Rug Doctor Spot Remover - Your Carpet's Prescription
Written: Dec 12 '05 (Updated Jul 20 '07)
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Pros: Easy to Use. Effective on Most Stains. Better than the Stain Pen.
Cons: Takes hours to finish the job.
The Bottom Line: The Rug Doctor Spot Remover may not help every patient, but he's worth a visit even with the wait.
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| nagels's Full Review: The Rug Doctor 71042 Vacuum |
I have an array of carpet cleaning tools in my spud arsenal – three steam cleaners, about seven vacuum cleaners (I’ve lost count), a shelf full of sprays, liquids, soaps, and powders. Even with all this ammunition I’m still on occasion confronted with that stubborn stain, taunting me with its staying power, refusing to relinquish its grip on my favorite fibers. If a stain is addressed promptly, it’s usually not a problem to remove. Those that escape detection, however, with time to set and take hold, can be problematic.
I recently discovered several of these long standing stains recently and my experience with Rug Doctor spot remover has prompted this Epinion.
Thought we’ve never rented a Rug Doctor steam cleaner, I have used several of the Rug Doctor products, Hi-Traffic Pre-Treatment in a spray bottle and Rug Doctor Spot Remover. Any retailer renting the Steamers should also carry the Rug Doctor cleaning products, so their Spot Remover should be readily available. It is packaged in a 16-ounce plastic container with a twist off / flip top lid. With the flip top lid, one can squirt out the liquid cleaner onto the stain with a steady, thin stream. Rug Doctor claims that this product gets out tough spots and stains, “caused by blood, chocolate, grease, excrement, milk, soft drinks and oil from carpet and upholstery.” For acid based stains such as pet urine, coffee, wine, and fruit juices, the company recommends using Rug Doctor Pet Stain Remover.
How to Use
As with most carpet cleaning products, the user is advised to test a small amount of the product on an inconspicuous area. When I do this, I’ll pick an area in a closet, in a corner, under a piece of furniture or at someone else’s house. The user is advised to blot the area tested with a white, absorbent cloth (I sometimes just use a white paper towel.) after one minute and check for color transfer. The user assumes all risks.
Once determining the product is safe, one may commence battle on the stain.
(1) Apply small amount, full strength, directly to the spot or stain. Speaking from experience, don’t overdo it.
(2) Scrub the area with a sponge or soft brush, working from the edges toward the center. This is standard fare for most spot cleaners.
(3) Blot thoroughly with white absorbent cloth (or a good paper towel) and weight with a color fast, moisture- resistant object overnight. Just use something flat and heavy like phone books. The cloth or paper towel will/should absorb any remaining stain.
My Experience
Mrs Spudman discovered two carpet stains, one behind a chair in the bedroom and one on a corner of the dining room area rug.
“Hark! Methinks I do observe foul stains upon yonder carpet,” cried Lady Macspud.
“Be they natural marks or prints of den marks, real or horrible imaginings, they shall be gone e’re another dawn,” promised Macspud.
We suspected Piper our shih tzu as the stain maker, but she wasn’t talking. The dry stains may have been there for days or even weeks. I sprayed each with a pretreatment product (not Rug Doctor’s) waited, and then went after both with my newest “steam” cleaner. After all the sound and fury the spots remained. I applied more pretreatment and cleaned the spots yet again with my cleaner, now double the toil and trouble. Again, though fainter, they remained. Growing weary of this comedy of errors and flustered I began shouting Shakespeare lines at the unmoving spots and imagined how Lady Macbeth must have felt, but all my sound and fury signified nothing. Then, in a moment of inspiration, I remembered the bottle of Rug Doctor Spot Remover resting on the basement shelf.
I squirted a stream of Rug Doctor Spot Remover on the accursed spots, a little more than a capulet full, and miraculously before my very eyes they began to dissolve and disappear. I blotted up the solution with a dry cloth (actually a paper towel) as directed, and since no trace of the spot remained, I saw no need to weight the area overnight. On the bedroom spot I used too much spot remover as the area was significantly lighter than the surrounding carpet. Great! I then doused the area again with the steam cleaner and after the duncan vacuumed up the liquid. Luckily after the area had dried and I brushed the carpet fibers, the spot blended with the rest of the carpet and was invisible. Nice! Alls well that ends well.
Last Thoughts
Rug Doctor Spot Remover may not be the magic bullet for all carpet stains, but it’s certainly effective enough to keep in one’s household, just in case. It’s easy to use, effective, and doesn’t have a strong aroma. The user is cautioned to keep this cleaner away from children and to avoid contact with his/her eyes. In case of eye contact one is advised to flush with water for 15 minutes, and consult a physician if irritation persists. If you are a physician, I suppose you’d consult with yourself. To avoid eye contact, I just try to not look directly at the bottle when using it.
On the Rug Doctor website is a wonderful stain chart listing a myriad of possible stains and recommended product treatment. The products are all Rug Doctor’s of course, and additional recommendations and information are added for some problem stains. I really like this product and would recommend adding a bottle to your cleaning supplies. If used as directed, the one container should last a long time.
Addendum: Last last thoughts Inspired by the efforts of an esteemed Epinioness, I decided to conduct a little experiment myself. On a piece of extra carpet I deliberately shmeared dollops of mustard and steak sauce, rubbing them into the fibers and allowing them to soak in for several hours. Then following the Spot Remover directions, I applied the solution and rubbed with a clean rag. The steak sauce released most of its grip on the carpet, but traces of mustard remained. I now have a piece of white cloth compressed on the spot, again as directed.
After doing all of this I revisited the Rug Doctor site and learned that mustard stains should be treated with the Spot Remover and white vinegar . I also learned that yellow dye stains from mustard are not always removable from carpet. Oops. Glad I didn’t try this on the wall-to-wall carpeting. After further attention to the mustard stain today and overnight, I’ll update with the results.
Last Last Last words
After an all night weight of a heavy toolbox over many layers of white paper towels, I checked the mustard stain. It's still there - faint but still there. I also stupidly and carelessly got some walnut stain on a white sweatshirt. Not surprisingly Rug Doctor couldn't help that patient either. It's incurably stained.
Many thanks to Helen for adding this product.
9/1/06 One of our dogs threw up on our light colored bedroom carpet in an out of the way spot. When we discovered it, it had been there at least a day and left an intense yellow spot. I squirted the spot with Rug Doctor, covered it with several layers of paper towels, put a case of Coke over it for weight, and left it there over night. The next morning 98% of the stain had been removed by the Rug Doctor. I finished the job with my little Bissell machine, and the spot is totally gone.
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Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 5
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