FAQs

Your carpet is likely dirtier than you think. Vacuuming alone is not enough to remove what’s deep inside your carpet. Our professional deep cleaners can effectively remove dirt, soil and pet dander embedded deeply within carpet fibers. Plus regular deep cleaning prolongs the life of your carpet.

You should deep clean carpets at least once a year. For carpets that see a lot of foot traffic, like in households with children and pets, deep cleaning twice a year or more may be best.

Yes, they really do provide professional level results and cost only a fraction of what a professional would charge you!

It’s not hard to deep clean carpets! It’s easy to clean carpets yourself using one of our pro-grade rental carpet cleaners. See an overview of the 5 basic steps here.

Yes. Even with regular vacuuming, dirt can remain. Shampooing your carpet not only helps it look better but can even prolong the life of your carpet by removing built up dirt that can cause wear and tear.

Yes, our carpet cleaner rental machines are easy to use. You can clean your own carpet in a short period of time with professional results. Check out the 5 steps to using the machine here.

You can rent the upholstery and stair cleaning tool with your rental for an additional $5.99*.

*Pricing may vary by location.

Cleaning solutions are not included in the rental pricing. You will need an upright carpet solution to add to the rental cleaner. We offer a variety of options including Oxy, Pet, Refresh and Advanced Max – our most powerful and best cleaning solution.

Finding a rental location near you is simple, just visit our rental locations page and enter your zip or postal code!

Some rental locations require a deposit to ensure that the machine is returned in a clean condition. You will get this deposit back when you return the machine.

There aren’t any “hidden” fees but you will need to purchase a cleaning solution to use in the machine if you don’t already have a bottle at home. You may also want to add an upholstery tool so you can clean more areas with your carpet cleaner rental.

To rent a machine, you will need a picture ID, examples include a Drivers License, passport, state ID, military ID, citizenship card or school ID.

If you are renting from our Self Service Rental and Return locations, you will need a credit card for payment online or to the kiosk. If you are renting from a regular store location, each retailer has its own payment policies but most accept cash, checks or credit cards.

At this time, the only way to check machine availability at the store is to call or visit the locations.

The machines can be rented in 24 hour time periods and you can rent for as many days as you would like. Many locations offer a discounted 48 hour rental rate that you can choose when you rent.

If you aren’t satisfied with the machine’s condition, do not take the machine from the store. Request that the customer service associate give you a different machine. If you discover that the machine is not clean after you leave the store, you can either return to the store and ask to exchange the machine or clean it before you use it. Cleaning instructions for each machine can be found here.

You can not change your rental agreement after you leave the store. However at the time of your initial rental, you can rent the machine for as many days as you would like. If you think you might need longer than 24-hours, many locations offer 48-hour rentals for just $10 more than the 24-hour rental price.

If you do keep the machine longer than your initially purchased rental period, you will be charged the 24-hour rental price as a late fee for each day or partial day that you kept the machine. We recommend calling the store to make them aware of your expected late return date to avoid the machine being reported as stolen.

Immediately inform our consumer services team at 1-800-784-3628 and the rental location.

If any damage occurs during the rental period, contact our consumer services team at 1-800-784-3628. Return the machine to the retail rental location and advise them of the damage.

Yes, this is really important. You may be charged for returning a dirty machine, so you need to return it in the same condition as you’d like to find it. Take the following steps before returning your rental: Empty and rinse out the tanks, remove any hair or debris from the brush and area around it, wipe down the bottom of the machine. Videos and detailed cleaning instructions for each machine can be found here

You’re contractually obliged to return the machine before the rental end time. If you don’t return it on time, you may be charged for additional rental days.

The handle folds down on all of our upright carpet cleaning rental machines to make them more compact. With the handle folded, the machines need a space of about 14″ wide, 24″ deep and 30″ tall. The machines will fit in SUVs or the backseat or trunk of most cars. If necessary, you can place the machine on its side for transport. Before you do this, be sure and check that the tanks are empty and place a towel or mat under the machine just in case any leftover water leaks.

When the tanks are empty, our upright carpet cleaner rental machines weight between 35.5 and 44 pounds. They can all be rolled on their back wheels for moving them so that you don’t need to carry the machine longer distances, plus most have handles on the front and back to make lifting easier.

Yes, the carpet cleaning machines can be carried upstairs. We recommend carrying them with empty tanks and filling with solution and water upstairs. The tanks are removable on our Pro Deep and Big Green machines, they can be removed and carried separately which makes the machines a little lighter.

All machines have at least a 25’ cord so that cleaning large areas of carpet is easy without moving plugs.

We do not recommend using an extension cord with our carpet cleaning rentals. All machines have at least a 25’ cord so that cleaning large areas of carpet is easy without moving plugs.

All of our machines move forward and back in some way. The Pro Deep and Big Green machines push like a vacuum and clean and suction in both the forward and backward passes. The Traditional machines are rolled forward on their back wheels and clean and suction as they are pulled backwards. How to Use instructions for each machine can be found in our Rental Support area, simply select the machine you rented.

The carpet cleaner rental machines do not have a heating element. Use hot tap water in the tank for the best cleaning results. Never boil or microwave the water to make it hotter.

With the rental machine you can clean carpets and large area rugs. If you add the Upholstery Tool attachment, you can also clean upholstery, stairs, area rugs, auto interiors and other water safe soft surfaces.

Some types of carpet and fabric may not be suitable for cleaning with the carpet cleaner rental machine, these include:

Oriental rugs (silk or wool)
Dry-clean only carpets
Hand-loomed or braided rugs
Sisal, jute or seagrass rugs or carpets
Hard floors, including tiles, wood and laminate flooring
Specialty fabrics like natural fiber, silk, Haitian cotton, velvet
Leather
Non-colorfast fabrics
Mattresses

No. The carpet cleaner rental machines should never be used in standing water, this use is not safe and could damage the machine. The machines should only be used on carpet made wet by the cleaning process.

Our upright carpet cleaner rentals can be used to deep clean area rugs – just make sure that your rugs are safe for washing with water and are not a delicate material that could be damaged. We recommend checking the care label and/or manufacturer’s cleaning instructions for area rugs prior to using. Also check the backing before cleaning in place, if the rug doesn’t have a solid backing the water and solution will penetrate the rug and could damage the surface underneath it. To clean this type of rug, you would need to move it to a safer surface like tile or your garage. You may also want to consider a portable carpet cleaner rental if you are just cleaning area rugs.

We do not recommend using a carpet cleaner to clean your mattress. Putting water/moisture into your mattress could case mildew or mold and could void the mattress’s warranty.

Carpet cleaner rental machines can be used to clean most carpets. We do recommend checking manufacturer’s cleaning instructions for your carpet if you have any concerns. Machines may not be safe to use on some specialty carpets. Extra caution should be taken when cleaning frieze or shag carpet.

No, the carpet cleaner rental machines cannot be used to clean hard surfaces. The machines may scratch the hard flooring as they are designed to clean carpet and soft surfaces only.

Of course this depends on the size of the room and how dirty your carpet is, however it is possible to deep clean an average size room in about 20 minutes! Be sure and also plan time to prep the room including any pick-up needed to clear the floor, a thorough vacuuming and pre-treating any stains.

Depending on how dirty your carpet is, you may need to do extra cleaning passes to get the results you want. Continue to go over the area until the water being pulled up looks clean. It is important to overlap the edges of your passes by 3-4″ so you don’t end up with strips of uncleaned carpet.

The best way to handle tough stains is to pre-treat them about 10 minutes before deep cleaning. Using one of our pre-treat sprays can improve deep cleaning results by up to 3 times (vs deep cleaning alone)! Pre-treating helps penetrate and lift tough stains and odors so the carpet cleaner can remove them.

There are several ways you can cut down on drying time. The most effective way is to make extra drying passes with the carpet cleaner, these are passes when you just push the cleaner slowly over the area without pressing the trigger. You can also open the windows to improve air circulation in the room or place a regular fan in the room and direct it at the carpet. If you need the fastest dry, consider also renting a commercial floor dryer to speed up the process.

Dumping the dirty water is so satisfying, but where to dump depends on where you live and what options you have in your home. Dumping the water in the toilet is always an option – or if you have an outside area, you can pour it onto the ground. If you do need to dump in your sink, bathtub or laundry sink be sure you have a strainer in the drain to catch the debris and hair that is mixed with the water so you can throw it away in your trash.

Our carpet cleaners are not designed to also pick up pet hair, that’s why it’s important to thoroughly vacuum the area you are cleaning first. However, as they do a deep clean they will pick up hair the vacuum left behind. Sometimes this hair will go into the tank with the dirty water, it’s also possible the machine will leave it in clumps that you will need to pick up by hand.

To clean stairs with a rental machine, you’ll need to rent the Upholstery and Stair Tool attachment. Vacuum first, then place the rental machine at the bottom of the stairs. Start cleaning on the top step by spraying solution and suctioning it back up. For more details, see our videos and instructions in the rental support area.

If you would like a quick overview on using the machine, check out the easy steps here. If you are looking for detailed instructions, visit our Rental Support area and select the machine you have rented. There you will find a How to Guide as well as videos showing you how to use the machine.

The upholstery tools attach to each rental machine in two places, one spot for the bigger hose and another for the solution hose. For details on how to attach the upholstery tool for the rental machine you have, visit our rental support page, pick your machine and check out the video or how to guide.

Find the tag on your upholstery and read fabric instructions to ensure the fabric code is “WS” or “W.” If it is, test a small hidden area like the underside of a cushion for colorfastness and look it over when it dries. If upholstery color is affected, do not use the upholstery rental. If the color is not affected, then proceed to use the tool to clean upholstery. Do not clean fabrics coded “X” or “S.”  Learn more about cleaning upholstery here: https://www.rugdoctor.com/cleaning-tips/guide-to-cleaning-upholstery/

If your rental machine isn’t turning on, first check to be sure it’s plugged in and you pressed the on button. Next check the outlet that you are plugging into to be sure it has power by plugging something else into it. If the outlet is working, try plugging the machine into a different outlet that is a higher amp rated GFI plug such as one in a kitchen or bathroom. If none of these work, contact consumer service for help.

If there is an issue with your rental machine, you can review the troubleshooting guides in our Rental support area, just pick the machine you rented. You can also contact our consumer services team for help at 1-800-784-3628.

Our cleaning solutions are designed for homes with kids and pets, just be sure to use as directed.

We have many different bottle sizes from 32 ounces to 96 ounces and different rental machines that spray formulas at different rates so there is not a simple answer to this question. Generally, if you are only cleaning a couple rooms, a smaller bottle will be plenty and if you are cleaning the whole house, you need a larger bottle. If in doubt, go for the larger size and save the leftover solution for your next rental!

Which cleaning solution to purchase depends on what kind of messes you are cleaning and your personal preferences. If you want the best cleaning possible for any type of mess, we recommend the Max Advanced formulas. Otherwise we also also have Oxy, Pet and Refresh solutions available plus an Odor Remover you can add to any formula. See the options and learn more here.

You don’t need to use a pre-treat but we do recommend pre-treating stains and heavily soiled areas for best results!

Once the formulas are mixed with tap water and used with your machine, they are fine to enter your septic system.

You can use any BISSELL, Rug Doctor or Rug Doctor by BISSELL solution in your rental machine. All of these solutions have been specially formulated for use with our rental machines and provide the best results. As part of our terms and conditions, we don’t permit the use of other products in the machines as they may damage the machine or your surfaces.

If you are trying to return your rental machine and the kiosk is down or in maintenance mode, please contact us at 1-800-784-3628, option 3 for assistance. We will speak with the customer service desk at the store to see if they are able to hold the machine until we can get a service representative to the store. If it’s after hours, please leave a message so we have a time stamp of when you were in the store. Another option is to email us a picture of the non-working kiosk at consumer.support@www.rugdoctor.com. We will contact you with further directions. Unfortunately, you will need to return to the store again to return the machine, please be assured if you contact us in one of the two ways above, you will not be charged any late fees.

Unfortunately, if the kiosk is not working at the store you are at, you will need to find a different location to rent a carpet cleaner. Please go to our rental location page and enter your zip code to find nearby locations.

We are sorry this happened, please visit our Contact Us page and use your prefered method of communication.

We are sorry this happened, please visit our Contact Us page and use your prefered method of communication.

You cannot purchase the specific machine you rented but many of our machines are available for sale. Check out our Buy page to see which machines you can purchase. Or to buy a Big Green® Carpet Cleaner, visit www.bissell.com.

Our Pro Pressure Washer (yellow) has a PSI of up to 2,000 and our regular Pressure Washer (blue) has a PSI of up to 1,800.

To find a pressure washer rental near you, go to our rental location page and use the optional machine filter to see which locations have this machine.

Our pressure washers work great using just water, if you like you can add Outdoor Cleaner solution for more cleaning power.

We offer a professional cleaning solution that has been specially formulated for use with our portable spot cleaning rental machines and provide the best results – Spot & Upholstery. As part of our terms and conditions, we don’t permit the use of other products or cleaning solutions in the machines as they may damage the machine or your surfaces. Learn more about why homemade solutions are not a good idea in this article.

Depending on your household and if you have a lot of spills or pet messes, spot cleaning may need to be done frequently. Our portable spot cleaners can help you clean up stains on upholstery and rugs to keep your house looking its best. For regular maintenance, upholstery and stairs should be cleaned at least annually. For upholstery and stairs that see a lot of foot traffic, like in households with children and pets, deep cleaning twice a year or more may be best.