Rug doctor. Is it good?

[marcemc]

Im considering renting one to clean my family room & master bedroom's carpet instead of using a carpet cleaning company.

Has anyone used it? Is it easy to use?

Any input will be appreciated

 

[jgreco]

I find using a professional company works better.
The Rug Doctor water does not get hot enough in my opinion and the suction is not strong enough to pick up the water.

 

[Swimalie]

I have been told if you don't get out all and I mean all, 100% of the soap, stains will come back easily. The left over soap will attract dirt from the air. We moved in to this house and were the second owners. In places where we had dining chairs and didn't walk or go on the carpet had sudden spots show up for no reason. We found out from the neighbors that they cleaned the carpets themselves. We ended up having to replace the carpet due to the spots, even after professionals came in and tried to prevent them.

So, get a professional. Don't try it yourself. It won't be worth it in the long run.

 

[Tink-aholic]

I own a Rug Doctor and LOVE it. Use it all the time. No problems at all. Why go to the expense and trouble of having professionals come in all the time?? I don't have the time for that. For the number of times I like to clean my carpets, having my own is just ever so much more convenient.

By the way, I use OxyClean in mine (a tip that I got right here on the BB!). I use very hot water and I have no problems with residue.

 

[HelenePA]

with 4 kids a dog 3 cats I rent one every few months. works wonderful! too expensive to have pros come in and do the same job but for $$$ I have used pros before and I got the same results with the rug dr. I tried both the water type and a chemical type (chem dry) that was supposed to have my rugs dry with in hours. Honestly that one was the worst. The smell was awful (unless you like oranges!) and the stains came back and my carpets were NOT dry with in hours. The only reason I used pros was I was majorly pregnant and had no energy to do it myself.

 

[fakereadhed]

It's easy to use, but the professional cleaning looks nicer longer. Seems to attract dirt, but works in between professional cleanings.

 

[Mom2Ben02]

I just bought one last night on kohls.com - came to $370 with tax/shipping for the Rug Doctor, hose and $70 Kohls cash

I don't use solution - as others said, it attracts dirt. I use this much better, and cheaper, recipe -

http://www.food.com/recipe/carpet-cleaner-for-steam-cleaning-machine-101568

 

[tinkercat]

I own a Rug Doctor and LOVE it. Use it all the time. No problems at all. Why go to the expense and trouble of having professionals come in all the time?? I don't have the time for that. For the number of times I like to clean my carpets, having my own is just ever so much more convenient.

By the way, I use OxyClean in mine (a tip that I got right here on the BB!). I use very hot water and I have no problems with residue.

This exactly!!! I LOVE my Rug Doctor! With 4 young children, a golden retiever, and 2 cats, it has been a lifesaver for our light colored berber carpet!

 

[weHEARTmickey]

Are those the ones you can rent from Walmart? If so, I definitely wouldn't rent one of those I've heard some NASTY horror stories about what people clean up with those things!!!!

 

[Malibustyle23]

I have rented one once and used the Rug Doctor shampoo with it and it worked great for me. I used very hot water and the carpet was still slightly damp afterwards. It was a very simple machine to use and understand. No returning stains here that weren't due to new spillings from the DS, DD, DH, and not so Ddog.

I have never had pros come to clean so I can't compare it to that but my mom did hand me down her Bissell afterwards and I am not at all happy with it's performance compared to the Rug Dr.

I would recommend it and will use it again.

 

[marcemc]

Thanks for all your replies.

I will give it a try, we have 2 dogs & 2 boys so we usually get the cleaners often & they dont come cheap, being able to clean it myself ( most likely DH will take over), seems like good option.

 

[BellePrincessBelle]

Another Rug Doctor owner here. Love mine.

 

[scribega]

We've rented one for our past two cleanings and have been really happy with the results. The cost is MUCH less then a company. Check the Rug Doctor web site, sometimes they have coupons for rentals.

 

[dawson5]

If you go to the Rug Doctor site and sign up for their email, you should get a $5 off coupon.

Also, I've been told that if you rinse after using the shampoo, it should prevent the detergent residue from having the dirt stick to it.

Just make sure you suck as much of the water out as possible. My kids have killed our office carpet and it took about five times with the machine (I still don't think it's clean) but we did get it really wet and were in a rush to get it back on time and didn't fully get all of the water out. It ended up stinking something nasty. We had windows opened for days and a fan on it once we figured out what caused it. It was our fault, nothing that the cleaner did though.

 

[Frannie115]

I once rented one and it was horrible. Did not do the job. It might depend on the store you go to.

We have a Bissell rug cleaner and it works fine.

 

[rockyroad]

When we had rental property I would get the guy with the big sucker truck.

Those things are amazing, but they are expensive.
(I found a company that was a man and his wife They charged by the square foot and did not charge extra for scotch guard or whatever. They also did not come out and try to sell add ons or charge extra for berber.)

For my own house I just clean it myself as we don't get it that dirty.
But I did have a returning stain and I think it is where a spill has soaked into the pad.
Long ago I rented a machine and it was kind of stressful trying to get it done and get the machine back to the store.
It's better if you have your own and can clean as things happen.
It also helps to use a shop vac on spills when they happen.
A smallish shop vac can be a lifesaver...think leaks or overflows.

 

[bucket o' butter]

I own a Rug Doctor and LOVE it. Use it all the time. No problems at all. Why go to the expense and trouble of having professionals come in all the time?? I don't have the time for that. For the number of times I like to clean my carpets, having my own is just ever so much more convenient.

By the way, I use OxyClean in mine (a tip that I got right here on the BB!). I use very hot water and I have no problems with residue.

I agree! We usually rent the Rug Doctor once a year for a thorough cleaning. Yes, it can be hard work, but it does a great job. DH would love to buy one, but right now, it isn't in the budget. If and when that time comes, we will definitely purchase one.

 

[bucket o' butter]

I just bought one last night on kohls.com - came to $370 with tax/shipping for the Rug Doctor, hose and $70 Kohls cash

I don't use solution - as others said, it attracts dirt. I use this much better, and cheaper, recipe -

http://www.food.com/recipe/carpet-cleaner-for-steam-cleaning-machine-101568

I just looked on Kohl's.com but couldn't find one that cheap. Which model is it? The cheapest one I could find was $499. How much was your model before using your Kohl's cash?

 

[dawson5]

I just looked on Kohl's.com but couldn't find one that cheap. Which model is it? The cheapest one I could find was $499. How much was your model before using your Kohl's cash?

We just got a postcard the other day saying you could get 15,20 or 30% if you used your Kohl's charge, along with getting the Kohl's cash. I think the $370 would be about right with the 30% off. Don't they usually do free shipping on orders over $50?

 

[Mom2Ben02]

I bought this one: http://www.kohls.com/kohlsStore/ele...+Ready+Pack+Commercial+Grade+Deep+Cleaner.jsp

Use code FEBSAVINGS for 30% (if you have a Kohl's charge). I added a cheap little filler, and ended up with $70 in Kohl's cash and the Rug Doctor for $372ish. I just spent $60 for summer clothes there the other day, so I will rebuy them with the Kohl's cash and return. I figure my real cost is abt $300