Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Let me first say, I am in no way affiliated with Amazon or Rug Doctor. I do own a 30 year old commercial Rinse N Vac and used to be a professional carpet cleaner 20+ years ago. My commercial unit is showing it's age and is a pain to get out and maneuver around. I have rented Rug Doctors in the past few years and do like their results. We talked about buying a used commercial Rug Doctor and retiring my old unit. The store rental Rug Doctors are easier to use than my older unit, but the wife and I are getting older and like things simpler and easier. When I first saw reviews on this new model, I kinda laughed and thought it would be another one of those homeowner cleaners that would last a year, force you to buy their detergent, and then break down and force you to throw it away. The more I read into them, the better it sounded so I decided to order 1 and give it a try. I have to say, I am truly surprised in the results. This unit works much like the commercial ones where it injects a detergent/water solution, a brush agitates the carpet, and then it vacuums up the dirty water. I have to say, we were shocked at how dirty the water was that came out of a homeowner unit. Honestly, the water looked dirtier than what we got by using a rental. This unit does agitate the carpet upward in a way that works the dirt loose, pulls the dirty solution up, and actually raises the carpet knap back up. I recommend overlapping the cleaning path by 50% and pulling it back at about 1 foot every 2-3 seconds. If you go too fast, it doesn't have time to work. You may have areas that require multiple paths on it to clean it, but that's normal in high traffic areas. It also pulls a remarkable percentage of the solution back out of the carpet and allows it to feel almost dry immediately. I would say it leaves the carpet feeling as dry, if not drier than the rental machines, not to mention these units are lighter and easier to use. These units are residential units and are made primarily from plastic. This is not a problem if they are being used by adults who are aware of what they are doing. Don't expect to slam it into a brick fireplace without possible damage. The upholstery tool is also plastic, but then again, it is designed to clean cloth. It even has a stationary brush made into the underside of the tool to allow you to scrub the solution into upholstery and vacuum it back up. Both fresh water and dirty water tanks are also plastic, but they are strong enough to tolerate normal use. They hold smaller amounts of solution than a commercial unit, which means more frequent dumping of dirty water and refilling of clean water. This unit is lighter which means it doesn't require the struggle to use it like a rental unit. Another tip...you can use detergents other than their "branded" offerings. I personally use a degreaser or even a quality liquid laundry detergent. If you use laundry detergent, just make sure it is the "HE" (high efficiency) type for newer washers since this type does not foam up. Also, use a smaller amount such as 1 ounce per tank. The major misconception by homeowners when it comes to cleaning carpet is the amount of detergent required. If you have a tough spot, pre-spray it with a spray bottle filled with a stronger mixture. Don't mix all of your solution strong that sprays from the unit just to clean a few spots. The more detergent, the higher the chances of the carpet getting dirty faster due to the sticky detergent residue that will be left behind. Also, if you still find a problem with a spot after pre-spraying it and using the Rug Dr, simply prespray again, give it a couple minutes, then go over it with the Rug Dr at an angle 90 degrees from the way you first went over it. This sometimes helps to release the spot. To sum it up, if you use this unit as an adult, it should give you great service. It would be fine for using at home or at a rental property, but I wouldn't want to start using it commercially. The unit is much lighter and can be used by most anyone. If you still can't make up your mind, go ahead and get 1 of these units. They do what they were designed to and they do it very well. Furthermore, once you own your own unit, you can spot clean any time you need to instead of waiting til your carpet gets bad enough to justify a rental. You can have it up and going in a couple minutes and then clean it and put it back up in a short time too. Also, by owning your own unit, you don't have to worry about who's home it was in before. We will probably use ours monthly since it is so convenient to have around. *Edit* The video posted above is from about 3 weeks ago. This is a rental property that we own. Tenants were there for 6 months and I cleaned the carpet before they moved in. The first pic in the video shows the carpet on the day they moved out. The 2nd pic is while I was cleaning it with my Rug Doctor...notice the dirty water in the tank on the carpet. The 3rd pic is after I finished cleaning it. Tenant claimed she cleaned it 1 week before they moved out. You can make up your own decision on that one. Needless to say, their eviction was not a friendly process. I posted these pictures on her fb page and her sister tried to tell me that it wasn't the same carpet. She tried to say I replaced it after they moved out. Also, this carpet is 20 years old so it just goes to show that normal cleaning will make carpet last longer.