UPDATED: Nov 15, 2019.
Are you tired of wasting your money on carpet cleaners you have to rent from your local grocery store? Then you should consider investing in your very own carpet cleaner. There are many choices available, though, so how do you know which one to get?
We’ll help by comparing two cleaners that have many positive reviews: the Bissell Big Green Professional Carpet Cleaner and the Rug Doctor Deep Carpet Cleaner.
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Bissell Big Green vs Rug Doctor
Both of these carpet cleaners have great customer feedback and reviews online. It’s difficult to know which carpet cleaner will work best for you, though, unless you know more about their features. So we will give you some detailed information about each carpet cleaner and then you can decide on your own which one you prefer!
Similar Features
Both the Bissell Big Green and the Rug Doctor carpet cleaners are designed to effectively deep clean your carpet. They both boast of having powerful suction that exceeds what you would get in a typical carpet cleaner rental unit.
Suction Power
The Big Green Professional Carpet Cleaner boasts of a powerful suction for a whole new level of clean. It’s claim to fame is a powerful motor, extra-large DirtLifter PowerBrushes to help pull out deeply embedded dirt, and powerful suction. This cleaner picks up dirt on both the forward and backward pass to reduce cleaning time.
The Rug Doctor Deep Carpet Cleaner features 75% more suction compared to leading comparable upright deep carpet cleaners. It uses dual cross action brushes to deep clean all sides of the carpet fibers. According to the Rug Doctor, this innovative technology cleans every carpet fiber and then grooms and polishes the carpet in a single cleaning pass!
Cleaning of Non-Floor Surfaces
The Bissell Big Green cleaner has a 6-inch Tough Stain Tool and a 9-foot hose. It has a Tough Stain Tool which allows you to spray and scrub extra-tough spots such as stains on stairs or upholstery. The maximized hose length gives you extra long reach for all those hard-to-reach spaces.
The Rug Doctor includes an upholstery and spot cleaning tool that can be attached to scrub those difficult stain spots. Although the Rug Doctor only has a 7.7-foot hose, it is still long enough to reach those hard-to-reach spots.
Cleaning Brushes
The purpose of the cleaning brushes on a carpet cleaner is to scrub the carpet with slightly soapy water. This allows dirt to be knocked loose from the carpet fibers and then suctioned back up into the cleaner with the excess water.
The Bissell cleaner has an extra-large DirtLifter PowerBrush to provide a deep scrubbing action. This allows dirt to be lifted from the carpet fibers and removed leaving a clean carpet path behind.
The Rug Doctor has dual cross action brushes that oscillate and rotate to scrub the carpet fibers. This allows the scrubbing to occur from every angle possible knocking away dirt and stains to deliver a satisfying deep clean carpet.
Drying Time
Although drying time greatly depends on the type of carpet and thickness of the pad, the Rug Doctor generally takes about 2-4 hours to dry. Bissell recommends waiting 4-6 hours before you can consider the carpet dry. Your best bet is to feel the carpet before you begin to walk on it again after a deep cleaning. If it still feels damp, give it a little longer to dry before you introduce foot traffic again.
Warranty
There is nothing better than buying a product and knowing you have a warranty to fall back on if you encounter problems while using the product. Although both carpet cleaners offer a limited warranty, the Bissell carpet cleaner offers an amazing full 5-year limited warranty. The Rug Doctor offers only a 2-year limited warranty.
What Makes The Bissell Big Green Unique?
The Bissell Big Green gives you more cleaning bang for the buck. Although it costs more than the Rug Doctor, it also several features that set it apart from the Rug Doctor carpet cleaner.
Two Water Tanks
The Bissell has two large water tanks to separate the clean water from the dirty water. This ensures you are not cleaning your carpet with water that is becoming increasingly more dirty as you are using the machine. Many carpet cleaners include only a single water tank. This means you are eventually circulating dirty water through your carpet while you are cleaning it.
Suction Power and Drying Time
It also has heavy-duty suction power which aids in faster drying times. It includes DirtLifter PowerBrushes to help pull out deeply embedded dirt from your carpet. Each carpet fiber is deeply scrubbed to knock loose dirt and stains leaving you with a fresh, clean carpet.
The Bissell cleaner will clean the carpet on both the forward and backward pass to reduce carpet cleaning time, allowing you to move on to other important activities on your schedule for the day. Most carpet cleaners, including the Rug Doctor, can only be used by pulling them backwards across the carpet which can take a lot more time.
Upholstery Attachments
The Bissell comes with a Tough Stain attachment which includes a 9-foot hose to allow you to reach those incredibly hard places on your stairs or other locations. You can use the Tough Stain attachment to focus on deeply stained areas and allow concentrated scrubbing to lift the dirt and stains from the fabric.
Cord Length
One of the final distinguishing features of the Bissell Big Green is the 25-foot power cord. This lets you move freely around any room in your house to ensure you are getting a full deep carpet clean everywhere.
Pros:
- Two water tanks to separate clean water from dirty water
- 1.75-gallon water capacity
- Heavy-duty suction power
- Extra-large DirtLifter PowerBrush
- 9-foot hose and Tough Stain Tool attachment
- Allows you to clean in both a push-forward direction and a pull-backward direction
- 25-foot power cord
- Includes a 5-year limited warranty
Cons:
- The handle is not collapsible making it difficult to store compactly
- Cleaning path is only 10.5-inches wide
- No side brushes or edge cleaners
- Weighs over 40-pounds
What Makes The Rug Doctor Unique?
The Rug Doctor carpet cleaner has a more appealing price point than the Bissell cleaner. It is more affordable and can still provide the deep carpet cleaning that you need. It has other features that help to set it apart from the Bissell BIg Green Carpet Cleaner.
Water Tanks
The Rug Doctor clean water tank has a larger lid and wider-mouth opening making it easier to rinse out and refill during cleaning. It has a built in soap container which allows you to measure the soap solution and mix it immediately with the clean water. This eliminates any mess with separate soap dispensers.
Suction Power and Brushes
The Rug Doctor features 75% more suction power than leading carpet cleaners and boasts of a 12-inch wide brush sweep area. This means you can cover more carpet space with each pass of the Rug Doctor carpet cleaner. The Rug Doctor also offers side brushes to ensure you are getting the fullest clean possible on all areas of your carpet.
Storage
When you do buy a deep carpet cleaner, you want to be sure you have a place to store it when you are finished. The Rug Doctor has a nice feature the Bissell carpet cleaner does not offer. The handle of the Rug Doctor folds down for compact storage. This allows you to put the cleaner away in a compact spot when you are not using it.
Super Boost Cleaning
Not every carpet requires an intense deep clean. However, when you are cleaning a high-traffic area or a section with tough stains, the Rug Doctor provides a way to tackle that deeper dirt by using the Super Boost spray. This allows heavier dirt to be lifted from the carpet and resulting in a cleaner high-traffic area.
Pros:
- Economically priced
- 75% more suction power than other leading carpet cleaners
- 12-inch wide brush sweep area
- Side bristles to help clean carpet edges
- Collapsible handle for compact storage
- 7.7-foot hose and spot cleaning tool
- Light-weight at around 25-pounds
Cons:
- Only has a 2-year limited warranty
- Water tank holds only 1-gallon of water
Conclusion
Both of these carpet cleaners are exceptional for delivering a deep and thorough cleaning. If a budget-friendly price is important to you, then the Rug Doctor is the carpet cleaner you should choose. If your time is more valuable, then the Bissell is the right carpet cleaner for you. Regardless, you cannot go wrong with either carpet cleaner. They will both deliver a deeply cleaned carpet with a like-new appearance.
