a portable surface cleaning apparatus has a base for movement along a surface to be cleaned and an upright handle pivotally attached to a rearward portion of the base . a fluid dispensing nozzle for applying fluid to the surface and a suction nozzle for picking up fluid and debris from the surface are associated with the base . a clean water holding tank and a detergent holding tank are removably mounted to the handle while a recovery tank is removably mounted to the base . a mixing valve is fluidly connected between the holding tanks and the spray nozzle for changing the mixing ratio of the detergent with respect to the water . the fluid recovery tank includes an integrally molded conduit that extends from the suction nozzle and a mounting for an accessory hose that interrupts the fluid path from the suction nozzle in the conduit and redirects fluid flow through the hose . a pump is fluidly connected between the mixing valve and the dispensing nozzle and includes a pump priming valve that operates on negative air pressure to clear air from the fluid lines during pump operation . a free floating brush is pivotally attached to the base for automatically adjusting to different surface conditions during cleaning operations .