It's usually easy to pick up the phone and hire a service, but that option is also a very expensive way to go. It costs a lot less to find some way to do it yourself. But until fairly recently the only way to do that was to rent a portable unit and that in itself can be quite a hassle.
Now there are several good carpet cleaning extractors available for purchase. We see them at all the big-box stores, but how do we know if they really are any good? Sure the manufacturers all claim to offer the best, for the least, but they have a vested interest in telling the real truth don't they?
This blog, and the YouTube channel it is linked with offer something that I believe anyone with an interest in choosing one of these machines should be happy to see. Video made in real world situations without studio conditions, and without carpets purposely set up to exaggerate the cleaning effectiveness of the machine being demonstrated.
The video proof is in the pudding as it were, and those who want to know if Rug Doctor lives up to it's claims, need only look at these video's to see how well they really work when put to the test.
I use Rug Doctor carpet extractor's to do a small business that cleans rental property carpets when they need to get back on line as inexpensively as possible. To be an affordable option in my local market I can't invest any more than necessary to do the job effectively.
Sure, I could go out and purchase a van unit and do these carpets a little faster, but how can I justify the expense over what I already accomplish quite easily with machines costing well under $1000 each?
I could spend from $1000 to $3000 and get a portable (self contained or box extractor) and probably stay within the same charging price window, but my margins will be smaller with the increased overhead right?
So what I did was get a Rug Doctor X-3 (and a couple of Mighty Pro's), a Ridgid Wet/Dry Vac with a Carpet and Hard Floor Nozzle (to get the nasty stuff out of the carpet before getting it wet), a Dyson DC25 for nicer carpets and quick touch-ups, and there I was.
Can I out clean a van unit or high end portable? Yes. I do it all the time.
But how is that possible?
Basically it boils down to this. Carpet cleaning involves chemistry and technique. But it mostly requires effort and a determination to do a superior job. A good carpet cleaner uses the equipment available to them successfully because they care about doing a good job. I out clean van units and portables all the time by trying to do a good job, while they don't. They try to make quick money and up sale the customer with "cleaning packages" and other slick marketing (strong arm?) techniques. You don't want to pay more than the quoted price? Don't expect a good job!
Rug Doctor makes a very capable extractor. It operates on about 30psi of pressure, with a vibrating (back and forth motion) brush, which does clean both sides of the carpet fibers effectively in one pass (most cases). It is very durable and will hold up in extended use (watch the video's to see).
The Rug Doctor name has been associated for decades now with rental units, and recently they have begun selling the SAME machine to individuals for what is a truly remarkable bargain, when compared to it's actual competition (van units and portables, not the less expensive units on the shelves at the local store).
The price of the Rug Doctor is higher than some less well made and functioning brands, but they break down quickly while the Rug Doctor keeps on cleaning. That makes their lower price much less of a bargain than it appears doesn't it?
I claimed that Rug Doctor can compete with high end professional equipment. It can because it has the goods to clean carpet. It doesn't have ultra high pressure, ultra high temperature, or especially high cfm or lift, but it has more than enough to clean carpets.
It is gentle on carpet, and that's a good feature, not a bad one. Think about it, if the carpet backing is treated too aggressively, it may start to deteriorate. If the individual fibers are not treated carefully they can start to un-twist and ruin the look and feel of the carpet. Carpet that is subjected to too much heat and pressure will be adversely affected. Those high pressure, high temperature options may get the dirt out, but do they really improve the carpet while doing so?
Those units are popular because they work fast (fast work equals fast money). They are safe if used by a careful technician, but too often an hourly employee is using them under pressure to make the most money possible in a day. Is that good for your carpets?
The video's here on this blog show some examples of real world carpet cleaning with a Rug Doctor. The X-3 used in these videos has been used to clean close to two hundred apartments without any breakdowns. The brush on this unit is the original brush and has never been off the unit. The durability of this Rug Doctor X-3 is exceptional.
Go to the channel joerwheelervideo and sample the videos available there to see how well the Rug Doctor really cleans. Can it remove every single stain in the whole world? Nope. But nobody can remove every stain. Damage to fibers etc, can affect the appearance of carpet even when it is very clean, so unfortunately even the best cleaning in the world will not always result in great looking carpets.
Keep in mind that these videos show real world use in apartments that are being put back on line to re-rent. The carpets in units like this need to be decent enough to rent out, not necessarily perfect or brand new looking. But by the same token, if the Rug Doctor can't make an effective job of it, they wouldn't keep hiring me to use it would they?
Thanks for reading this rather lengthy post, but if you are considering investing in a carpet cleaning extractor, then I know you are desirous of truthful information to consider before making the leap and spending money for something that may or may not live up to it's claims. I hope you'll find some helpful information and knowledge from this blog and the YouTube channel as well...
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