Max Advanced Deep Carpet Cleaner vs Compelling Choice II Textured Indoor Carpet Polyester SS020-12-L: which is safer?

Rug Doctor Max Advanced Deep Carpet Cleaner is the clear pick. STAINMASTER Compelling Choice II Textured Indoor Carpet Polyester SS020-12-L carries a failing PFAS grade, and we never recommend buying a failing product.

Our pick

Rug Doctor Max Advanced Deep Carpet Cleaner

Rug Doctor

Max Advanced Deep Carpet Cleaner

PFAS grade

Excellent 75/100

Overall grade

Good 67/100

Verdict

Buy

Hazard flags

⚑ 2

Material

Aqueous cleaning solution, surfactants, water

Confidence

72%

PossibleSurfactant skin and eye irritation

PossibleResidue buildup on carpet fibers

STAINMASTER Compelling Choice II Textured Indoor Carpet Polyester SS020-12-L

Stainmaster

Compelling Choice II Textured Indoor Carpet Polyester SS020-12-L

PFAS grade

Poor 30/100

Overall grade

Bad 0/100

Verdict

Skip

Hazard flags

⚑ 5

Material

Polyester with unspecified stain-resistant treatment

Confidence

35%

LikelyVolatile organic compounds (VOCs) from stain-treatment finish and off-gassing

LikelyPFAS in stain-resistant treatment (covered separately by PFAS grade, but noted here for co

PossibleFormaldehyde resins in polyester backing and adhesives

Where these two actually differ

  • We flag Surfactant skin and eye irritation and Residue buildup on carpet fibers on the Rug Doctor and not on the Stainmaster.
  • We flag Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from stain-treatment finish and off-gassing, PFAS in stain-resistant treatment (covered separately by PFAS grade, but noted here for co, Formaldehyde resins in polyester backing and adhesives and Antimony in polyester fiber as flame retardant catalyst on the Stainmaster and not on the Rug Doctor.
  • The Rug Doctor is Aqueous cleaning solution, surfactants, water where the Stainmaster is Polyester with unspecified stain-resistant treatment, which is most of the difference in these two grades.
  • The gap is 45 points, wide enough that this is not a close call, and the Rug Doctor is the one to buy.
  • We are less certain about the Stainmaster grade, at 35% confidence against 72%, because it discloses less.

Both products run through the same public rubric: materials, coatings, brand disclosure, lab findings, and recalls, plus a beyond-PFAS hazard analysis. Grades are model-based estimates, not lab tests. How grades work →

More carpets & rugs: see the full ranking