To ask if you’ve ever rented a rug doctor?

[ethelfleda]

And was it any good? We have cream carpets upstairs and they are looking grubby. I was thinking of popping down to the supermarket to hire one but thought I would shamelessly post for traffic here to ask the great posters of MN if they’re any good?

I don't think they are much good. My carpets seem to get dirtier more easily after using a rug doctor.

Yes, we do it fairly often (in fact we should probably just buy a carpet shampooer!). We have three children, a dog and cream carpets so they’re a godsend!

Rug doctor ruined my cream carpets. Left a bluish tinge on them. Used the rug doctor detergent with it. Think they also got dirtier quicker after that.

I don’t really see how it can make them get dirtier quicker after, unless the detergent has an agent in that attracts dirt?
Not an issue we’ve had anyway.

I thought they were rubbish

I had one and it worked fine. I felt it would have been worth it if we had vast expanses of carpet or if you had just moved into somewhere really grimy. I do my carpets now with old towels -it is fiarly hard work but no slower really than the rug doctor- I'd have nearly half the room done using my current method in the time it takes to go and hire the rug doctor.

We do it once a year and find it great.

c75kp
How do you clean your carpets?

Sore subject for me 😂 halfway through shampooing the carpet in my lounge today (after reading the dirty house thread) and the belt on my vax broke

I have rented one several times ( including for a cream carpet)

Always been happy with results.

It didn't shift all the marks (dog drool from chews) but they were much cleaner and smelt better.
Surprisingly hard work! It's quite strenuous.

It's ok for a freshen up but if you have actual stains to remove then I would try a different brand. I didn't find it that great tbh and wouldn't use one again.

We used to hire the ones from HSS and they were really rubbish and knackered most of the time. Previously had a Vaxx which was OK but the tubes kept giving up.

We bought a George (Henry's cousin) and he has been good. He is the green one if you are going to look (assuming they haven't changed).

I think if you use carpet shampoo and make no attempt to rinse it out you possibly do end up creating a surface that dirt sticks to. I dont recall there being a rinse phase with rug doc?

Yep we rented one. You have to have realistic expectations. They do NOT get severe grime up unless you treat the area first. They DO freshen up a carpet nicely. We have used them when we rented places with grim cream carpets. It got all the surface level dirt off but areas of carpet that are dark due to wear and tear/being the main walkway don't lift particularly well. They aren't miracle machines but they certainly do help to brighten the carpet up.

I used one after a big DIY phase at dh's old house. Carpet looked lovely afterwards.

By the time you've used rug doctor a few times, you could have bought a Vax or a Bissell (sp?)

We've had both and the Bissell is brilliant. Ours has an attachment for upholstery which means we an also use it on carpeted stairs. And it doesn't seem to leave the carpets more prone to collect dirt like the rug doctor definitely does.

Yes it did the job on cream carpets (hairy smelly dog.)

Yes massive improvement but need to hoover first, pre-treat really and areas and it is quite hard work. Beige carpets, didn't damage and a lot cleaner. We use the larger one.

I make up carpet shampoo and rub it over a smallish patch of carpet with an old towel - quite a lot of brown yuck comes off on the towel so you need to keep turning the towel. I then go over it with a dry towel - more yuk - and keep turning the towel or using new towels until you have soaked up most of the shampoo out of the carpet.

Repeat with clean water until the towel comes off clean and the excess water has been worked out of the carpet.

Boil wash the towels. You need a lot of towels and a fair amount of energy.

I am not sure I'd give a good wool carpet that treatment though.

I think the carpets appear dirtier after some cleaners because they have not been 100% dry, so any new dust/sand/dirt stickes easier.

I would do half a room each day, so you dont walk on 1 half.

I bought a Vax in July with attatchments and I still havn't used it

I think after first clean the carpets start looking dirtier again quicker.

Used them, mmm..

Any carpet cleaner than leaves the carpet a bit damp, and with soap residue on it, will result in the carpet getting dirty faster in future as the soap residue allows dirt to stick (and it stays damp, most soaps are humectants, pulling moisture out of the air, so it carries on being sticky).

So the best carpet cleaners are the ones that slurp out the liquid efficiently and dry efficiently.

When we get rug doctor we pre-treat heavily stained areas, go over a few times with the soap and then a few times with no soap just hot water. Then crank up the heating AND surface dry with clean old towels.

I've rented them a couple of times for my car. If you rent them on a bank holiday weekend, you might be able to get a longer rental period for a single 24 hour fee 😉. I find that they work well on my car upholstery, but it's bloody hard work.

I'd quite like to buy a George.

I've used one a few times and thought they were pretty good