Consumer carpet cleaners have made huge leaps in performance over the past few years, but their quality is lacking. While they’re fine for occasional housecleaning, these machines can wear out in a matter of months when used frequently to clean up spills and pet messes. If you’re one of these frequent users, it may be time to step up to a professional carpet cleaner.
The Competitors: Rug Doctor vs Bissell Carpet Cleaners
While full-size professional units cost thousands of dollars, rental carpet cleaners cost about twice as much as high-end consumer machines. This can be great value for money, since they should last several times as long as residential cleaners. The rental market is dominated by two models: the Bissell Big Green Machine Professional Carpet Cleaner and the Rug Doctor Mighty Pro X3 Commercial Pro. Which one should you buy? It depends on what features are most important to you.
Bissell Big Green or Rug Doctor ?
The Rug Doctor Mighty Pro X3 Commercial Pro is an updated version of the Mighty Pro X3. This new cleaner has a more powerful motor, and it’s red, while its predecessor is blue. Otherwise, these machines are virtually identical. The original X3 went into production in 2013, quickly becoming the most popular rental carpet cleaner on the market.
The Bissell Big Green Machine entered the market in 2015 as a direct competitor to the Mighty Pro. While it is used for rentals, Bissell focuses most of its marketing towards consumers and small cleaning businesses.
Why you should buy the Rug Doctor Mighty Pro X3 Commercial Pro
Why you should buy the Bissell Big Green Machine
Cleaning Power Claims: A Matter of Machines, Standards or Cleaning Solution?
Rug Doctor is Carpet and Rug Institute Gold Rated for residential use. CRI is an organization backed by carpet and carpet cleaning equipment manufacturers. Their testing focuses on traits that make machines clean better and remove allergens effectively without damaging carpets.
Bissell claims the Big Green performed better than “the leading rental” using the cleaning method outlined by the ASTM F2828 testing standard. That leading rental carpet cleaner is the Mighty Pro X3, the X3 Commercial Pro’s predecessor. That must mean the Bissell is better at cleaning than Rug Doctor, right? Not exactly.
In this test, Bissell used their Oxy Multi Purpose Formula cleaning solution in their own machine, while they paired the Might Pro with Oxy Deep Carpet Cleaner, Rug Doctor’s most popular formula. That makes sense, since manufacturers recommend using their own cleaning solutions in their carpet cleaners. However, it also means this isn’t an apples-to-apples comparison.
Rug Doctor recommends using 4 ounces of solution per gallon of water in all circumstances. Bissell recommends using 2.5 ounces per gallon for normal cleaning, and 5 ounces per gallon to remove heavy stains. The testing information doesn’t outline how much solution was used. If they mixed the cleaning solution according to the heavy stain directions, the Big Green had 25% more detergent to work with. Even if the same amount of carpet cleaning solution was used, the difference could be down to the effectiveness of the solution. Rug Doctor cleaning solutions are some of the best performing in consumer testing, but they’re usually beaten by Bissell’s cleaning solutions. This applies to their Oxy cleaners, as well as their pet stain cleaners.
Does the Green Machine clean better than the Mighty Pro? Does Bissell’s cleaning solution work better than Rug Doctor’s cleaning solution? Maybe their machine worked better because it used more cleaning solution. The takeaway from these claims is that the Rug Doctor probably cleans better, since they went to the effort to get CRI certified. In the ASTM test, it’s probably Bissell’s cleaning solution that gave their machine the edge. However, while carpet cleaner manufacturers would like you to use their cleaning solutions, there’s nothing stopping you from using your favorite solution in any machine. Based on these metrics alone, the most effective option may be using the X3 with Bissell’s cleaning solution.
Of course, there’s more to effectiveness than meeting standards. These machines take different approaches to cleaning carpet, and you may find one model works better than the other for your needs.
Carpet Scrubbing: High Power vs Carpet Safe
Both machines have an effective cleaning width of 10 inches. That’s not as wide as some smaller residential machines: Bissell’s own Proheat 2X has a 12 inch cleaning width. Major design improvements have also brought cleaning power from residential models in line with small commercial machines. However, where the Rug Doctor and the Bissell shine is in build quality. If you need to clean your carpets frequently, either of these machines will outlast mid-range carpet cleaners.
Bissell uses a brush roller on the Green Machine, while Rug Doctor’s X3 has a vibrating brush bar. The brush roller digs deeper, making it more effective on deep stains. However, it’s much harder on carpet than the brush bar. Frequent use can strip out fibers from worn carpet.
The Big Green cleans when rolling backwards and forward, while the Rug Doctor only cleans when pulled backward. Cleaning in both directions makes jobs faster, but it also makes it easier to saturate the carpet, extending drying time. The Bissell’s handle hinges at the base of the machine, making it easier to move around than the Rug Doctor’s top-mounted handle.
Water Tanks: Easy Fill or High Capacity
If you’ve used a carpet cleaner before, you know how much time is wasted filling and emptying the machine. Most mid-range consumer cleaners have a 1-1.25 gallon clean water tank. Large commercial cleaners built for tackling entire houses carry 10 or more gallons of water. These machines try to split the difference, taking two different approaches.
The Big Green Machine has removable water tanks like a small carpet cleaner. The clean water tank is small enough that it can fit in most kitchen sinks. Thanks to the offset filler neck, it’s also possible to fill the tank using a tub faucet. However, this tank only holds 1.75 gallons, so refills will be frequent.
The Rug Doctor’s dirty water tank is removable. Its clean water tank is built into the machine’s base, so you’ll need to use a bucket to refill it. However, this tank holds 3.9 gallons of water, so you can use the X3 for twice as long as the Bissell between refills.
Hose Attachment: Power vs Reach
The Big Green’s PowerBrush hose attachment works better at removing stains. However, it comes with a 9 foot hose, while the Rug Doctor’s attachment comes with a 12 foot hose. The Bissell’s hose is a little easier to attach. Both companies offer these cleaners in several different packages, but Bissell usually includes the attachment, while it’s an extra with the Mighty Pro.
Weight: Water Makes a Big Difference
Out of the box, a complete Bissell carpet cleaner without accessories weighs 42 lbs, while the Rug Doctor weighs 39 lbs. However, this drastically changes the weight of these machines when in use. Once you fill up the clean water tanks on these machines, the Bissell weighs 57 lbs, and the Rug Doctor weighs 71 lbs. That said, you’re going to have trouble getting either of these machines up stairs.
Power Cord: Running a Little Short
The X3 comes with a 28 foot cord, while the Green Machine has a 25 foot cord. For comparison, most corded vacuums have a cord that’s 30 feet long. You’ll need to swap outlets more often than your vacuum when using either machine.
Drying Time: No Big Difference
The Commercial Pro’s new motor makes it better at picking up water than its predecessor, but the Big Green still has a slight edge. However, carpet drying times are about the same for both cleaners.
Heat: A Problem for Users of the Big Green Machine
Between the motor and the water heater, carpet cleaners generate a lot of heat. The Big Green Machine uses a fan to keep the motor cool, with vents that direct this hot air toward the operator. The X3 ejects heat away from the operator, making it more comfortable to use.
Warranty: Better Consumer Coverage vs Available Commercial Coverage
Rug Doctor changed their warranty policy when they updated the X3. While the previous model was covered for 5 years of residential use, this model is covered for just two years. However, it still carries a one year commercial warranty.
Bissell guaranties the Green Machine for 5 years of residential use. They do not offer a commercial warranty.
Before you buy either of these carpet cleaners, check to see if there’s an authorized repair center in your area. If you need warranty repairs, you will either need to take your machine to the center, or have it shipped at your own expense. Shipping can get expensive for something this size, so it pays to ensure you can deliver your carpet cleaner in person.
Reliability
The original Mighty Pro X3 had a reputation for rock solid reliability. Since it’s a nearly identical design, the same reliability can be expected from the X3 Commercial Pro.
The Big Green’s build quality isn’t quite as good as the Mighty Pro, and flow indicator failure is common. When this part breaks, water leaks out as it passes out of the clean water tank. Fortunately, this part only costs a few dollars, and it’s very easy to replace. If you decide to buy a Big Green, you may want to keep a spare indicator on hand.
Verdict
Both machines are a big step up from most residential carpet cleaners, but there isn’t a clear winner. The best choice is up to how you want to use your carpet cleaner, and what problems you’re looking to solve by upgrading to a commercial machine.
That was helpful , thanks
This is good information to help in selecting a carpet cleaner… Thanks
I have both machines . There are a couple differences that was not mentioned in this article. The biggest being the Rug Doc only cleans backwards. The machine operates by pressing the cleaning solution button as you pull the Rug Doc toward you. Then raise on its 2 hind wheels to Move forward at which point you begin the process all over. This brings me to my second difference between the two machines. The suction on the Rug Doc is such that if the rug is not fixed to the floor in some way or if your wanted to clean an area rug, the force of the suction lift the rug up making it very difficult to clean unless someone stands on the end or it’s nailed to the floor.
The only plus that I see the Rug Doc has over green machine , since both cleaners are far superior then anything a rug cleaning service could do, is that the RugDoc will usually clean with only one pass instead of the two or three that the green machine requires to get the rug clean.