The Oreck Orbiter may seem a little out of place here. After all, we discuss steam cleaners on this website, right? Well, sometimes you have to break the rules, and this just happens to be one of those times…
This machine does not steam clean carpets. It doesn’t even use any water (most of the time). Instead, it is used for dry cleaning carpets. However, that’s not all…
Carpet, linoleum, vinyl, ceramic tile, marble, terrazzo, and hardwood floors – this versatile, multi-purpose floor machine does it all! It can be used on most hard flooring surfaces for a variety of purposes, including scrubbing, waxing, polishing, sanding, refinishing, and stripping.
There are several different accessories available for the Orbiter – scrub brushes, stripping and polishing pads, lambs wool and terry cloth bonnets, sanding screens with various grits, to name just a few. There are also different floor cleaners, waxes, and strippers that can be purchased, depending on the types of surfaces being treated, as well as the intended uses of the machine.
The Orbiter has an On/Off switch located in the middle of its T-handle. When powered on, users glide the machine across the floor, using a side to side motion to clean. The head of the Oreck Orbiter spins at a speed of 1725 orbits per minute. This spinning motion, paired with the accessories and cleaners mentioned above, work together to clean floors.
Dry Carpet Cleaning with the Oreck Orbiter
There are several uses for this machine, and the instruction manual that comes with it does a good job explaining how these different tasks can be accomplished. However, to give you a glimpse of how it is used, here is an overview of how it can be used for deep cleaning carpets:
- Working in 6 foot by 6 foot areas, first spray Oreck’s Premist Soil Release Pre-Spray on carpet.
- After spraying the Premist Soil Release Pre-Spray, sprinkle Oreck’s Dry Carpet Cleaner over the same area.
- Using the white terry cloth bonnett for low pile carpets and rugs, or the black carpet brush for medium to high pile carpets, use the Orbiter to work the carpet cleaner into the carpet.
- Move to the next section and repeat process until entire surfaces has been treated.
- Wait for approximately thirty minutes, then thoroughly vacuum the treated areas.
That’s all there is to it! Notice there is no need to wait for floors to dry either.
Cleaning hard flooring surfaces is also a piece of cake. However, we won’t delve into the instructions here, because there are different directions for different surface types.
Oreck Orbiter Review
This machine provides an effective alternative to the traditional steam cleaning method for carpet care.
However, where it really “shines” is in the hard floor cleaning category. You can scrub, wax and polish with this machine. And if you are hit with the remodeling bug, you can even restore old floors by using this versatile floor machine to strip, sand and refinish.
The biggest drawback to this machine is that the cleaners and accessories are a bit pricey. If you do not have an Oreck store in your town, you may need to order them online. However, on a positive note, the accessories are reusable, and some are even washable, such as the cleaning bonnets. Also, for carpet cleaning, we have heard that Capture Carpet Cleaner brand, which is less expensive and can be purchased at most home improvement stores, produces great results when combined with the cleaning action of the Oreck Orbiter.
I’d like to ask if you have any sort of comparison for cleaning. How does the Oreck Orbitor cleaning method, ie dry cleaning carpet, compare to the wet cleaning that is standard adn customery everywhere?
I have had this system for years and refuse to use any other kind of carpet cleaning. This system cleans the carpet without the use of water. I would never ever again clean carpet with a “shampooer”. Those do not get the carpet as clean and it takes forever to dry. The Oreck system has a dry powder that feels moist to the touch but does not wet the carpet. It is just as described above – sprinkle the powder on a small 6×6 area and use the bonnet on the machine to scrub deep into the carpet. Let it stand for 30 minutes and vacumm. You will be amazed at how clean the carpet is. If you have some tough spots, use the pre-treatment spray before sprinkling the powder. That goes to work on the stain before you touch it with the machine and bonnet. I swear this is the best way to clean carpets. I rented one of these for years before I finally broke down and bought it. After I bought it then I moved into a house that had concrete floors and now wood floors and have used this machine with different bonnets for different surfaces. I order the bonnets off the internet because it is cheaper than the Oreck store but I still get the powder at the store even though it does get a little pricey. The small bucket was around $25 and larger one $48 but haven’t bought carpet cleaner in several years.
Can you use the Oreck orbiter to clean stairs?
It’s very heavy, so it would be awkward.
The Oreck Orbiter works well as a maintenance product. I didn’t realize how dirty my carpet was until I used the Orbiter. The Orbiter does not remove stains well. Bisell Spot Bot works better for individual stains. I am happier with the Orbiter vs. Any of the carpet shampooers available. As mother of four, I’ve tried Bissell, Hoover, and Kenmore Carpet Shampooers. None of the brands I listed lasted much more than two years. The simple design of the Orbiter is what encouraged me to give it a try. The chemicals used are expensive, but effective. A little goes a long way, and the bonnets can we washed.
I have the Oreck Orbiter machine and absolutely love it. I am having a problem with my hardwood floors. I clean them with the orbiter and Oreck wood products and when I am done they look beautiful. The problem is that when we then walk on them we leave footprints. Do you have any idea why and if so, how can I stop this from happening?
Mary ann! Your foot prints are caused by excessive use of the hardwood floor cleaner. The cleaner is a concentrated formula, so you simply need to use less cleaner
in order to polish out your floors to a shine you probably forgot about you will need to go to the oreck store and purchase yourself a handy lamswool bonnett. This combined with the natural oils within the bonnet will polish the excess wood cleaner and shine the floors into a smooth, no foot print joy 
I would like to know if this solves your problem so if u have not already do this, try it and let me know the results here. I manage an oreck store and if this does not solve your problem (which it definitely should) I would lke to figure out a way for you ok 
remember if you have ANY questions you just need to call us! Were there to help you 
happy orbiting!
I am seriously considering the purchase of an Orbiter. My house is predominately tile and the grout tends to look dirty. I am interesting in know how effective the orbiter is for cleaning the grout?