dirt, according to the man who invented the steam cleaner, American Mr. Carl Parise.

Mr. Parise is due to return to the US today after a visit to the offices of one of his newest distributorships, Thermax Bermuda (TB).

"Shampooing a carpet is about the worst thing you can do to it,'' said Mr.

Parise. "Shampooing traps all the filth and germs and reduces the carpet's life.'' And vacuum cleaners did so little to pick up dirt that they could not be compared in the same breath as steam cleaners, he said.

"Most of them are not powerful enough to do much at all,'' he added. "The vacuum cleaner was invented 110 years ago and has really not advanced very far.'' Mr. Parise, who said he has made and lost fortunes twice and is now wealthy for the third time, said he built the world's first steam cleaner 21 years ago and set up his own company "all for $400''.

When he first started trying to sell the product, he said he achieved "413 sales from 419 demonstrations''.

TB, which has not been incorporated into a local company, opened for business earlier this year and operates as a distributor for Nevada-based Thermax, Inc.

It employs eight staff.

The organisation has 250 similar distributorships across the US, two in Japan, two in Australia, and another in Sweden.

TB's group of local private investors do not want to be named, said the firm's marketing director Mrs. Cheryl Ford.

TB rents out, at a cost of $12 per 24 hours, and sells commercial and household steam cleaners from Thermax Clean Care Centres on Court Street and Shelly Bay Marketplace.

Mrs. Ford said the firm offers free demonstrations to show people what steam cleaners can do.

Each cleaner contains a steam cleaner, purifier, vaporiser, dehumidifier, deodoriser and duster.

"There's nothing to beat it,'' said Mrs. Ford. "The machines are very easy to handle and extremely manoeuvrable.'' STEAM CLEANERS -- The inventor of the steam cleaner, Mr. Carl Parise (seated), is pictured with staff and others involved with Thermax Bermuda: (l-r) Miss Shermine Riley, Ms Joanne Smith, Miss Tracey Wilkinson, Mrs. Cheryl Ford, Mr.

Michael Daniels (no longer with firm), Mr. David Rouault, and Miss Lisa Jacobs.