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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

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

53 replies

ethelfleda · 05/10/2019 13:47

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?

OP posts:
Butternutsqoosh · 05/10/2019 14:34

My DH came back from Costco last Christmas with a brand new one he'd bought and proudly proclaimed that it was my Christmas present. I made it very clear that under no circumstances was I going to accept such a dreadful gift and suggested he immediately take it back and get a refund. He was most put out, and suggested maybe he'd have a go himself 🙄 I told him I'd never bloody use it and if he wanted to spend £300 odd on it then he was a fool. He's used it a couple of times but it's very heavy. Apparently. And makes the whole house damp! Can't wait for this Christmas!!

Africa2go · 05/10/2019 14:39

Yes, thought it was rubbish.

As for looking grubbier after, in some cases (I'm told) it takes off the protection / stain resistance that is built into the carpet.

I would pay for a professional company to do it.

Cluelessbeetroot · 05/10/2019 14:44

We might have been unlucky with a faulty one, but found it really hard work to start with and it left streaks on the carpets. Wouldn’t get one again.

Alsohuman · 05/10/2019 14:47

When you can have carpets professionally cleaned so cheaply, it seems pretty pointless.

56Marshmallow · 05/10/2019 14:57

Yes, that's what happened to us, bluish streaks on the carpet.

Put it this way, they looked worse AFTER using the rug doctor.

EmeraldShamrock · 05/10/2019 15:05

I didn't find it great. We done about 3 cleans on the carpet of a rented property it was filthy, they were cleaner but not spotless as stains stayed.

Nonnymum · 05/10/2019 15:10

I have, I wasn't sure about it because previously have paid somone to clean the carpets but I thought it was great, it was easy to use, cleaned my carpets well and was much cheaper than getting someone in to do it. I have a lot of shampoo left though but will keep that for next time.

Allmyfavouritepeople · 05/10/2019 15:10

Previously used a hire one from hss or some place and that was better. Recently used a rug doctor because hss wanted over £100 to hire it this time. Wouldn't recommend it. Was a very superficial clean. Beige carpet didn't look any different. Newer darker one looked better but smelt worse.

PrayingandHoping · 05/10/2019 15:12

Yes I rented one a couple years ago. I have cream carpets and 2 dogs.... worked really well. We were very pleased

Decided to recently invest in a VAX carpet cleaner recently so we could do it more regularly as with best intentions we'd never rented one since.... it's brilliant! Very pleased with it. The reviews were right

Fishbiscuits · 05/10/2019 15:16

*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.*

Another vote for a Bissell here. Mine only cost me about £150 a couple of years ago and it is absolutely amazing, I thought my carpets were beyond saving but it managed to get them clean. You can get more expensive models that heat the water for you, and I have read reviews that say they are better, but honestly I think mine is plenty good enough.

ArthurtheCatsHumanSlave · 05/10/2019 15:17

We just decided to clean our cream carpets after 15 years Blush. In our defense we are a no shoes house. However, they did need a clean, especially in the door ways and in front of the sofas. We looked at hiring, and the cost of a professional clean, and decided to invest in a Vax instead.

DH did the carpets a couple of weekends ago, and we are really impressed. They have come up really clean, were damper than we thought, took a good 4 hours to be able to walk on, but he thinks he maybe rinsed too much. Anyway, they look great, and we wonder why we never bought the cleaner earlier. We also got a free steamer! Not sure what to do with that though.......

Alsohuman · 05/10/2019 15:18

was much cheaper than getting someone in to do it.

I very much doubt that. Here you can have three rooms (any size) professionally cleaned for £40.

SamBeckett · 05/10/2019 15:20

I have a VAX for home but use a rug doctor in the pub , is has to cope with a lot of spilt beer and foot fall ! they do a good job but I wish it had a bigger tank I seem to spend more time emptying and refilling the flaming thing .
Pre-treat grubby areas , shampoo it all then go back over with just water to ensure you have got all the soap up . Don't walk on the carpet until it is dry ( use towels / crank heating up ) .
They have a upholstery cleaning tool which in theory you could use on stairs but because of the weight / design / shape of the machine means can not IMO use them on stairs.

iwashappyonce · 05/10/2019 16:17

We have one on hire right now! DH is doing a rug as I type. Will report back.

Byllis · 05/10/2019 18:43

I've hired a rug doctor twice. The first time we were really impressed. It gave a new lease of life to old cream carpets. The second time we weren't nearly so impressed and we got the streaks too. Same carpet as before. The carpet seemed to be saturated, which I think caused this, although we'd used the machine in the same way.

BiBiBirdie · 05/10/2019 18:47

Yes we did every couple of months until we got our Vax Rapide. It was actually really good- we have cream carpets and they used to come up lovely.

onthebusoctopus · 05/10/2019 18:48

I did. It was actually quite good.

EleanorLavish · 05/10/2019 18:51

I use a company called ‘Carpet doctor’. They come out and a guy will clean carpets, sofas, rugs, chairs etc.
Absolutely brilliant and really recommend.

PookieDo · 05/10/2019 18:54

I have because I had a big area to clean
They aren’t my preferred method as they are so heavy and annoying
I have a small handheld bissel now and although takes ages, I prefer using it (hand held!)

Whatsername7 · 05/10/2019 18:58

I rented one a few weeks ago and it worked a treat on dd's cream bedroom carpet (which had been puked on more times than I care to admit.) However, I did go over the carpet with the hand held upholstery attachement and that was the bit that made the most difference.

Rhayader · 05/10/2019 19:35

I’ve rented one before but it kept tripping out circuit breaker. They gave me a different one which worked pretty well but I’ve just bought one now. We have little ones and quite often get wees on carpets!

Confrontayshunme · 05/10/2019 21:03

We were required to get carpets cleaned once a year when we rented, and the LL and agent said it was fine to use a rug doctor. I treated the worst stains before with an oxy treatment then used the machine on them. I loved how clean they looked after!

1Morewineplease · 05/10/2019 21:37

I don’t rate Rug Doctor at all. Used them a few times in the vain hope that they would rejuvenate them.
I was told by a caretaker once that carpet cleaners don’t work well unless you use one that uses heated water. I did borrow one of these and it made a huge difference but I ended up replacing our carpets and put some laminate down as well.
Sorry for not being helpful.

HotChocWithCream · 05/10/2019 21:39

I thought it was meh.

I got a professional out and the difference was astounding. I’d never bother with rug doctor again.

PrayingandHoping · 05/10/2019 21:41

@1Morewineplease the rug doctor we hired and the VAX we've now bought both are to be used with hot water?