How Long to Clean Carpet With Rug Doctor [+ Tips to Make It Faster]

Who wants to toil away all day? I know I don’t. So I totally get it if you’re wondering how long it takes for Rug Doctor to get your carpet clean.

Short answer: It will take anywhere from 20 minutes to up to a day. Cleaning itself can’t take too long, but the drying can be an issue!

But mind you, there’s nothing set in stone here. The exact time depends on several factors like the size of the carpet, how dirty and stained it is, whether you DIY or hire a pro, the weather condition in your area, and the air movement in the room.

Even the choice among regular cleaning, deep cleaning, and steam cleaning makes a whole lot of difference.

This article will tackle what exactly can make Rug Doctor eat up that much of your time. And of course, tips and tricks to make it faster!

How to Make Sure Your DIY Carpet Cleaning Doesn’t Take All Day

How long does it take to clean a carpet with a machine like Rug Doctor if you do it on your own?

Again, it depends on how dirty your carpet is.

Another consideration is how wet it becomes during the actual process. 

Alas, there’s nothing you can do with the former. It is what it is, and you have to deal with it whether you like it or not.

But the good news is, the latter is pretty much up to you! Drying shouldn’t take more than a couple of hours on average if you follow all the steps to a T.

1. Prep It

Every cleaner will tell you: prepping and pre-treating is a nuisance. But it’ll save you LOTS of time down the road.

For more effective deep cleaning, you will have to take the top layer of dirt and other debris out of the way by vacuuming first. This eases the job of the suction of the machine later on.

Next, apply the pre-treatment solution to lift those heavy stains that don’t usually budge to carpet shampoos. Again, this process benefits the machine as it doesn’t need to work double-time.

It also reduces the need for more solution spray during the actual cleaning. Lesser chemicals mean a healthier home.

2. Run the Doctor

Let the Rug Doctor’s vibrating brush and powerful suction feature take their course. Thanks to the prep work, lifting the tough stains is no sweat with the help of a cleaning solution.

Keep in mind, though, that you only need to go over an area twice while pressing the spray button of your cleaner. You should do the other passes without spraying as the machine extracts the water from the carpet. 

The number of extra passes (if any) will depend on how dry you want your carpet to be. But do remember that it will never feel totally dry. But that’s okay too. Give it some more time to air dry later on.

3. Give It a Nudge to Dry

You can just wait for the carpet to dry, but it doesn’t hurt to give a little push!

If you are using an air conditioner or if you have large windows and doors that you can open for better air circulation, the better. (Check out these carpet drying tips so it doesn’t take up ages!)

For faster drying, you can rent Rug Doctor Pro Floor Dryer separately.

How Long Does It Take When You Hire a Pro?

I totally get it. Not everyone wants to gamble with their time or their pricey carpets.

And honestly, not everyone even CARES how this or that works.

If you’re like that, hiring a pro is the way to go.

But will you have to stick around for an hour, five, or ten? Check out below how experts do it.

1. They Prep It Too

Moving furniture out of the way plus setting up the cleaning equipment would usually take 30 minutes or less. Of course, this depends on how much furniture you have and whether you’ll have it moved to the next room or, say, into the backyard.

Or you can just hire a separate mover for bulkier furniture that would need special equipment. Most carpet cleaning services can’t or won’t break their backs over this, but they’ll gladly recommend their contacts.

2. Actual Cleaning Doesn’t Make Much Difference

Just like DIY, it would usually take about 20 minutes for them to do it. This, of course, still depends on when was the last time you’ve had your carpet cleaned.

Since the pros take care of this, you might save a few minutes since they know what they are doing, like the back of their hands.

3. Drying

The drying process takes the longest time, but that’s also why it often makes sense to call the pros. As I said above, deep carpet cleaning ideally takes about two hours to dry. Still, these two hours won’t turn into 24 because someone botched the process.

And if you think two hours is too much, think again. With steam cleaning, you will need to wait for at least 6 hours before you can walk on your carpet. However, moving back your furniture could take up to a whopping 24 hours!

Rug Doctor works with hot water alright, but it isn’t steam. That may sound even worse. But the thing is, it sucks the water in (and does it REALLY well)!

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I Need to Rinse Carpet After Using Rug Doctor?

The whole point of Rug Doctor is that it does everything on its own – from shampooing to scrubbing the dirt, to sucking up all the moisture. So no, you don’t need to rinse anything.

All you need to do is push the machine back and forth to help it do its bidding. And, of course, be patient enough to wait for the carpet to dry before moving the furniture back in.

How Long Does It Take to Carpet Clean 1 Room?

A 12ft x 12ft carpeted room will usually take about 20 minutes for the actual cleaning alone. For larger spaces like the living room and master bedroom, it will take around 30 minutes.

However, this isn’t something you can count on. Add in some more furniture or clutter, or drop a single egg onto the carpet, and the cleaning time will easily double or triple!