When it comes to carpet cleaners, very few can consumer brands can match the Rug Doctor’s sheer deep cleaning abilities.
They’re like the Ford Trucks for carpet cleaners – reliable, sturdy, simple to use, but not very cheap.
As they say, you get what you pay for, and you’ll be getting a lot with the Rug Doctor.
With over 40 years of experience in the carpet cleaning business, these guys know their stuff.
And short of renting a commercial-grade cleaner, this product will yield professional-looking results minus the expense if you’re willing to do the work yourself.
Don’t worry, though. This machine is easy to use despite looking very bulky.
Better Than A Hoover Power Scrub Deluxe?
Rug Doctor Deep Carpet Cleaner Review
The Rug Doctor Deep Carpet Cleaner boasts of a “best in class” suction with 75% compared to other full-sized carpet cleaners. This improvement is evident when you use this machine on carpets to pick up even the toughest stains like coffee. One difference between this machine and the Bissell is that this carpet cleaner only agitates at the backward pass. Even the nozzle where the cleaning solution comes out is located behind the machine. This design somewhat slows down the process, but the stiff brushes and the strong suction, make it an effective carpet cleaning machine.
A quick look at the features
- Dual cross brushes will clean your carpet in as little as a single pass
- These brushes oscillate through the carpet to deep clean, polish, and groom at the same time
- Powerful suction technology reduces moisture and thus will have shorter drying times (only 4 hours)
- Rug Doctor claims this will have 75% more suction versus other brands
- It has a wide 12″ cleaning path
- Out of the box, there is almost no assembly needed so that you can use this immediately minus any guesswork
- Removable caddy provides more versatility as it helps clean stairs and upholstery
- The caddy has a 7.7-foot hose
- Separate tanks for clean and dirty water
- “Simple lift” feature makes it easy to remove both tanks
- Large carpet-friendly wheels make this easy to push and pull
- Collapsible handles reduce footprint and allow for easy storage
- 28-foot long power cord
- Weighs 25 pounds
- 1-gallon tank capacity (clean water tank: 3.8 liters / dirty water tank: 4.2 liters)
- Comes with a Rug Doctor carpet detergent (266ml trial size)
- Two-year warranty
Pros
- Will give you commercial quality results without spending a ton of $$$.
- Water tanks are easy to remove and clean thanks to the simple to use locking mechanism.
- Versatile enough to clean stairs and upholstery, so you don’t need to buy another product.
- Despite the weight, large wheels allow it to move around comfortably.
- Two brush system will thoroughly clean the carpet.
- Awarded Gold by the Carpet & Rug Institute (or CRI) for soil removal, water removal, and surface retention (proof that this carpet cleaner works!)
- Great suction will result in a fast drying time of just 4 hours.
Cons
- More expensive than most other upright carpet cleaners like the Hoover Power Scrub Deluxe.
- Some folks have complaints about the flimsy cord hooks.
- Parts are plastic, but heck almost all carpet cleaners are the same.
What to expect from the Rug Doctor Deep Carpet Cleaner?
When it comes to DIY carpet cleaning, only a few can match the sheer deep cleaning performance of this machine.
For years, Rug Doctor has been a fixture in many professional cleaner’s arsenals of tools. And you’ll have access to this performance minus paying hundreds (or thousands) of dollars per cleaning cycle.
Please take note that this machine will not match a commercial-grade cleaner’s performance, but it’s darn close.
Close enough to impress former professionals who do this for a living.
It has several tools in its bag of tricks to make this possible.
Dual Cross Brushes
Unlike the Hoover carpet cleaners that use five small spinning brushes, Rug Doctor’s one broad sweeping brush with really stiff bristles.
While the spinning brushes work well in theory, it’s Rug Doctor that performs better in comparison tests I’ve seen on YouTube.
The dual cross design and the very stiff bristles do a great job of agitating all carpet fibers’ sides.
Not only will it agitation, but it also grooms at the same time!
It does three things – agitation, groom, and polish, thus leaving your carpets clean with fewer passes than an upright carpet cleaner.
Super Boost Spray
Cleaning a heavily soiled carpet will be a problem as well.
Rug Doctor has this feature they call the “Super Boost Spray” that sprays cleaner on filthy carpet areas that may need more cleaning solution.
The sprayer is at the back of the cleaner (watch it at the “cleaning performance” part of this review).
It will work great in high traffic areas.
Some experts recommend presoaking filthy areas with a cleaning solution a few minutes before running the machine to loosen up the dirt.
This is a technique that professionals use to avoid over-application of cleaning solution.
If you put too much cleaning solution on the carpet, it makes it sticky and prone to getting dirty at a quicker rate.
75% More Suction
One of the most significant issues with smaller upright carpet cleaners would be the soapy residue it can leave behind.
Having more soap residue means the carpet is sticky. And a sticky carpet will attract dirt like crazy.
In no time, your carpet will be dirty again. You don’t want that.
The Rug Doctor prevents this thanks to superior suction (up to 75% more) it has that minimizes the amount of cleaning solution left. But you still have to do your part is use only the right amount of detergent.
Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that using more detergent will clean better.
Having more suction also reduces the drying time – only 4 hours.
Simple Lift Tanks
Another great feature is the dual lift tanks that carry clean and dirty water.
Having separate water tanks prevents cross-contamination.
And removing both tanks is simple with the easy to use single-arm locking mechanism that you pull.
The dirty water tank has a 4.2-liter capacity while the clean water tank can carry 3.8 liters.
Transparent water tanks with larger lids
The water tanks are transparent to help with visibility. It’ll be easy to see how much cleaning solution remains inside the clean container and if the dirty tank needs emptying.
Filling it up will be easier because this variant has larger lids.
The lid itself doubles as a measuring cup to be more precise and avoid overfilling with cleaning solution. It also helps reduce the accessories that you need to keep track of.
Caddy Tool
Don’t let the bulk fool you; the Rug Doctor Deep Carpet Cleaner is more than a carpet cleaner.
It also comes with a handy caddy tool that will allow you to clean upholstery and stairs.
The 7.7-foot flexible hose should be plenty for cleaning your sofa and a short flight of stairs.
Large carpet friendly wheels
At first glance, you’d think that this machine would be a chore to move. But with the large rubber wheels, it isn’t.
Consumers say that this machine easy to move thanks in large part to the big wheels.
Collapsible handle
Another handy feature that makes this easy to use and stow away would be the handle.
You can set it at different angles depending on your height to help you comfortably clean the carpet.
It also collapses to reduce vertical footprint and make it easy to store.
Best in Class Performance
We’ve heard a lot of brands claiming excellent performance, but very few back it up. And Rug Doctor proves that their product does perform thanks to the Carpet and Rug Institute (or CRI) certification.
To be more specific, they are certified “Gold” for the following criteria:
- Soil removal – the capability of removing lots of dirt.
- Water removal – sucking up moisture.
- Surface retention – not damaging carpet fibers.
For those who are not familiar, the CRI is an institution that tests carpet cleaning products in different classes for performance.
Having this certification is like a seal of approval that proves the product does work.
Warranty
Rug Doctor backs this product up with a two-year warranty for non-commercial use. Amazon does offer an optional extended warranty if the 2-year warranty is too short for you.
Cleaning Performance
To truly appreciate how this machine cleans carpet, you’ll have to see it in action.
I’ll share a few videos to show you how well the sweeping brush works. In the first video, you’ll see how the “super boost spray” works. The sprayer itself is at the back of the machine and works excellent on carpet stains.
In just one backward pass, the Carpet Doctor was able to remove the few days old stains. For tougher stains, you may need to presoak and go over it a few times. But this demo is impressive!
The Hoover Power Scrub is an excellent performer on the carpet. But against the Rug Doctor, it wasn’t able to do as well in a single pass. It shows how well the dual cross, sweeping brushes agitate on carpets.
So even if you’ll spend more on the Rug Doctor, it pays itself in the long run because you don’t have to clean as long.
Product Specifications
| Model | Rug Doctor Deep Carpet Cleaner 93170 |
| Power | 1,300 watts |
| Cleaning path | 12" |
| Cord length | 28 feet |
| Hose length | 7.7 feet |
| Clean water tank | 3.8 liters |
| Dirty water tank | 4.2 liters |
| Removable caddy | Yes |
| Warranty | 2 years |
What do consumers say?
A lot of consumers had a lot of good things to say about this Rug Doctor variant. Most like how this machine was able to remove stains from carpet. Some said that it was better than a hired professional and a lot cheaper.
Some old folks also use this because you don’t need to exert a lot of effort to move this. It practically runs itself, according to one review.
Some people sent before and after photos of this machine could remove stains in a single pass.
Now that is what I call efficiency.
Water extraction is another strong point thanks to the strong suction, so it’ll dry in as little as 2 hours. It is just based on the reviews – please check to verify.
Both water tanks are easy to remove and put back. And the large spout makes fill up easy as well.
The adjustable locking position of the handle is another feature that makes this easy to move around.
Despite being over 25 pounds, the large wheels and adjustable handle helps negate it.
There were complaints about quality control issues such as leaking tanks and hard to clean brushes.
But these were just the majority and something that you would expect from appliances like this. The warranty should be able to address this.
Where can I buy this?
You can buy the Rug Doctor Deep Cleaner from Amazon. And it is eligible for the 2-day free shipping if you join Prime.
Another reason to buy in Amazon would be the extended warranty they offer of up to 3 years. It won’t cost very much, and it’ll give you some peace of mind.
Take note that you’ll have to purchase the carpet cleaning solution separately.
To Wrap It Up
If you want a carpet cleaner that can potentially give you commercial cleaner performance, then look no further than the Rug Doctor Deep Carpet Cleaner.
On tests I’ve seen online, it performs better than the Hoover Power Scrub with its spinning brushes. And it’ll do the job a lot faster.
It’s got lots of power and great agitation from the dual cross, spinning brushes. So it’ll pick up more on a single pass than most carpet cleaners.
Another benefit of this carpet cleaner would be its ability to clean areas like upholstery and stairs thanks to the upholstery tool and 7.7-foot hose.
