Cleaning Carpets
Cleaning Upholstery
Cleaning Hard Surface Floors
Tips from the Pros
How Often Should You Clean?
Prepare Carpet for Cleaning
Rug Doctor machines and cleaning products are safe for most carpets. However, you risk damage to carpets and hard floor surfaces not intended for water extraction method cleaning. Do not use or place the Rug Doctor machine or cleaning products on: Natural fiber oriental rugs (silk or wool), hand-loomed wool rugs, braided rugs, sisal or jute carpets; hardwood or laminate floorings. Some stains require professional treatment. Use cool water when cleaning wool.
Before You Begin
1. Using a normal dry vacuum cleaner, vacuum the area you want to clean to remove loose dirt before using the Rug Doctor machine.
2. Pre-treat any special problem areas with the appropriate Rug Doctor cleaning products.
Set Up
3. Depending on how dirty carpets are, mix 1/4 to 1/2 cup of Rug Doctor Carpet Cleaner per gallon of hot tap water in a clean bucket. Water should not be so hot as to scald or burn skin. The Mighty Pro tank capacity is a little over 2 gallons and the Wide Track capacity is a little over 3 1⁄2 gallons.
4. Lower the restraining wire and remove the white upper tank.
5. Fill the LOWER tank with the cleaning solution mixture by pouring it through the white filter screen. The machine is full when liquid covers half of the filter screen.
6. If high foaming shampoos or spray-on products have previously been used on the carpet, add 1⁄4 to 1⁄2 cup of Rug Doctor Anti-Foam to the UPPER tank, then slip the tank back in place. Seal the tank and clear dome securely by replacing restraining wire.
7. Check the back of machine to make sure both hose connections are secure. Test the brass "quick coupler" by gently pulling on the clear hose. If it is loose, connect securely.
8. Plug the power cord in and position the machine.
Start Cleaning
9. Refer to the label on top of machine and turn machine ON for carpet cleaning. For some machine types you may also need to turn on the Vacuum ON switch.
10. While pressing the red thumb switch on the handle, pull machine slowly and steadily backward in a straight line, keeping the vacuum slot against carpet surface. You will begin to see dirty water entering the clear dome. If you don't, stop and refer to the Troubleshooting section.
11. Release thumb switch 6 to 12 inches before ending pass to stop cleaning solution spray. Tilt the machine back and move forward to position it for another cleaning pass. Overlap passes 2 inches to ensure even cleaning.
12. The tank is empty when you hear the machine sound change and dirty water stops entering the dome. Stop and empty the UPPER white tank and refill the lower tank. Continue cleaning.
Best Cleaning Tips for Carpets
Rug Doctor machines are designed to deep-clean and extract in one cleaning pass. Your best choice for cleaning difficult spots, stains, or traffic areas is to use Rug Doctor's specialty products:
- Hi-Traffic Pre-Treatment
- Spot & Stain Remover
- Urine Eliminator
- Odor Remover
Avoid over-wetting your carpet. Don't go over heavily soiled spots more than 2 times. Berber, Multi-level, or Looped carpets retain more liquid - for these types of carpets, do not repeat cleaning passes. If additional cleaning is desired, allow carpets to dry before attempting to re-clean heavily soiled areas. For more information about cleaning Berber and other carpets that retain more liquid, go to Rug Doctor's Tips from the Pros.
Overlap passes slightly to cover all areas. IMPORTANT: When pressing or button keep machine moving so vibrating brush does not agitate in one place.
You should recover 2/3 to 3/4 tank of dirty water for each tank of clean water used depending on your carpet type.
Open windows and doors, or turn on air conditioning or heat for faster drying. This is highly recommended when cleaning Berber carpets.
To prevent stains, if replacing furniture before carpet is completely dry, place aluminum foil under furniture legs.
Avoid excess foam in the upper, white tank, which can be expelled through the machine and may affect your carpet. If foaming occurs, add 1/4 to 1/2 cup Rug Doctor Anti-Foam to UPPER tank.
Before You Begin
Rug Doctor machines and cleaning products are safe for many fabrics, even delicate fibers. HOWEVER, you risk damage to fabrics not intended for water extraction method cleaning. Do not use or place the Rug Doctor machine or cleaning products on: Silk, Haitian cotton, velour, brushed corduroy, leather, non-colorfast fabrics or upholstery fabric with cleaning codes S or X. Do not use Rug Doctor machines or attachments on mattresses or mattress toppers made with memory foam, foam or goose down. Some stains require professional treatment. Use cool water when cleaning wool, wool blends or delicate fibers.
Prepare Upholstery for Cleaning
1. Prepare surface for cleaning by thoroughly vacuuming or brushing. Set up the machine, directing your attention to the hose connections at the rear.
Set Up
2. First, pull free the top portion of the large vacuum hose at the back of the machine. Then connect the top portion of the machine vacuum hose to the vacuum hose of the Hand Tool. Next, slide down the sleeve of the brass "quick coupler" on the machine and pull out the small solution hose. Slide down the coupler sleeve again to insert the metal end of Hand Tool solution hose. Release the brass sleeve to secure. Tug gently on the hose to make certain the connection is complete.
3. Remove the UPPER (white) tank. Mix Rug Doctor Upholstery Cleaner with water in a clean bucket according to the label directions and pour into the LOWER tank.
4. Add 1⁄4 to 1⁄2 cup of Rug Doctor Anti-Foam to UPPER tank, then slip tank back in place and seal tank and clear dome securely by replacing restraining wire.
5. Plug in the power cord and position the machine. Refer to the label on top of machine and turn the machine ON for upholstery/hand tool cleaning. On some machines you may also need to turn on an additional switch for Vacuum ON.
6. Test for colorfastness by first cleaning a small, hidden area, then rub the test area with a white towel. If no color appears, continue cleaning. A little color on the towel means there's some chance of color running, but you probably can still clean safely. Dry cushions on sheets or towels laid out on the floor.
Start Cleaning
7. Working at a slow, steady pace, begin cleaning by squeezing the hand tool lever as you pull the tool over fabric. Overlap strokes slightly. IMPORTANT: Do NOT depress the button on machine handle while using the hand tool.
8. As you clean, with the vacuum on, squirt or vacuum small amounts of Rug Doctor Anti-Foam into the small (vacuum) opening of the hand tool every few minutes to minimize suds build-up inside the vacuum hose. If foam builds up around the hand tool, pull a little bit faster or vacuum excess solution by passing over area a second time without squeezing lever.
9. When cleaning is complete, empty any remaining solution by holding the hand tool over a sink and depressing lever until tank is empty.
10. With all switches OFF, disconnect the Hand Tool hoses and securely reconnect the machine vacuum and solution hoses before returning to rental location. NOTE: For velvet upholstery, fluff up damp pile with a soft brush or towel to keep from matting.
1. Clear area to be cleaned. Sweep or vacuum before cleaning if there is loose dirt and debris present.
2. Disconnect the machine’s large vacuum hose. Connect the top portion of the large vacuum hose to the hose set. Slide down the brass “quick coupler” ring and pull out the small solution hose. Slide down the ring again to insert the metal end of the hose set solution hose. Release the brass ring to secure. Tug gently on the hose to make certain the connection is secure. Using same method, connect hoses to the Floor Doctor.
3. Depending on how dirty floors are, mix 1/4 to 1/2 cup of Rug Doctor Oxy-Steam per gallon of hot tap water in a clean bucket. Water should not be so hot as to burn skin.
4. Fill the lower tank of the Rug Doctor machine with the cleaning product/water mixture by pouring through white filter screen.
5. Slip the white tank back in place and seal the tank and clear dome securely by replacing the restraining wire.
6. Plug in the power cord and position the machine. Turn on the machine by pressing the ON switch for Upholstery/Hand Tool Cleaning on top of the machine.
7. To release cleaning solution, squeeze the trigger on the Floor Doctor handle. Move the Floor Doctor in a back and forth motion while applying slight pressure and keeping the tool head parallel to the floor. The brush is designed to help remove tough dirt when necessary. For tile floors, move the Floor Doctor head at an angle to the grout line for best results.
8. When the machine’s lower tank runs out of cleaning solution, the pump sound will increase in volume slightly and cleaning solution will not be dispensed onto the floor. Switch machine “OFF.” Remove and empty the white upper tank into a toilet or outdoors. Refill lower tank with cleaning product/water mixture and replace the upper tank. Continue the cleaning process until area to be cleaned is covered.
Now that you have discovered the professional cleaning power of
Rug Doctor carpet cleaning and upholstery cleaning machines and products, take your cleaning power to the next level. Rug Doctor’s cleaning tips provide detailed information about how to approach and overcome specific cleaning challenges.
For over 30 years, Rug Doctor has researched the best carpet cleaning methods in order to provide homeowners with the right machine, products and information to achieve professional carpet cleaning results. Rug Doctor carpet cleaning tips are designed to help you improve and maintain the beauty as well as extend the life of your carpet.
Check this section regularly or subscribe to our newsletter to receive notices about new professional carpet cleaning tips. You can also always refer to Rug Doctor's stain guide for information about removing specific stains.
Cleaning Berber Carpet
Berber carpet is a beautiful accent to any home and has become quite popular in the United States. As with most types of carpet, Berber’s preferred method of cleaning is wet extraction like that which Rug Doctor provides. However, as a tightly woven, looped carpet Berber has a tendency to pass stains and spills deep into its fibers where the looped structure and tight weave can make them difficult to remove. Its structure also tends to make Berber retain moisture and take longer to dry. Despite this, by making only slight changes to the normal cleaning method, you can achieve professional-level results when you do it yourself using Rug Doctor.
- Rug Doctor Makes It Easy
Successful cleaning of Berber requires only that you take more deliberate cleaning passes and plan for taking a little extra time to make additional vacuuming passes. The process is quite simple:
1. Clean with a Rug Doctor machine using only one cleaning pass while depressing the thumb switch to release solution. Move at a pace of about 1 foot per second.
2. Make a second pass without pressing the switch so that you are vacuuming-only over the cleaned area. This pass may be more effective when done at a right angle to the first. In both passes be sure to keep the vacuum slot at the front bottom edge of the machine snug against the carpet. Berber’s loops tend to have a bumpy texture that can cause the machine to bounce along the surface. This can make the vacuum less effective so it’s important to make the second pass slowly while keeping the machine from bouncing.
3. Depending on the season, turn up the A/C or heat and use fans to accelerate drying. On dry, warm days you can open windows or doors to circulate air.
- Avoid the Temptation to Make More than One Cleaning Pass
Since it’s best to clean using only one pass and since Berber tends to hold liquid more than most carpets, you might imagine that extracting stains is difficult. It’s very tempting to try to take up spills or clean heavily soiled areas like traffic paths with repeated machine passes.
However, making multiple passes (except to vacuum only) is unwise because the more liquid you put down, the deeper Berber channels moisture — even into the pad. This is called over-wetting and the results from it can range from being left with a musty smelling carpet from the trapped moisture to a wicking up of stains previously left so deep in the carpet that they come up literally from the backings and pad.
- Pre-Treat Problem Areas and Stains Before Cleaning
The best way to achieve professional results cleaning stained or high-traffic areas on Berber is to use Rug Doctor’s specialty products.
Pre-treat high-traffic areas with Rug Doctor’s Hi-Traffic Pre-Treatment. Pre-treatment penetrates fibers to loosen the oily and embedded dirt that’s tracked onto carpet from outdoors or kitchens. Follow with machine cleaning.
Rug Doctor’s Spot & Stain Remover and Urine Eliminator can be sprayed on or applied by saturating a towel and transferring the product evenly over the stain to prevent “pour through” of the liquid to the backing. Apply a clean, dry towel to the spot and stand on it with your full weight to soak up as much of the stain as possible. Follow with machine cleaning.
These methods allow the problem areas to be prepared for removal by the machine so that one-pass cleaning can be more effective. In the case of Spot & Stain Remover and Urine Eliminator you need not wait to rent or use a machine to effectively clean with them, they’re excellent just by themselves.
If the machine cannot remove tough stains in one pass despite pre-treatment, allow the carpet to dry completely and re-clean rather than risk over-wetting.
- Over-Wetting Seldom Results in Problems, However…
Preventing Musty Odors—Over-wetting Berber can sometimes result in musty odors due to the carpet remaining damp for too long. If over-wetting occurs your first step should be to try to remove as much moisture as possible by repeating vacuum-only passes. It’s a good idea to rinse the dome filter of the machine even if it doesn’t look blocked to maximize the machine’s vacuum airflow. Then allow the carpet to dry thoroughly. If weather permits open windows and doors to increase air circulation or use fans, heat or air conditioning to speed the drying process.
Problems are rare so it’s likely you won’t experience them. Rug Doctor machines have extremely powerful 1.9 hp vacuum motors and do an excellent job of removing liquid from carpets. However, if a musty smell develops, allow carpet to completely dry and re-clean using Rug Doctor Carpet Cleaner and Odor Remover combined in the machine. Odor Remover’s active enzymes will attack and consume the odor at its source. Follow the instructions above to help accelerate drying.
Removing Stains that Wick-Up: Regardless of whether you’re cleaning Berber or the more common cut pile carpet, occasionally if over-wetting occurs, pet accidents you may have been unaware of or spills you once thought gone can reappear due to wick-up.
Concentrated, large spills or pet accidents often pass straight through the carpet and settle deep into the backing and pad where they spread out and are especially tough to remove. When carpet is over-wet these old spills will dissolve and wick up the carpet strands as it dries. Because the spill moves to the surface after the machine has cleaned the area, a concentration of the spill will remain on the top of carpet strands once the liquid has evaporated and become a stain.
If stains from wick up are evident once the carpet has completely dried, there are two approaches you can take to cleaning. For a small area stain, spot treat using Urine Eliminator. This can be done with or without a follow up machine cleaning. For larger areas you can choose to re-clean just using Rug Doctor Carpet Cleaner but make your cleaning passes faster than normal, about 11⁄2 to 2 feet per second, and use addition vacuuming-only passes.
- Getting that Professional-Level Clean
Remember, Berber carpet just takes a bit more time but just like any other carpet it can be cleaned safely and very well using Rug Doctor.
Eliminate Cat Urine Stains and Odor Using Rug Doctor
Cats make wonderful companions and are very trainable. However, they sometimes develop habits that can damage your carpeting. With this simple cleaning tip you can remove the sources of existing cat urine stains and odors and, by removing the source, you can discourage future marking.
When a cat urinates on carpeting or furniture upholstery there is both a stain and odor problem to eliminate. Clean the area as soon as possible to prevent it from soaking through to the backing and pad below and to avoid any permanent bleaching. Pet urine stains can have a permanent bleaching effect on some types of carpet depending on how they are dyed. Disperse dyed Polyester, solution dyed Olefin or solution dyed Nylon generally do not bleach with pet urine.
Pet urine is more likely to have a bleaching effect on Nylon carpets colored with acid dyes. Bleaching may actually not become apparent until the carpet is cleaned at which point the carpet dyes previously released by the pet urine are removed and suddenly a light spot appears. This is generally more visible in darker carpets. So, to avoid bleaching, address the problem as soon as possible.
Once you identify the problem area, apply enough Rug Doctor Urine Eliminator to penetrate deep into the carpet and carpet padding. Urine Eliminator’s active enzymes seek out the source of the stain and odors and literally eliminate it. These enzymes need moisture to work, so place a damp cloth or towel over the treated area. Make sure it stays damp for 24 hours. Generally the stain and odor will be resolved after one treatment.
If for some reason they are not, reapply using the same steps. It's important to be thorough in cleaning cat urine spots because the dissolved crystals may release the strong scent of feline pheromones (glandular secretions contained in the urine to mark the cat's territory). Partial cleaning can actually make the odor seem worse as the stain may wick up from the backing and re-crystallize on the carpet fiber tips. Look for urine stains on adjacent walls or furniture as well and make sure to clean these areas as well.
Although pet accidents are never pleasant, they are a lot more manageable with this simple cleaning tip.
Cats make wonderful companions and are very trainable. However, they sometimes develop habits that can damage your carpeting. With this simple cleaning tip you can remove the sources of existing cat urine stains and odors and, by removing the source, you can discourage future marking.
The Damaging Effects of Dirt
Cats make wonderful companions and are very trainable. However, they sometimes develop habits that can damage your carpeting. With this simple cleaning tip you can remove the sources of existing cat urine stains and odors and, by removing the source, you can discourage future marking.
Regular Cleaning for Your Home and for Your Health.
For most carpets the best cleaning comes from hot-water extraction. It’s the method recommended by most major carpet manufacturers and used by professional carpet cleaning services. Continued, regular deep-cleaning not only removes allergens, dirt, and grime, but can add years of life to your carpet by removing the abrasive grit that harms carpet fibers.
That's where Rug Doctor comes in - with the power to go deep so you can clean like a pro.
Questions?
If you did not find the answer to your question here, please download the User’s Manual or consult the Troubleshooting section.
