Rug Doctor product reviews

We first used the Rug Doctor to clean our house prior to moving in as the carpets were filthy. We have subsequently hired the Rug Doctor every 6 -12 months over the past 6 years to deal with the mess from general use and babies/toddlers various outputs including a whole bottle of PVA glue!
Both supermarkets close to us have the Rug Doctor and have always had available to use even when one was required (for the glue) on the same day. Generally I will ring and book a couple of days ahead. We have found (in the six times we have hired from three different supermarkets) that the staff have always followed the correct procedure re checking the machines, taking the deposit etc and advising re amount of cleaning products and types required. They have all also been flexible on return times, once allowing us to have overnight without charging extra. Generally I book out for four hours as this is enough time to do our four bedroom house and if I am quick both the cars as well with the upholstery attachment. The upholstery attachment is an extra cost which I think is not great as the attachment is required if you want to clean "the strip" next to the skirting and any difficult to reach areas.

You do need to be physically able as the cleaning unit is heavy and you also have to empty the unit and refill it constantly. I tend to go through about three/four refills per room. I use less than the recommended amount of cleaner as I find the correct solution too strong and because we clean frequently and use separate spot cleaner for specific messes we don't require full strength on the whole carpet.

I wear ear muffs as the unit is loud and the noise gets to you after a few hours. I have found the Rug Doctor to be extremely effective and our carpets look fantastic after cleaning. I think the upholstery attachment is great as it ensures that any fabric covered furniture and our cars get an excellent clean also. If used correctly our carpets have usually dried by the end of the day with the doors and windows open. I wouldn't clean the carpets on a wet day as carpets might not dry out as quickly.

Do use a towel on your car seat if you have cleaned it when returning the unit as otherwise you will be a little damp! The unit is very easy to hose clean before returning but do once again have a towel underneath to protect your car. Overall the Rug Doctor is an extremely cheap and easy way to get your carpets and upholstery looking great and I will continue to use this unit and the associated products.

We have always used the rug doctor when leaving rental properties to freshen the carpet for the owners. We have found it to be suitable for light stain removal and carpet freshening, and it is not too bad on some furniture also, but we would not recommend it for hard stains or anything like that.

The machine is seriously heavy too, so you do need a reasonably good arm and no back problems when using it The added cost for the shampoos etc does seem a little unfair when you do go into hire, and they could possibly be a little cheaper, as you do use a fair amount of shampoo and water to clean each room...so you would spend quite a bit extra if doing an entire house.

I do agree with the other review, earmuffs would also be a great idea, as the machine is seriously loud and it is true that there is a strip that does not get cleaned which is a hassle too, as you end up with carpets that are clean everywhere but that strip and it is quite obvious. If you're not careful you can end up with very damp carpets as well, but as we have only used it when we have already vacated a property, for us this has never been an issue.

All in all the machine is ok and depending on what you're expecting from it, does an alright job, and for the small hire price is worth it.

After some interesting emails from some of our regular readers, we decided it was time to go 'mystery shop' the Rug Doctor. Just down the road a short way is a supermarket that hires them out, so after some research I gave them a ring and gave them the spiel... "Hi, do you hire out those Rug Doctor things please?" "Sure do, how long would you need it for?"... and so it began... the scenario offered was a single room needed to be cleaned. It had fresh staining from the aftermath of a toddler's removed nappy.

They assured me that the machine would do the job to a professional level, the shortest rental period was 4 hours at $39.99, and they had a machine available and ready to run. So, I said I would be there shortly, and off I went to collect it.

Now my research showed me that the proper procedure for these machines is to give it a detailed inspection prior to rental, and again upon it's return. This is to confirm that it is clean, free from debris and clogging that could impair it's performance, and that it was in full functioning order. The research also indicated that the Upholstery Attachment - a handheld unit that attaches to the main machine - would have also been an appropriate device for this scenario. Toddler poop is something you want to make CERTAIN is fully removed.

Upon my arrival at the store, I introduced myself to the young lady who I had spoken to on the phone, and she unpacked a machine from the rack, grabbed a bottle of something, and returned to me at the service desk. She then gave the machine a fairly good check on the underside, removing a large wad of matted carpet fibres from the agitator brush that looked absolutely foul, and checked the machine off as "suitable to hire" - despite the filter being quite dirty and the filter hood (which should have been clearly see-through) being streaked with dirty stains. I wasn't too concerned by this, as the filter comes AFTER the water has been sucked out of the carpet, so it's 'downstream' from where it's essential for the water to be clean.

I was then informed that the *mandatory* shampoo was a further $13.00 on top of the rental, and there was a $20 bond as well, refundable on return of a clean machine to cover the cost of cleaning it if I was lazy and didn't rinse it out first. I pointed out that the machine was dirty already, and was told that it must come back clean or the bond would be retained. I thought this was a bit cheeky, but let it slide. After all... I was 'undercover' and didn't want to make a big scene. I arrived expecting to pay $40, and left with a wallet $73.00 lighter. Funny thing is, she only took down one form of ID despite the form clearly stating "two forms of ID required" - that should have been my second warning that things weren't going right...

Upon return to the 'testing room' I followed the instructions on the shampoo bottle and mixed up 9 litres of hot water and 250ml of the shampoo, disassembled the machine so I could fill the tank, reassembled it, got it into the test area, plugged it in, and prepared to run it over the stains to be tested. Flick the switch to 'Clean Carpets' mode... nothing. Not a bean of noise or action. I checked the reset switch, power switch, power cable and wall socket... they all appeared to be in working order... but no 'cleaning' action going on!

After 5 minutes of trying everything, including a triple-check of the wall socket using a TV and an electrician's probe meter, it was time to ring the helpdesk. I spoke to a lovely lady there who ran me through more tests, and after scratching our collective heads for a minute, she checked with her manager who said they would arrange a replacement machine from the same store, and they'd ring me if there was a problem. No phonecall 5 minutes later, so after emptying the machine of all that wasted water and shampoo, off I go to return the faulty machine.

As I walked in, I was greeted by the same supervisor again, who apologised most sincerely and explained that they had confirmed a replacement machine on the phone to R/D HQ... and then realised that of the three machines they had, one was out on rental until later that evening and the other was ALSO non-functional... with very similar symptoms. However, some kudos are required, not only did they issue me a full refund but they also had been on the phone and jacked up a replacement machine from another, nearby store. I was assured that the machine would be comprehensively checked prior to my arrival.

I pulled up and shot inside, and sure enough I was expected. A machine was unhooked from the rack, given a VERY detailed inspection, and yes... they even plugged it into the wall and made sure the motor would run. The paperwork was completed quickly and efficiently, with TWO forms of ID taken down... yet it wasn't noticed that the names on the Drivers Licence and EFTPOS cards didn't match.

Getting this machine back to the stain lab, I again went through the measure/mix/fill routine, plugged it in, switched it on... and then wished I had remembered the earmuffs. These machines aren't exactly subtle. None the less, the stains were eventually removed at the visible level, after four passes with the machine and some crafty pre-soaking tricks that are certainly NOT covered in the user instructions. A smart operator will be able to figure out a method of pre-treating the stains once they have a look at the undercarriage and the placement of the spray nozzles and the suction head.

Cleaning the entire room four times in total took 18 litres of water, 500ml of shampoo and about 45 minutes. (Of course, on top of that was 9 litres of water, 250ml of shampoo, and around an hour wasted by the faulty machine we were given in the first place.) The optimum speed to move the machine is stated as "...1 step per second..." - but since everyone has a different length of step, our testing process defined an average step as 70cm per second. After examination of the undercarriage highlighted a serious design fault that will prevent the full cleaning of a room unless you shell out the extra costs of hiring the Upholstery Attachment as well... the main machine has a 'dead zone' where the water won't reach. If you butt the nose of the machine right up against the skirting boards, the water is hitting the carpet a full 10-12cm short of the wall... meaning the carpet will have a 'no-cleaning-zone in a 10cm strip all the way around the edges. So if your stains reach right to the wall, get the extra attachment.

After the cleaning was done, I took the machine outside and emptied out the tanks, rinsed out and washed the filter, hosed down the underside to remove the gunk and debris stuck to it, de-furred the brush, and gave it a wipe down so it wouldn't dribble in the car. Then, it was off to hand it back in less than an hour after I walked out. The supervisor saw me, took my bit of paperwork, refunded my bond and wished me a good night... without even giving the machine a check-over. I could have brought back a different machine even, as he didn't even check the serial codes on the side. A little slack, but not my real concern any more, now that my wallet had the bond back in it.

Overall... a very disjointed experience that highlighted some great service, a need for more training, and the fact that, if used properly and with some thought, this machine certainly has some very well deserved press. Though I would dispute, with reason, the assertion that it will clean as well as a commercial machine - or better, I can say that after treatment, the carpet was only *just* noticeably damp to the touch, certainly clean to the naked eye, and suitable to walk on less than an hour later if the windows are opened to allow airflow to carry away evaporation. My only warning is this: the catchphrase "Steaming mad at dirt" implies this is a steam cleaner. We found absolutely NO evidence that the basic machine generates any steam at all. Far from it... it spews out a stream of hot air, hot soapy water, but not a jot of detectable steam. That may in fact be the domain of the Upholstery attachment, which we were unable to test this time. Since I have had training in commercial carpet cleaning, how to get the best use out of the machine was something I could work out fairly quickly. Most users though wouldn't have this benefit, and would undoubtedly move the machine either too fast - and end up with a substandard clean - or too slowly - and end up with soggy carpets. For the best results, take the time to practice with the machine switched off. 70cm per second is faster than you think.