12 Years later we have the same carpet. It is (was?) pale pinkish beige, it is an excellent quality wool blend and we have not enough disposable income to be able to afford to replace it with one of the same quality. Last weekend I had a bit of a spring clean and we discussed getting it cleaned.
Now I'm not sure if Rug Doctor are psychic or if, as was suggested on twitter, they have bugged our house,
@tattooed_mummy lol, they've either got your house bugged, or they could smell it from their offices and took pity... ;)
— L.A. (@lesleyannp1) June 21, 2014
lol, they've either got your house bugged, or they could smell it from their offices and took pity... ;)
but in the next email I opened I was invited to review a Rug Doctor carpet cleaning machine!
So of course I said yes! I knew it would work, they've been around for too long to not be good at what they do - I was more worried about how quickly it would dry (we had a few large items of furniture to remove and storage could be a problem!) and how easy it would be - I'm a klutz and imagined breaking the machine, spilling water and soap everywhere and causing a disaster of epic proportions.
I needn't have worried!
The Rug Doctor machine has easy to follow instructions all over it, including helpful 'idiot advice' like "NO! DON'T ADD WATER HERE!" Perfect! The bottle of cleaner has a measure printed on the side, the instructions are on the handle of the machine too, and in case I was still worried, there was a video and step by step instructions with pictures on the Rug Doctor website.
The hardest bit was emptying the cocktail cabinet (no not by drinking all the booze! it was full of antique glasses) and shifting the other furniture, like the two huge heavy sofas.
Once the room was empty (or half empty - it's a divided lounge/diner so I shifted everything up to one end) it was simplicity itself to fill the machine with cleaner and water and get going.
The carpet was left looking cleaner (not perfect - it is very old and there are some very very old stains on it) and the pile was really improved, it looked brighter and newer. Both my husband and I were really happy with the result. It was also only damp to the touch and as we did it on a really warm sunny day with all the windows open it was dry in a couple of hours, you can replace the furniture when it's a bit damp anyway - just protect wood things with some foil to stop damage/staining.
So then I could do the other end. No surprise that the water was filthy as I poured it out of the machine. Vile! It took a few refills to do each end of the lounge but the estimate of two rooms per bottle of cleaner was accurate. I can't stress enough how easy it was! So much better value than getting a professional cleaning company in too.
I will be doing it again next year. We no longer have dogs, and now have a teen so maybe it will be less filthy next time? Here's hoping.
If you had been wondering if it was worth it I'd say yes. Clear the room in advance of collecting the Rug Doctor as rental is usually 24 or 48 hours. Do it on a hot sunny day in summer if possible. And be prepared to confront your filth!
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Disclosure - I was sent a Rug Doctor Machine to try free of charge, the filthy carpet and the opinions are my own.