Rug Doctor - anyone used?

[colovacman]

Hi all...I've been less than pleased with the performance of my Hoover steam vac and have been looking around at other options. One of my biggest complaints is the amount of water the Hoover leaves on the carpet. Several Web sites have touted the Rug Doctor as being a great cleaner. Do any of you have any experience with it? I've never rented one from the store but think it might be worth trying it out. The new steam cleaners from most of the major retailers just don't seem to be cutting it with my carpet.

Any info. would be greatly appreciated!

 

[talktotravis]

Mighty Pro

I own the Mighty Pro (blue, the retail version--any red versions are not authorized for resale). It is expensive and heavy, but it cleans FAR better than any version made by Hoover or Bissell and the like. As far as extraction machines go, it is definitely one of the best for under 700 dollars. The biggest differences I would say are the agitation, which is much more vigorous, the pump, which sprays solution at high pressure, and the vacuum, which leaves the carpet much dryer. All three of these elements are stronger than on most of its counterparts.

 

[swingette]

ive rented the Rug Doctor many times and always get perfect results. btw, i used the classic-style Hoover steamvac with spin-scrub once to clean a living room. it was a plush synthetic carpet. i expected lousy results (compared to Rug Dr) but it did a lovely job, and this carpet dried very quickly too. also, if the carpet has degraded due to poor vacuuming, it can be impossible to get good results. also, stains that have soaked into the depths of the rug and or pad are NOT easily removed by an extractor, or any other means.

 

[robgwisdala]

Hello

I used the Rug Doctor Mighty Pro a couple of times...It works great but is heavy and bulky!
I have a Hoover F5914 SteamVac...It cleans as well as the Rug Doctor! It is also lighter and smaller.
It has 12 amp motor/heated cleaning/5 SpinScrub brushes/SpinScrub handtool/CleanSurge.

 

[robgwisdala]

Hello

I also use my Kirby G3 and Ultimate G Diamond Edition to shampoo carpets with...They work great!
I also have a Kenmore scrubber/shampooer with 3 speed 4.2 amp motor...That is made by Koblenz. That also shampoos carpets very well!

 

[vac-o-matic]

Hoover Widepath

I have the Hoover Widepath 6 brush steamvac with dual headlights, oh my, and it does a wonderful job. I have old carpet, but with a thick pad, and it has held up wonderfully over the years. I have a dog, and I spill things, ugh, so periodic steam cleaning is mandatory. Any time I had a professional do it, it took 2-3 days to completely dry, my guess is do to oversaturation. It dries in about 24hrs when I use my 12-amp Hoover. I do use a solution that I get from a vac shop, it's Formula 770 for hot water extraction. You only use half the amount than if you use the Hoover solvent, and it does a wonderful job. I also have 2 cars which both have beige carpeted floor mats, and I clean them with the upholstery attachment whenever I do the carpeting, and they come out great also. I just saw the Hoover Widepath at Sears the other day for $229.00, a great buy, I think I paid $299.00 for mine awhile back.

 

[converto-skip]

Eureka Atlanis

I have a Eureka Atlantis that does an awsome job as well as my Rainbow E series too does a great job as well. I have used my Kirby's but the only thing about them the carpets stay wet for like half a day before drying. both the eureka and Rainbow the carpets dry by an hour later

Skip...

 

[compactc9]

I will only use commercial type carpet cleaners, like the Rug Doctor. I don't feel that any of these new Eurekas, Bissells, or Hoovers really have the power to do it.

 

[colovacman]

thank you

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. I've had two Hoover steam vacs now...the first worked okay, but the newer one just doesn't seem to be picking up as much water as I'd like it to. I'll try the Rug Doctor by renting a machine to see how it does.

 

[talktotravis]

Check Ebay

Just wanted to throw in my $0.02 that sometimes a search on ebay yields good results--I have seen many on there as the current trend of replacing carpeting with laminate flooring sweeps the nation. My only advice would be to avoid the red machines at all costs, as these are not sold under legitimate pretenses and are high in hours. Rug Doctor customer service, while excellent, will not support or provide parts for any red (rental) machine to a consumer.

 

[swingette]

another two cents

you may want to consult with a Hoover Guru before giving up on the Hoover. they sometimes need a little tlc. but the Rug Doctor is sure to please!

 

[colovacman]

Update

Hey all...I did take my Hoover to the service center just to make sure it's working correctly. Everything checked out okay -- it just seems to leave things a little wetter than I would like. I'm not ready to plop down the $700 for a new Rug Doctor, so I think I'll rent one for the day just to see how it does. Thankfully I don't need to steam my carpets too often as the wall-to-wall carpet is downstairs and hardly ever gets walked on. It's just nice to have them dry quickly when I clean my bedroom (especially in the winter so it's not too cold!).

You are all such a great source of information -- thank you!

 

[electrolux-dude]

Carpet Cleaning

This is my opinion of Cleaning Carpets with a Rug Doctor. I have used them, and they in my opinion, don't do a whole lot better than these carpet cleaners that you buy at Wal-Mart. While they do have a little larger pressure pump--25 or 50 p.s.i. at the most--In My Opinion--I don't feel that's adequate. You are better off having your carpets professionally steam-cleaned, with Truck-Mounted units. I personally work for a Carpet Cleaning Company, that has been in the business for 30 years. We use Truck-Mounted units, and I have never heard of carpets taking 2 to 3 days to dry. Drying times do depend on the humidity, type of weather, etc, but we offer air movers that will help speed up the drying times. On average, the drying times are from 2 to 6 hours. Air Movers will help speed up drying, along with extra dry vacuum strokes with the wand of the truckmount. The Heat, High Pressure, and High Suction from a Truckmount produce results that are astonishing! Also, a lot of these carpet cleaning machines that you buy at Wal-Mart, made by Hoover, Eureka, and Bissell, have rotating brushes, and rotating brushes are not recommended by the Carpet Manufacturing industries, as they can un-twist the carpet fibers. The Carpet Cleaning manufacturers all recommend having your carpets professionally steam-cleaned every 6 months to a year. Truck-Mounted machines are recommended, as there is not any other method that is as thorough as a Truck Mount. If anything, these little machines that you buy at Wal-Mart are best for just spot-cleaning. When it comes time for a deep cleaning--You cannot beat the results of Truck-Mounted cleaning. Like I mentioned earlier, a Rug Doctor's pressure pump is 25 or 50 p.s.i at the most. A Truck Mounted machine's pressure can be adjusted from as little as 100 p.s.i. to over 1,000 p.s.i. for Pressure Washing. The Pressure that our company uses for Truck-Mounted Carpet cleaning is between 400-500 p.s.i. A Truck Mount has a large vacuum blower, powered by the gasoline engine, along with stainless steel heat exchangers, that will heat the water to over 200 degrees. That, my friend, is Real Carpet Cleaning--You can't beat a Truck Mount!

 

[bigbubbacain]

If you can't have your rugs cleaned professionally, Rug Doctor is the next best thing. I've recently switched to using an Oreck Orbiter with Sebo's or Capture's dry-cleaning compound because I have mold/mildew allergies and live in a humid place. I keep my Rug Doctor Mighty Pro as a backup in case the dog yacks or something like that. I think it's the only "home friendly" machine designed to commercial specs.