The Ultimate from US Products (distributed in Australia by Advanced Specialised Equipment (02) 9898 1555) is a small lightweight machine designed specifically for cleaning upholstery and curtains.
A big selling machine worldwide for many years now, we were keen to find out why people buy it - and so many of them.

In the box
Apart from the machine, the ‘box’ contains both a working vacuum and solution hose and an exhaust hose for use when dry cleaning solutions are being used in the machine.
There is also a classy hand tool with three interchangeable heads for use with upholstery and curtains.
It’s main claim to fame is that it can clean with both water and dry cleaning solutions, so that curtains and drapes can be safely cleaned on site.

Heat
What’s more, the machine has a built in heat exchanger so that cold water is instantly transformed into extremely hot water. This is a tremendous advantage over most upholstery only machines which require the water to be heated externally. And this machine really delivers a lot of hot water.
This is due in part to the low solution flow (60 PSI pump), but the flow is perfectly adequate for cleaning upholstery.
The combination of low solution flow and extremely hot water means that the upholstery is virtually dry on completion. Whilst normally we would consider 60 PSI to be too low for professional cleaning, surprisingly, this machine cleans amazingly well for such a low flow.

Dry cleaning
The Ultimate also heats up the dry cleaning solution - used almost exclusively for the dry cleaning of curtains - which is a tremendous advantage over some other machines which may be able to handle dry cleaning solutions but which cannot heat up the solution.
Dry cleaning solvents traditionally do not clean anywhere near as effectively as water, but due to the increased molecular activity caused by heating the dry cleaning solution, when heated its cleaning capabilities are dramatically increased.
Due to the volatility of dry cleaning solutions, they must not be heated above the products specified flash point.The Ultimate heats the dry cleaning solution to just below its flash point and then the machine’s built in safety transistor turns the heating unit off when the set temperature has been reached.
The machine has an auto shut off on the waste tank and has a built in recovery bucket for simple disposal of the waste.

Curtain cleaning
Curtain cleaning is one of the industries great untapped add on sales and it is in this area where The Ultimate really excels.
Using the heated dry cleaning solvents, with a mildly acidic pre-spray, all curtains can be safely cleaned with no evidence of colour run and no shrinkage, the bane of all curtain cleaners. Even off site curtain cleaners who submerge the entire curtain in cleaning solution can shrink curtains, but no shrinkage has been apparent in any of the curtains we have cleaned with The Ultimate.

Upholstery/drapery tool
Another feature of the unit is the hand tool that accompanies the machine. Extremely lightweight as it is made from plastic, it has three interchangeable heads. one for large strokes on large cushions or on curtains, a smaller one for smaller cushions and a tiny one for doing the arms on suites and chairs. Although the solution spray is not enclosed like on some other quality hand tools, it is still a great hand tool.

The Ultimate is extremely easy to use and only really lacks a curtain backing plate which is really a necessity for cleaning curtains. These are simple enough to have made up. We approached a perspex supplier who made on to suit for less than $50.
As the only machine in Australia capable of cleaning with both water and liquid dry cleaning solutions, the Ultimate is a worthwhile machine to own as the money that can be earned by cleaning curtains on site is impressive. The machine can also easily double as a lightweight spot removal machine.