I have long been a fan of the big red RugDoctor machines you hire to give your carpets a deep clean leaving them not just cleaner but hygienic too - but did you know you can now buy your own portable model which I would go as far as to describe as cute!
I was sent the RugDoctor portable spot cleaning machine a while ago under strict instructions to keep it top secret whilst testing it out thoroughly. I was so excited by the results we got from the suitcase sized machine it was all I could do to keep it under my hat.
I was almost disappointed to run out of spots to clean off my frankly quite disgustingly stained carpet. Well to be fair I have 7 children and 3 cats. And a husband who apparently doesn't understand simple instructions like:"Take your work boots off at the back door."
But life in a busy house with five children living at home meant it wasn't long before I found myself fixated on a large stain on my living room floor hoping that my visitors hadn't seen it too.
When they left I asked the children if they had any idea what had caused the large oval greyish mark - my youngest daughter ventured that she thought it might be gravy......in the living room?
Out came the RugDoctor portable spot remover and the RugDoctor spot removing spray. I swear this spray will get just about any stain out of anything. I have previously used it on clothes, shoes, toys and even carpets!
Liberally spraying the stain on my cream carpet (yes I know, what was I thinking?) I filled the water tank on the portable machine with a mix of water and RugDoctor carpet cleaning solution.
This in fact is the machine's only glitch. The lovely curved design of the water tank looks great but you can't stand it easily on a flat surface to check the level is correct. I err on the safe side.
Then I plugged it in, switched on the machine and the rotating brush head and attacked the stain.
I found it really easy to use the machine, even with my painful, weak and sensitive hands which are almost constantly affected by Fibromlagia Syndrome. I had no trouble depressing the trigger to spread soapy water across the stain dragging the head backwards while the head gently agitated the fibres to loosen the dirt and sucked up the dirty water
Ooh I can't express in words how satisfying it is watching dirty water swooshing up the clear front of the brush head. Sometimes whole lumps of dirt zoom up even though I vacuumed throughly before starting the spot cleaning.
And twenty minutes later ( it would have take much less time but I ended up crawling across the carpet looking for more spots and stains to zap!) the mystery stain had gone!
My carpet was clean, soft and fluffy and my concerns that the stain was somehow revoltingly pet related and therefore less than hygienic were eased.
Enthused by the success of my cleaning session, when my teenaged daughter presented me with an ink stained white hoody a little while later I assured her the RugDoctor spot stain would remove the mark from her favourite top.
I followed the instructions on the bottle and was somewhat alarmed by the stain appearing to dilute but spread not only widthways but through to the other side of her sleeve too!
Undeterred and confident in my previous experiences with the stain remover I bunged the hoody in the washing machine on a 135 minute 40 degree wash with other whites-brave or what!
But dear reader let me tell you. I didn't end up with a wash load of lilac T-shirts and undies. I ended up with a load of spotless whites including the previously ink-stained hoody.
I am hoping that those of you with children, partners with messy hobbies or pets will see why I was rejoicing at this result. I am so sick of throwing things away which have stains, or covering areas of my carpet with strategically-placed tables and rugs.
You can now buy your own RugDoctor Portable Spot Cleaner for just £154.99 (inc VAT) which I think is very competitive, especially when you take into account RugDoctor claims it has x2 suction compared to other portable carpet cleaning machines.
I certainly found it much easier to use, more lightweight and more efficient than the vacuum-style model I previously owned. It even sits neatly on the stairs and the retractable handle means it's easy to store.
It's perfect to clean up smaller stains in between full carpet cleaning sessions. (RugDoctor recommend you rent one of their big machines at least once a year to keep carpets clean and hygienic)
Now excuse me I think I might have spotted another stain I can remove......
I was sent the RugDoctor portable spot cleaning machine a while ago under strict instructions to keep it top secret whilst testing it out thoroughly. I was so excited by the results we got from the suitcase sized machine it was all I could do to keep it under my hat.
I was almost disappointed to run out of spots to clean off my frankly quite disgustingly stained carpet. Well to be fair I have 7 children and 3 cats. And a husband who apparently doesn't understand simple instructions like:"Take your work boots off at the back door."
But life in a busy house with five children living at home meant it wasn't long before I found myself fixated on a large stain on my living room floor hoping that my visitors hadn't seen it too.
When they left I asked the children if they had any idea what had caused the large oval greyish mark - my youngest daughter ventured that she thought it might be gravy......in the living room?
Liberally spraying the stain on my cream carpet (yes I know, what was I thinking?) I filled the water tank on the portable machine with a mix of water and RugDoctor carpet cleaning solution.
This in fact is the machine's only glitch. The lovely curved design of the water tank looks great but you can't stand it easily on a flat surface to check the level is correct. I err on the safe side.
Then I plugged it in, switched on the machine and the rotating brush head and attacked the stain.
I found it really easy to use the machine, even with my painful, weak and sensitive hands which are almost constantly affected by Fibromlagia Syndrome. I had no trouble depressing the trigger to spread soapy water across the stain dragging the head backwards while the head gently agitated the fibres to loosen the dirt and sucked up the dirty water
Ooh I can't express in words how satisfying it is watching dirty water swooshing up the clear front of the brush head. Sometimes whole lumps of dirt zoom up even though I vacuumed throughly before starting the spot cleaning.
And twenty minutes later ( it would have take much less time but I ended up crawling across the carpet looking for more spots and stains to zap!) the mystery stain had gone!
My carpet was clean, soft and fluffy and my concerns that the stain was somehow revoltingly pet related and therefore less than hygienic were eased.
Enthused by the success of my cleaning session, when my teenaged daughter presented me with an ink stained white hoody a little while later I assured her the RugDoctor spot stain would remove the mark from her favourite top.
Undeterred and confident in my previous experiences with the stain remover I bunged the hoody in the washing machine on a 135 minute 40 degree wash with other whites-brave or what!
But dear reader let me tell you. I didn't end up with a wash load of lilac T-shirts and undies. I ended up with a load of spotless whites including the previously ink-stained hoody.
I am hoping that those of you with children, partners with messy hobbies or pets will see why I was rejoicing at this result. I am so sick of throwing things away which have stains, or covering areas of my carpet with strategically-placed tables and rugs.
You can now buy your own RugDoctor Portable Spot Cleaner for just £154.99 (inc VAT) which I think is very competitive, especially when you take into account RugDoctor claims it has x2 suction compared to other portable carpet cleaning machines.
I certainly found it much easier to use, more lightweight and more efficient than the vacuum-style model I previously owned. It even sits neatly on the stairs and the retractable handle means it's easy to store.
It's perfect to clean up smaller stains in between full carpet cleaning sessions. (RugDoctor recommend you rent one of their big machines at least once a year to keep carpets clean and hygienic)
Now excuse me I think I might have spotted another stain I can remove......
Disclaimer: I was sent a RugDoctor Portable Spot Cleaner worth £154.99 free. Views and opinions remain honest and my own.