Rug Doctor any good for interiors?

[add lightness]

Hi all, does anyone have any experience using the Rug Doctor machines in cars? I was thinking about trying one since they can be rented locally for cheap. My project Miata has old cigarette odor and general nastiness that really needs to be gone, and a couple of our other cars need some help too. I'm not familiar with these kinds of machines, are they steam cleaners, or just shampooer/extractors? Also, would it be recommended to use the cleaning solution they sell with the machines, or is there a much better option available locally? Thanks for the input!

[Andr3wilson]

Rug Doctors are actually pretty good.

They are "cold" water extractors meaning they don't heat/steam inject the water. They simply spray and vacuum. Similar to spraying cleaner and vacuuming it up, just more efficient.

Usually with extractors, anything low suds is great. I would give their stuff a try, worst case scenario it's a little weaker and you have to do an area a couple of times.

[DBAILEY]

I have a Rug Doctor and use the upholstery hose attachment. Got it Ollie's Outlet for $280. I could not afford a better extractor. As said already there is no heater element. So I put near boiling water in the tank before I start. I do not put any cleaning solution in the tank. I do all my cleaner spraying and scrubbing of the carpets and upholstery first and the extract it with the clean hot water afterwards. It has worked fine for me so far. I had a Bissell LGM Proheat that I used for about 5 years. The Rug Doctor's suction power is leaps and bounds greater than the LGM. Everything comes out nearly dry after and does not take long to dry. Obviously an extractor with forced super heated water/steam would be better, but I am getting great results. And the wife uses it on the carpets all the time.

[add lightness]

Thanks for the feedback.

I watched some videos and now understand that a steamer is a separate machine to assist in hand cleaning, while these extractors are like power shampooers with a vacuum to remove the cleaner mixture from fabric/carpet in one step. I was looking into the Bissel machine but it seems like a lot of people do find its low power to be an issue. For the price of renting a Rug Doctor, I don't think it can be beat.

I'll rent one tomorrow and see how it goes. Will definitely use hot water in it.

[allenk4]

Take some before and after pics and add them to your thread

Good Luck

[detailerone]

I've use rug doctors and have gotten good results. As Andr3wilson pointed out, they are cold water extractors, so if your interior isn't too messed up, it'll work fine. You may just need to make a few passes to get an area clean.