trip across town and back. The Clarke EX20 is a portable carpet extractor (a box extractor, if that's what your crew calls it) made for this kind of job: a 100 PSI pump, a 140-inch waterlift vacuum and a 12.5-gallon solution tank on a cart you roll wherever the hose needs to go.

It comes three ways. The 100C runs cold water. The 100SC adds a 1,100-watt heater and runs on one cord. The 100H adds a 1,750-watt heater and runs on two cords. Each one is sold as the machine only, or as a package with 15-foot hoses and a 12-inch stainless steel scrub wand.

The Owner's Insights on the Clarke EX20

What sold me on the EX20 are the small things Clarke fixed. The solution tank fills through a port set low on the side, away from the switches, so the water you spill while filling never lands near anything electrical. The switches sit in their own recessed plate. And two roller wheels on the front panel let you tip the machine up and roll it into a van instead of deadlifting it.

It still weighs 87 lb (39.4 kg). The handles and roller wheels help a lot, but one person loading it into a high van every day will feel it.

My honest take on the three models: if you mostly clean spots and traffic lanes with a good pre-spray, the cold 100C does the job and costs the least. If you want heat, the 100H has the bigger heater and actually costs less than the 100SC, but it needs two outlets on separate circuits. Pick the 100SC when finding a second circuit is a real problem, like an older school or church wing.

Clarke's own 21-minute walkthrough covers setup, priming the pump, cleaning and end-of-day care.

Why You'll Love the Clarke EX20

• 100 PSI pump, 140-inch waterlift. Enough pressure to flush soil out of the carpet and enough lift to pull the water back, so the carpet dries sooner.

• 12.5 gal (47 L) solution, 11 gal (42 L) recovery. Fewer trips to the sink on a long hallway or a full floor of offices.

• In-line heater, up to 212°F (100SC and 100H). Heat is added after the pump, so the water at the wand is hot even when the tank water isn't.

• 3-stage sealed vacuum motor with ball float shutoff. When the recovery tank fills, the float closes and protects the motor from water.

• Front roller wheels and handles at the right spots. Tip it onto the roller wheels to load a vehicle, and use the tank handle to guide the vacuum hose.

• Recessed switches and a low fill port. Spills while filling stay away from the controls.

Clarke EX20 100C vs 100SC vs 100H: Which One Should You Buy?

All three share the same pump, vacuum motor, tanks and cart. The difference is heat and power cords.

100C: the right fit for routine maintenance extraction, rinse passes and budgets that don't stretch to heat.

100SC: heat on one standard outlet. The smaller heater means you get the hottest water by spraying in short bursts. Clarke suggests 12 to 15 seconds, about three wand strokes, at a time.

100H: the strongest heat and the only EX20 with CRI Bronze certification. Plug the two cords into separate circuits, and a green light on the switch plate confirms you did it right. Put both on one circuit and you'll trip the breaker.

Not sure which fits your buildings? Send us your square footage, carpet type and how often you extract, or call (855) 601-5678, and we'll tell you which one fits, including when the answer is a different machine.

Machine Only or the Hose and Wand Package?

The machine-only EX20 ships with no hoses and no wand. Clarke calls the package version -15-SW: a 15-foot vacuum hose and solution line, plus a 12-inch stainless scrub wand. Buy the machine only if you already own hoses and a wand that fit Clarke's connections. Otherwise the package is the better buy. On the 100C it adds $1,059 to the machine-only price, less than the 15 ft hose set ($378.98) and CSW-12 wand ($724.86) cost on their own. On the heated models the package adds only $640 (100SC) or $638 (100H).

Every hose, wand and tool is also sold on its own, so you can replace a worn piece or build a longer reach. The vacuum hose and solution line set is $378.98 for the 15 ft FP153 or $587.74 for the 25 ft FP195, and a 25 ft FP196 extension is $470.20. The 12-inch carpet scrub wand is $724.86 for the single-bend CSW-12 that comes in the package, or $840.57 for the double-bend CSW-12HP. The 13-inch Nilfisk AquaWand upgrade is $1,111.55. For stairs and upholstery, the stainless hand tools are $320.15 for the FPHT-5 detailer and $270.95 for the 56102807 hand tool.

Do You Need a Heated Carpet Extractor?

Heat speeds up the chemistry. Hot water loosens oily soil faster, so you can use less water and less detergent, and less water means faster drying and less soil wicking back up from the pad. That matters most on greasy entrances, cafeteria carpet and heavy traffic lanes.

For light maintenance on carpet that's cleaned often, a cold machine with the right pre-spray is fine. One tip either way: the heater does the heating. Never fill the tank with water hotter than 130°F (54°C).

Portable Extractor or Self-Contained?

A portable carpet extractor wins on stairs, upholstery, edges, cubicles and any room a cart can't drive through. For big open carpet, a self-contained machine that sprays and extracts in one pass covers ground faster. If that's most of your floor, look at the Clarke EX40 16ST. If budget matters more than heat and the Clarke name, the Powr-Flite PFX1080 is a 10-gallon, 100 PSI box extractor for less. Compare them all in our portable carpet extractors collection.

If you want the same 100 PSI class for less, the Sandia Sniper 12-Gallon has 12-gallon solution and recovery tanks, a choice of dual 2-stage or dual 3-stage vacuum motors and a 2,000-watt heater option, starting at $2,420 machine only or $3,180 heated. Its 25 ft hose and wand kit adds $460. The EX20 has the longer parts and labor warranty, 3 years each, and its 100SC is the heated option that runs on a single cord.

How to Use the Clarke EX20

Fill the solution tank with clear water and a low-sudsing carpet detergent (pH 5 to 10). Prime the pump with the priming hose for 30 to 60 seconds, connect the solution line and vacuum hose, and on heated models give the heater two minutes to reach temperature. Then pump on, vacuum on, and start cleaning. The operator manual below has the full steps.

Daily: rinse the tanks and hoses, clean the wand and check that the recovery tank float moves freely. A stuck float lets water into the vacuum motor. Weekly: clean the solution filter. Monthly: run a mild descaler through the system to clear mineral and chemical buildup.

Budget for carbon brushes. Clarke says to have the vacuum motor brushes checked once a year or every 300 hours, and motor damage from skipping it isn't covered by the warranty. Keep a defoamer on hand too, because foam in the recovery tank can reach the vacuum motor.

Why You Should Consider a Clarke Carpet Extractor

Clarke is a Nilfisk brand, and the EX20 came out of field input from technicians who ran portable extractors every day. Nilfisk covers its corded extractors for 3 years parts, 3 years labor and 1 year travel through authorized service centers. We're an authorized Clarke retailer, so that warranty is yours from day one. For more Clarke machines, see our Clarke carpet extractors.

Clarke EX20 Specifications

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