Dance Studio Owner Found Blood Inside Rented Rug Doctor

Rug Doctor Deep Cleaner for Home Users (not the rented machine in the article). This is a domestic grade Rug Doctor cleaner that can be purchased for your exclusive home use. See review >

Rhythms Dance Academy (a dance studio in Windsor Locks) owner Haley Stambo was shocked to find blood running down the carpet cleaner machine she rented from Windsor Stop and Shop. Stambo said that they clean rugs two times each year, and that was the scheduled day to clean the rug. Stambo added she rented a “Rug Doctor” from the Windsor Stop and Shop over the weekend

Although a carpet cleaning machine can be easily rented from local supermarkets, this is one reason people purchase their own carpet cleaner for cleaning carpets at home: exclusivity. It’s hard to tell what the brushes and tanks have touched as a result of previous rentals.

If a carpet cleaner is exclusively used by you, you will know for sure that you won’t be introducing unknown dirt and debris into your carpets. Browse reviews of top carpet cleaning machines.

Going back to our story, when Stambo put the cleaner on the hardwood floor, she noticed a red liquid gushing from the bottom of the machine. The receiving tank for the dirty water was bloody and still red, with the liquid going down through the machine’s back. She said that she didn’t know what it was at first, but she quickly realized that it was blood. She immediately filed a report with the Windsor police.

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Interested in the Rug Doctor machine? Check out our Rug Doctor machine review (professional grade). Rug Doctor offers 3 different types of machines: professional, domestic and portable. Each are purchased by home users. However, you can also rent Rug Doctors. The rented machines are professional-grade.

Windsor police reported somebody got stabbed multiple times in a domestic row last week and police had given the homeowner the go signal to have the rug at the crime scene cleaned. To date, the connection of the blood found in the rug cleaning machine to the stabbing incident remained unclear.

Stambo returned the machine to Stop and Shop in Windsor. She received a refund and a USD 10 gift card. She cleaned up the blood, but she expects something more. She wants professional cleaners to come in and clean up everything – from top to bottom. She wants Stop and Shop to shoulder the tab. She added that it was a biohazard. Kids come to her dance studio from Monday through Saturday, and she doesn’t want them, their parents, and herself to get sick.

Rug Doctor released a statement that said, “Health and safety are priorities for Rug Doctor. We are working hard with our customers, retailers, and employees to make sure all our machines are clean and disinfected properly before each use. We are currently investigating Ms. Stambo’s situation and have assured her that Rug Doctor will take all necessary actions to address any unsafe condition.”

Stop and Shop spokesperson Philip Tracey said in a statement that they ask customers who rent Rug Doctor carpet cleaners to clean the machine before returning the cleaners to the store. When a cleaner is returned, they also visually inspect the machine to make sure it was cleaned and is in good condition. Additionally, Tracey said that the cleaners are sanitized and receive maintenance updates during Rug Doctor’s regular store service visits.

He admitted that the cleaner that was returned in that particular case was not inspected. It was their oversight, and they have already performed a thorough inspection. He said the situation might have been prevented if they had done the inspection beforehand. They sincerely regret the incident and have apologized to the customer, who was given a full refund.

If you are interested in getting a good carpet cleaner for home use, check out reviews of the Best Carpet Cleaners reviewed on this site.

If you would rather own your personal Rug Doctor machine, the company has a consumer-grade model recommended for dedicated domestic use. By owning your own machine, you avoid renting a machine that has been used numerous time by other users. This newer design has been specifically introduced for individual home owners and you can check out this video here to take a look.

Reference: WSFB.com

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Emmeline Chu

Emmeline Chu is the Chief Reviewer on this site. She likes to keep all things clean, especially carpets and rugs. Emmeline admits to a quirky obsession with carpet cleaner machines. Since 2014, she has been writing reviews on carpet cleaners. She shares her story here.