Rug Doctor Spot Cleaner

Remember when I was reviewing all of the Bissell spot cleaners and bemoaned the lack of other manufacturers jumping into a pretty lucrative and much needed spot cleaner market?

Well, look who threw their hat in the ring.

Known for their high end (and very heavy) professional rental machines, Rug Doctor seems to be going into a more affordable home version of their popular steam cleaning equipment.  Will the downsize (and lower price) affect its cleaning capability?

The timing couldn't be more perfect, as the Bissell SpotClean Pro that was pretty amazing, died a horrible death from a severed suction hose only a year into using it (I swear I don't beat these things, or swing it by the hose, or do anything other than suck up foul dog mess) but the general time of death for these things seems to run about a year.

I happened to find the Rug Doctor Spot Cleaner on Amazon and bought it... along with a two-year warranty... just in case.

Right off the bat, who designs the containers?  Most people are only born with two hands, so creating containers that don't stand up on their own makes filling with water, pouring the cleaner in, then screwing the top on a task that even circus performers would have difficulty with.  The clean water/soap container is pretty large, holds a lot.  The dirty water container has two holes at the top, so don't tip it when you walk to dump it out.  Let me repeat that in bold DON'T TIP THE DIRTY WATER CONTAINER IN ANY DIRECTION WHEN WALKING THROUGH THE HOUSE TO DUMP IT.

The bottom of the dirty water container unscrews for easy cleaning.  The instructions say you can stick your whole hand in there... if you have small hands.  I have small hands... I'm not sticking my hand in there, so use a bottle brush to scrub it out (and make sure you store that someplace else so you don't wash your bottles and glasses out with it... euw).

There are two "on" switches.  The top switch turns the suction on.  The switch on the wand turns on the little massaging brushes that will massage the ick out of your carpet.  You use the wand like any other spot remover wand, squeeze to spray, slowly back up to suck.  For dog people, the massaging brushes really do pull up that fur!

For convenience, the machine has a handle to carry it, but it also has wheels and a telescoping handle (like for luggage) to drag it around if you can't carry it.  The cord is pretty long, and the wand and hose loop around the handles easily and stay in the cradle nicely.

I've used it for new "spills" and it only takes one or two swipes to suck everything up.  I've used it on more set in stains and it takes a few more swipes to get it up, but overall it does a great job spraying and sucking up the liquids.  I'm using the Bubba's Steam Cleaner fluid in it.

If I had a choice between the Bissell SpotPro and the rug doctor, I would probably go for the Rug Doctor, even though the SpotPro had better flat bottom containers.  Of course, if the hose rips or it dies in a year, I may change my mind.  Cost is about the same for both, so I guess I have to wait to see just how long it lasts for a full review, but right now, based on the pros and cons, I'd still give it:

4 Paws up.

Bubba's Super Steamer Carpet Cleaner

Having puppies and then senior dogs has its challenges and those challenges come in the form of bodily functions.

Whether housebreaking a young pup, or dealing with senior dogs who forget their training, just can't hold it, or have mobility and/or memory issues, there will be lots of cleanup involved.

Most of the urine removers on the market require you to apply it and let it set until it dries.  That's not a problem, but if you read the fine print, it warns you to keep your pet off the wet spot until it dries.  That's a problem!  You don't want something bad for them just sitting there for hours and hours, so it's not the best solution in the world.

Another problem is that typically you have to spray the solution on.  That gets tiring (hand crampy, cranky, half the time the solution starts spurting out of somewhere it isn't supposed to spurt) and in my experience, a lot of these solutions smell worse than the problem its supposed to solve.

Now what?

Here's what!

Bubba's Rowdy Friends

Bubba's Super Steamer Carpet Cleaner 

Oh sure, I was dubious about this having spent a ton of money on other steam cleaning liquids that merely masked the smell with another smell, so I shelled out some bucks and got it from Amazon.

It comes in a 32 oz bottle and I figured "how long can that last" but actually you only put in 1-3 oz (3 for those really bad smells, stains, and ick) and steam clean like normal.  This product is like those others where you need to let it dry on its own, but hey, you're steam cleaning, so of course the carpet will be somewhat damp when you are done, so that's fine and dandy.  Even better, the only warning on the bottle is to not let children drink the solution.  You and your pets can walk on the wet spots without fear of injury or illness, just don't chug the bottle.

It has a smell, but its not overly flowery, or overly chemical laden and the aroma fades quickly.... along with the stink you are trying to remove.

It's not like a normal carpet shampoo, so don't expect any foam, but it does clean, it does remove most stains, and most importantly it removes the stink.

You can also use it in Spot Bots and the soon to be reviewed Rug Doctor spot cleaner for quick clean up.

I also purchased the Pet Stain and Odor Terminator spray to use on pee pads.  Once the dog pees on the pad, you spray the Terminator on the pee pad, then throw it in the wash.  It helps remove the smell, get rid of stains, and when used with your regular washer detergent, your incontinence pads come out clean and fresh smelling.

Use the Pet Stain and Odor Terminator when you first discover the accident, then follow up with the Super Steamer Carpet Cleaner, and your house will smell great.

I highly recommend the Bubba products, and give them both 4 paws!