Sprayless surface cleaner

A cleaning head for carpets, walls or upholstery, including a rigid, exterior, open-bottomed main body which defines the surface subjected to the cleaning process. Mounted within or adjacent to the main body portion coplanar with the bottom thereof is the fluid-applying device, which includes a slot at an acute angle to the plane of the bottom of the body located adjacent the plane of the bottom of the body, configured such that the fluid is applied in a thin sheet which flows out of the slot and into the upper portion of the surface to be cleaned and subsequently into the vacuum source for recovery method for cleaning a surface comprises providing a cleaning tool including a lower surface contact area defined by a lip surrounding an opening through which a vacuum is applied and a liquid supply means adjacent the lip, placing the lower surface contact area in contact with a surface to be cleaned, applying a cleaning liquid to the surface to be cleaned within the lower surface contact area by flowing a substantially continuous film of cleaning liquid from an angled delivery slot of the liquid supply means over a portion of the lower surface contact area, and suctioning the film of cleaning liquid through the opening in the cleaning tool.