On Sep 21, 7:16 pm, "JoeSpareBedroom" wrote:
"Oren" wrote in message

...

I can't answer the question, but I'd be interested in the final results
when
you're done, as well as your opinion of the machine itself. I was eyeing
them at the store today, comparing the cost to a carpet cleaning service
that's done decent work for me in the past.

The Rug Doctor machine is a good rental, worth every bit. I've used
them twice in a former home...renting from the grocery store. They
make money on the liquid products.

--
Oren

Does it leave much of a chemical smell during the drying process, or just
detergent-ish? I work at home. There's no escape...however, I have maybe a
month during which I can open lots of windows. After that....chilly.

On the spot reporter here...

I just finished the living room and there is no significant odor to
speak off. Of course, I'm right in the middle of it, so who knows.
Maybe we could a fresh nose...come on over and sniff.

While I was cleaning the rug, my bare feet got wet enough to be
slippery on the kitchen floor. Less than a half hour later, with a fan
blowing on the rug, it's still damp, but not enough to make my feet
slippery anymore.

Now, as far as the cleaning ability of the unit, I might be
embarresing myself but I'll tell you the results...

It's been many, many years since the carpets were cleaned. I have 4
kids, a dog and a cat. 99% of the time shoes are not worn in the
house. I used the strongest concentration suggested on the bottle (4
oz per gallon of hot water) and ran the machine much slower than the 1
foot per second suggested. The amount of dirt removed on the first
pass was significant and there was a visible difference in the color
of the beige rug. I ran a second pass a bit faster and although there
was no visible improvement in the color of the rug, there also wasn't
any visible improvement in the color of the recovery water either. It
lok just as dirty to me. Just for fun, I ran a third pass with just
hot water...kind of like a rinse. The recovery water was much lighter
but was it because the carpet was finally getting clean or because
there was no detergent to extract anymore dirt? Once I get done with
the office and the stairs, I may over the living room again with
detergent to see.

So the real question is: Was my carpet so dirty that even a
professional machine would have taken 2 -3 passes, or are these
machines just not powerful enough to get all the dirt out in one pass?

Cost in Western NY: $19.99 for 24 hours for a 10" wide machine. The
wide track (16"?) would have been $24.99. The solution starts at
$10.98 for a 48 oz bottle of the standard stuff, $12.98 for the oxy-
enhanced version. The 48 oz says it does 450 - 900 sq ft. I'll agree
with that based on the concentration I used, how many passes I made
and how slow I went.

On to the office...