Rug Doctor Deep Carpet Cleaner Review

By
Jeneva Aaron
Jeneva is the founder and CEO of thehousewire.com where she provides honest and objective reviews on home and cleaning products. She is a cleaning enthusiast. She got inspired to build her own cleaning blog when she realized how cleaning can make an impact on our lives and how a cleaner home can affect a person's mood.
Learn more about The Housewire’s Editorial Process
Updated October 27, 2023

Gold-rated for best in class performance, this carpet cleaner is coming to the rescue.

It may sound dramatic, but they tend to hold most of the dust, dirt, and allergens in our homes.
That’s why most experts recommend a deep cleaning of carpeted areas at least once per year.
When it comes to a proper carpet cleaner, people often turn to professional carpet cleaning companies or rent a device.

This can be pricey and a time-consuming process. That’s why I decided to recommend you a carpet cleaner that brings results you can see immediately.
Rug Doctor Deep Carpet Cleaner will help you deal with both high-trafficked areas, messes, and tough stains.

It’s also capable of taking care of multiple dirty surfaces, like stairs and heavily soiled car interiors.
The bottom line is Rug Doctor Deep Carpet Cleaner maybe your next smart household investment.

Unboxing- Little to no effort

Rug Doctor Deep Carpet Cleaner Unboxing
Straight out of the box, Rug Doctor Deep Carpet Cleaner is coming well-packed. There’s little to no assembly required, and you’ll get a bottle of professional cleaner from the manufacturer.

Reviewers reported that that small assembly they had to do was pretty simple since all the parts are clearly labeled. It took less than 20 minutes before they were able to put the cleaner in work.

On the other hand, some customers stated that they received a package with some missing pieces and some cracks on those that were there. Finally, all you have to do is to check everything while you’re unboxing the cleaner and request a replacement if there’s anything wrong with the device parts.

Design and Maneuverability- Simple but effective

Most of the reviewers claim that Rug Doctor Deep Carpet Cleaner is designed for simple and easy use. It doesn’t have a built-in heater, but hot tap water does the job equally well. Besides that, a water tank is practical, with a lid doubling as a measuring cup and you can detach it, fill it, and attach it back on in seconds.

Also, Rug Doctor Deep Carpet Cleaner has bigger wheels that most reviewers expected, making it easier to maneuver over the doorways. Big wheels are also practical if you have a lot of stairs to cover. Customers testify how easy it is to move the cleaner around when it’s in “soap and scrub “mode. They say it practically moves on its own and demands a minimum physical effort. You can adjust the handle in multiple positions, which allows you to get under and around furniture. This is quite handy if you have a wall-to-wall carpeting situation going on in your home.

Finally, a big pro with this model is that it has onboard storage for all the additional attachments. It means that everything can be at the reach of your hand all the time. On the downside, reviewers often state that the solution and dirty water tank could be larger. At these dimensions, they require frequent filling and emptying.

Purpose and Usage- Demands some hustle

As the name implies, Rug Doctor Deep Carpet Cleaner is meant for deep carpet cleaning. However, some reviewers use it even for cleaning the car interior, and it works great, thanks to additional cleaning assessors. However, they noticed it runs out of water or cleaning solution right before they can cover all surfaces, so they have to refill it.

You can choose between three modes. One is a brush only mode, where the double dual-cross brush system gets deep into the carpets, scrub the fibers and loosen up any dirt, debris, or pet hair. This mode works like a regular vacuum. Most reviewers are surprised by suction power and cleaning performance. They state that Rug Doctor Deep Carpet Cleaner removes everything in just a few quick swipes.

The second mode is “soap and scrubs” one, where you can soak the stains to get them out. However, it seems that the soaking part is problematic since Rug Doctor Deep Carpet Cleaner realizes a bit much of liquid, so you’ll have to go over the area a few times to remove the most from the carpet.

Finally, there’s a “Super Boost Spray “mode for old stains or high traffic areas that require extra attention. Overall, reviewers are mostly satisfied with drying time. They say that it takes almost twice as less time than would be expected for the treated carpets to dry, even with the soaking problem.

Also, some customers are quite annoyed with the scrub button. It seems you have to hold it all the time for it to activate the brushes. Some sort of break or hold-and-release solution will be much better in this case. Also, Rug Doctor Deep Carpet Cleaner deep cleans when you make a backward motion, so it takes some time to get used to that and adjust the cleaning path.

Accessories- Very few pieces for the price point

Rug Doctor Deep Carpet Cleaner is coming with an additional elastic hose, an upholstery tool, and a small bottle of a cleaning solution. Hose gives a broader cleaning range and allows you to cover more space without moving the cleaner itself.

According to reviewers, the upholstery tool works great in tight spaces and as a hand tool for deep cleaning the furniture and car interiors. This tool works perfectly for spot stains or some areas that require additional treatment.

Finally, a cleaning solution is a kick-starter to put a device in use right from the box. All of the extra cleaning tools have their onboard storage, so it’s easy to keep everything neat and at the reach of the hand. The only problem customers reported is that the cord can be tricky to fold around the device.

Some find a solution in sewing an additional “cord holder ” on and use it to keep the cord in place. Finally, Rug Doctor Deep Carpet Cleaner has a carry handle to move it from one room to another quickly.

Results- Surprisingly professional-like

Most reviewers agree that Rug Doctor Deep Carpet Cleaner offers even better cleaning results than professional service, but costs a lot less in the long run. They usually made their minds about this purchase after they rented the Rug Doctor commercial carpet cleaners a few times.

After buying themselves, they find out that this carpet cleaner is much easier to use and has far more maneuverability than renting options from the same brand. Rug Doctor Deep Carpet Cleaner is also gold-rated as the best cleaner in class cleaning performance by CRI (Carpet and Rug Institute). Furthermore, according to reviews, those double-crossed brushes work. Most customers are surprised how much dirt and debris they get out of the carpet.

Also, while deep cleaning the carpets and removing stains, Rug Doctor Deep Carpet Cleaner freshens up the air. You can add a bit of essential oil to the solution to leave the scent in your home after a cleaning session.

On the other hand, many reviewers stated that it soaks the carpets much more than they expected. As much as this can be the problem, this carpet cleaner has a suction strong enough to get all of the cleaning solutions(1) back in the dirty tank and leave the carpets dry to the touch. However, it’s recommended that you give them a few extra hours to dry out to avoid molding and bacteria completely.

Also, with sturdy suction power, Rug Doctor Deep Carpet Cleaner not only cleans the carpet fibers thoroughly but turns them back up in the high trafficked areas, so the carpet looks brand new and shiny again.

Storage and Maintenance- Practical and easy

When it comes to storage, Rug Doctor Deep Carpet Cleaner comes up with some pretty practical solutions. First of all, there’s onboard storage for all the additional cleaning accessories. The only problem you may have with that is storing a cord. Since it’s pretty long, it can be a challenge to wrap it around the cleaner.

However, some reviewers find a solution in screwing in an extra holder to help keep the cord in one place when the cleaner is not in use. Rug Doctor Deep Carpet Cleaner has a large footprint, but other than that, it won’t take up much more space in your closet. After you are done cleaning, you can simply collapse a handle and store it away.

This is very helpful if you lack storage space (and who hasn’t?). Maintenance of this carpet cleaner is not any more hustle than with any other you can imagine. Just keep in mind that you empty both of the tanks before storing the machine away.

It will make it last much longer and prevent molding. Reviewers often emphasize how easy it is to clean up the tanks after the cleaning. Rug Doctor Deep Carpet Cleaner tends to form some fiber balls in the dirty water tank and on brushes, but a simple rinsing with clean water does the job. Just make sure everything is completely dry when you attach it back to the cleaner.

Price- Quality you’ll have to pay for

Every reviewer that mentioned the price stated that it seems like a bit much, but it’s worth it. Rug Doctor Deep Carpet Cleaner is noticeably pricier than most of the competition. When you do the math and include the price of renting a commercial carpet cleaner or hiring a professional service, it pays off pretty quickly.

Also, at this price, you get too deep to clean your carpets whenever you feel like it. On the other hand, at this price point, you may expect that Rug Doctor Deep Carpet Cleaner comes with more additional cleaning tools or at least an onboard water heater. However, most of the reviewers don’t find any problem with that.

On the contrary, they state that they are more than willing to compromise if it means better performance of the device.

Price- Quality you’ll have to pay for

Every reviewer that mentioned the price stated that it seems like a bit much, but it’s worth it. Rug Doctor Deep Carpet Cleaner is noticeably pricier than most of the competition. When you do the math and include the price of renting a commercial cleaner or hiring a professional service, it pays off pretty quickly.

Also, at this price, you get too deep to clean your carpets whenever you feel like it. On the other hand, at this price point, you may expect that Rug Doctor Deep Carpet Cleaner comes with more additional cleaning tools or at least an onboard water heater. However, most of the reviewers don’t find any problem with that.

On the contrary, they state that they are more than willing to compromise if it means better performance of the device.

Competition- Bissell Deep Clean Professional Pet carpet cleaner

In most reviews I read, customers often compare Rug Doctor Deep Carpet Cleaner with Bissell Deep Clean Professional Pet carpet cleaner. Overall, Rug Doctor Deep Carpet Cleaner is leading by a long shot.

When it comes to a Bissell model, it comes with an onboard heater, and it cleans in both front and reverses motions. On the other hand, it has just one tank with a separator for clean and dirty water, which most users find not secure enough. It’s also not performing great on the stairs and in the doorways.

Rug Doctor Deep Carpet Cleaner is far more maneuverable. It’s also easier to maintain since Bissell requires far more time to clean up after you are done vacuuming. Even as a “pet specialized “model, it tends to gather more hair and fibers in brushes, unlike Rug Doctor Deep Carpet Cleaner.

Finally, most reviewers that have experience with both machines state that
Rug Doctor Deep Carpet Cleaner does a visibly better job at deep cleaning the carpets and getting everything out.

They highly recommend opting for it if you can afford the price point since Bissell Deep Clean Professional Pet carpet cleaner is cheaper.

Specs

Product NameRug Doctor Deep Carpet Cleaner
Product BrandRug Doctor
SKUB00MFBJEU4
Price899.99
Weight2 years
Product Dimensions17.5 x 11.5 x 43.5 in.
WarrantyTwo years

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