You can clean carpets, rugs, upholstery, mattresses and vehicle interiors with a Rug Doctor rental and the Hand Tool attachment. Some types of carpet and fabric may not be suitable for cleaning. Read more about what you can clean with a Rug Doctor below.

Suitable for:

• Cut-pile carpets
• Other carpets: With extra care, you can clean wool and shag-pile carpets. Avoid over-wetting carpet by only going over it once and repeat vacuum only passes. For wool/wool mix carpets, only use lukewarm water.
• Area rugs
• Upholstery and Vehicle Interiors (Hand Tool)
• Mattresses (Hand Tool)

Unsuitable for:

• Oriental rugs (silk or wool)
• Dry-clean only carpets
• Hand-loomed or braided rugs
• Sisal or jute carpets
• Hard floors, including tiles, wood and laminate flooring
• Natural fibre
• Sea grass matting
• Silk
• Haitian cotton
• Ruylux
• Velvet
• Brushed corduroy
• Leather
• Non-colourfast fabrics
• Berber
• Flotex
• Memory foam mattresses

To clean stairs with a rental machine, you’ll need to hire the Hand Tool attachment. Read the simplified steps below and watch our handy video for extra guidance.

1. Vacuum the carpet
2. Add cleaning solution and warm water in the lower tank
3. Connect the Hand Tool (demonstrated in video)
4. Turn on and switch to ‘Hand Tool use’
5. Clean by pulling the tool backwards with the trigger down

A Rug Doctor machine not only deep cleans your carpet, but it can also be used to extract water. Many people have used the machine to remove water from their carpet after a flood. Only carpets and upholstery that are damp – not water-laden or soggy – are safe for extraction.

You can use a Rug Doctor on wool carpets and rugs. You must only go over wool/wool mix carpets once with the machine, as stated in the terms and conditions. Also, make sure you only use lukewarm water.

No, you can’t use a Rug Doctor on hard surfaces. The machine may scratch the hard flooring, and there is nothing to capture water sprayed onto the surface.

If you are looking for a machine that can clean Hard Floor, we recommend taking a look at our FlexClean All-in-One Floor Cleaner that effectively tackles Carpet & Hard Floor units. May we also recommend our Cordless Hard Floor Cleaner.