My new Rug Doctor Spot Cleaner came yesterday, I used it this morning, and I am SOLD! I own a Kirby foam carpet cleaner, and it is awesome. However, it does not have any small attachments with which to clean upholstery or autos and is pretty clunky for cleaning stairs. I thought I would continue to use the trusty rental from our local hardware store for my upholstery and cars - it comes with a great upholstery kit. But I ran out of time before I got to every project, and had an aching back from lugging such a huge machine up and down the stairs. Plus, one of my sofa cushions dried with a funny water stain again - argh! So I gave in and treated myself to my very own little cleaning machine, so I can clean whenever I want. Note - I do not have pets. I am simply a mom with three boys and a husband who wasn't taught to remove his shoes indoors as a child - as a result, I have plenty of dirt and lots of spots from accidents like sippy cup milk spills and beer tipped over during a football game. Our carpets are a safe tan plush. My upholstery is tan also (what was I thinking!).Rug Doctor versus Bissel - I read all the reviews and decided to get the Rug Doctor based on more suction power, a wider upholstery cleaning head, the brush that can be turned on and off (nice to buff up carpet on the stairs), and the fact that the water spray is below the suction, so you can actually see where it is going - super handy on cushions!This is not a review for the cleaning solution, I haven't used it yet. I had to return my rental before I could rinse my stairs, so the first thing I did was fill the Rug Doctor with clean water and rinse my stairs. It did a great job - and I had my first ever "clean swath" moment on that difficult step lip that never seems to get clean, thanks to the suction window (see below). I also sprayed Resolve foam on my couch cushion with the funny water spot, rubbed it in, let it set for five minutes, and rinsed the cushion three times, and it came clean.Pros: the clear window on the attachment that lets you see bubbles and dirt (this makes it SO easy to tell if you have rinsed enough, or need to go over again with a rinse or more soap) The wheels, pull handle, and lift handle - I have fragile joints and a lot of pain, so this machine is perfect for mobility. True, it's not built like it would have been even ten years ago, but if I am careful the plastic should last. The cord and hose wrap up nicely. It looks adorable. It stores easily. It cleans easily. It also empties easily. Note: even after reading all the reviews, I still spilled dirty water the first time, albeit on my counter - please note that the dirty water tank has a hole at the top that is ALWAYS OPEN, not just the bottom hole, which is only opened when cleaning for storage. I didn't see it at first. That made me laugh. It is very easy to dump the dirty water because you don' have to take a lid off. Smart idea.Cons: It could use a longer cord. My have 16 steps to my stairs, with an outlet at top and bottom. I could only clean 10 stairs before having to unplug and replug. It does sit nicely on the stairs tho, and is easy to move from step to step while working. The biggest design flaw, in my opinion, is the clean water tank. No, it does not sit flat for filling, which would be nice, but I measure my cleaner instead of using fill lines, so not a huge issue. My issue is the only opening in this tank is the one on the bottom that feeds the machine - it has a nice tight rubber seal, much like a blender. Because I rinse a lot, I fill with clean water a ton. It would be SO much easier it there was an opening on the top (much like the dirty water) where I could keep adding fresh rinsing water, rather than tug the jug out of its fitting and then take that sealed lid off. Just a thought, Rug Doctor!HINT: If you lose suction, empty the dirty water. Once it hits about 70% full, suction disappears. If your water won't spray, you have dirt in the line - rinse the jug and intake, keep trying, and the spray will come back!This is as about as honest and straight forward as I can get on reviewing this. First let me tell you it was delivered in the original box with nothing over it, telling the whole neighborhood and anyone that walked or drove by that I have a brand new Rug Doctor sitting on my porch any my door is closed. Luckily we live in a good neighborhood so the neighbors did look out for it. This is Amazon's doing so if you order on be home or have someone watching.I must tell you I was in shock when I opened the box. I expected a "lift with one hand spot bot" easy come easy go. Well....That was not the case. It is not really light, and is rather bulky. It sat in my living room as I stared at it for a week. Trying to decide if I should keep it or pass it on. My husband thought it was a new décor in our living room. I read all the reviews and know the Rug Doctor name but would never rent one as I do not use things that I have no idea where or what they have been or used for. I own a steam cleaner or call a professional. I do not have any pets any longer :{I finally decided to give it a try since looking at it didn't change the size. I will say I think someone may have gotten it and sent it back as the cord and paperwork was stuffed in and not bound together but it had not been used. It had a tag from the manufacturer that it may have some water in it due to testing at the factory. Mine did not.Day of Use. I followed the instructions to the letter and I will say it is AMAZING and does a wonderful job on stairs and I did 2 chairs. I have a couple of issues I need to figure out but let me give you a little advice, or you can learn like I did. Spill the dirty water when you are taking it to the sink to empty. Little did I know or think..1st. The tank empties through the holes that it extracts in. I turned it sideways and it started spilling out on to my carpet. My fault but I thought sincethere is a screw lid on the bottom you would empty it that way. Nope, through the side.2nd. It does not stand upright when you are filling it and you better have your cleaning solution ready. You have one hand to hold it with hot water while you fill it and then add the solution and then put the lid on. Not a good design, which is one of the issues I mentioned earlier.3rd. It does leak water so be careful not to move the hose over something that should not be wet. I am not sure why the leak but will find out from the company. Finally, the cord does not want to stay wrapped on the hooks as well as the hose stay in the position it is wrapped in.THE GOOD: It is worth it! Cleans like a professional, with little effort and I find once you know how to extract the water with the brush it does an amazing job.It sat very well on the stairs and I had no problems of it even attempting to tip or slide.The hose was long enough and reached everything well.I did not have to fill the tanks as much as I though I would. That was amazing. It was enough to do one set of stairs and 2 chairs and 1 ottoman. Very impressive.The 4 stars is for the bulkiness and weight of the machine as well as the leakage. I would recommend this to anyone and tell you it is worth the shock and headache when you first see it (I had never seen one) I am not easy to please and I very particular about my things. Maybe because I am 64 years old but clean like a 25 year old. This has my approval.P.S. Thanks to Amazon not packing it in a box, I now have neighbors hinting to use my machine!IThe product itself is really easy to use and comes ready to go. Plug it in, fill up the water tank with a soap and water and you're away. The power cord is nice and long and the hose/nozzle is a decent length too.If its a large spill (like a mug of coffe), I start by vacuuming up the excess liquid before using a well placed button to dispense the carpet cleaning solution. I then go over it a few more times to lift the 'stain' out of the carpet. You can go over the stain as many times as you like with cleaning solution but it will make the carpet soggy, so either draw up as much wetness as you can before reapply otherwise you'll have a long drying time.It absolutely works. I have two sick cats and a baby and was forever using spray or mousse carpet cleaners. It deals with larger spills well but is not large enough to clean a whole room.However... the tanks are infuriating. The soap tank needs to be filled by turning it upside down. Once you've replaced the cap (which has a hole in it to allow the cleaning solution out), you need to shove it back in the machine without leaking cleaning solution everywhere. When I come to empty it, the bottom of the tank is slightly concaved so it's almost impossible to get it completely empty. I don't suppose it matters much, but it seems like a silly design flaw. The dirty water tank has the opposite issue, in that I can't get in there properly to give it a good rinse.The nozzle is small, not impossibly small and good for little nooks and stairs, but the option of something just a little larger would have been good. However, there's a jet just above the nozzle which dispenses the cleaning solution. It doesn't seem to apply it directly to the area I'm cleaning, but off to one side. I've taken to holding the nozzle up and to one side to apply the solution to where I want it to go, rather than in one fluid movement, applied as I vacuum.I wish I'd bought one of these a long time ago, however I wouldn't buy this one againEmbarrassing as it is showing the before picture, it just goes to show how fantastic this is. In a home with 2 children and 4 dogs this is a long time coming! I’ve rented them before but never thought about getting my own. Honestly amazing, a must have for homes with children and pets!!Wow! This little machine is amazing! My daughters bedroom carpet was stained with numerous food and god knows what. There was a banana stain that I've been trying to get out for the last 3 years and nothing worked. 30 seconds with the rug doctor and it's vanished! Saving me losing my rent deposit on new carpets. Can't wait to try it out on the car and pushchair next.This unit has some ridiculous design decisions. To fill up the cleaning solution tank you can't turn it upside down and place it on the side - because the top is pointed! So you have to be an octopus or get someone else to fill it up while you hold it - and even then you can't get a properly measured fill against the fill line as the unit won't be properly balance in your hand. Even worse the unit collects hair and fluff in the clear plastic nozzle which you can't remove to clean!! Brilliant idea!The unit feels cheaply made - like a chunky plastic child's toy. It isn't particularly light and boy is it ugly and loud. So so loud I had to wear earplugs when using it.It cleans pretty well though - I will say that. Not brilliantly - but does a fair job. However, it is backbreaking work if you do anything other than a small area. My hand was killing me afterwards.Too many flaws here - returned in the end.After so much research I finally decided on my initial hunch, much to my relief. I am lucky enough to own a full size Rug Doctor pro machine that my ex mocked me for investing in. Two days later she knocked a glass of red wine onto our five day old light beige carpet!!!!! I held my breath whilst I plugged in in and pulled the lever. One word, fantastic, what stain???? All gone and just outstanding. I have always had faith in Rug Doctor and it was on this faith that I purchased this little beauty. The only difference between the full size version and the smaller one is it's size only. I own a large motorhome and over the year the little shitzu (and he is and does!) had one or two unfortunate accidents as he is only a pup. It was the site of one fairly large stain that used to get to me every time I saw it. The stain was about six months old and it was about eight or nine inches in diameter. The carpets in the motor home are light so it showed every time I would walk in. I figured that for £150.00 What could I lose? I could always return it after all. Just like the full size one it was already to go once received. The supplied chemical mixed in with the warm water and plugged in, off we go with crossed fingers. Stain??? What stain??? Six months old!!! Whats in it I have no idea but it is just brilliant. For my purposes as a cleaner for my motor home it was and is just fantastic. I cannot praise it enough. If I could give it ten out of five I would. Compared to all others it has the most powerful motor and that's what you need to be able to suck out the stuff you need to get rid of. Also it's the only one with a reciprocating brush that agitates the pile and that is really important that it gets into the pile, the others don't ! If I were you I really wouldn't bother doing any more research. This little unit is like my little dog, may be little but thinks it's a Rottweiler. It really gets the job done and once you see what's in the dirty water container you will be thinking, maybe I should empty this where nobody can see me!!!A couple of tips when using. #1 Make sure you use only the designated solution and NOT the standard Rug Doctor carpet cleaner. #2 Just apply pressure to the front of the head whilst using on carpet pile so that it gets a good suction. That's it! This is a brilliant machine and I have 100% confidence in not only using it but recommending it.