During our carpet cleaner tests in The Lab, we’ve put 106 carpet cleaners through a series of tests to compare their strengths and weaknesses, and find the ones that’ll truly make cleaning your carpets less stressful. Like other portable-style carpet cleaners, the Little Green delivers when it comes to spot-cleaning. Attachments like the pet stain tool and a three-in-one tough stain tool that come with our best for pet owners pick allow you to zero in on trouble spots with more precision. With her fair share of using the wrong and right cleaning products, Fowler felt more than confident in writing a guide on the best carpet stain removers. The Hoover Pro Clean Pet Carpet Cleaner is another great choice for cleaning carpets in your home, especially if you want to spend less than $200 on an upright machine. You may need to do the same with certain messes and spills, but if you’re ridding your carpets of everyday wear and tear, then this machine is more than up to that task. It leaves rugs and carpets noticeably cleaner, but doesn’t maneuver quite as smooth as our other picks-that’s the trade-off.

When shopping for a carpet cleaner, first consider what type you’re looking for: upright or portable. Good carpet cleaners will be effective at picking up a variety of stains, whether they’re fresh or set in, as we saw during our testing. In this article, we will explore the key factors you should consider when comparing cleaning services and prices. During our time testing it, it encountered multiple dog messes, as well as spilled food, and the cleaning head and suction power were able to get rid of the stains (and their related smells) completely. Pet owners know that fluffy friends come with their own set of messes, which is why we like the Rug Doctor Pet Portable Spot Cleaner for any pet stains on carpet. Use in a Rug Doctor carpet cleaner machine for best results. All this said, this machine is quite hefty when compared to our overall best pick (also from Hoover) that weighs under 20 pounds when full. We think about whether we would recommend the carpet cleaner to a friend or family member-especially at its full price.

This is convenient when you’re on the move with the machine, or if your hands are full with the hose and attachments. If you’re looking for the best performance and want a vacuum that will last several years, a canister vacuum is your best bet. In fact, if you’re planning on spending a day in the sun, it’s best to apply an exfoliating acid at night. We boiled down all of these thorough testing insights to create our list of what we believe are the very best carpet stain removers. Portability: We score this on whether we can lift the carpet cleaner with one hand or two, and how heavy the machine is when the water tank is full, keeping in mind that upright cleaners are almost always heavier than portable ones. Just be sure you note which tank is for clean water versus dirty water, and be warned that you may find yourself wandering around your home looking for more stains to tackle, since it’s that satisfying to use. “I’d say it’s a simple 10-minute task that should be done approximately every four weeks if used regularly! By doing this simple step, you can save yourself from potential disasters and ensure that your sneakers come out looking fresh and clean.

Most of the removers in our guide were simple and easy to use, only requiring a quick spritz and a short wait time. When testing was complete, we rated the overall value of each product, based on its effectiveness, ease of use, and scent (or lack thereof). The Ordinary’s Lactic Acid comes highly rated. For context, battery-powered cleaners are often less powerful than their corded counterparts, but we didn’t feel like that was the case with Hoover ONEPWR SmartWash Cordless Carpet Cleaner. However, the best carpet cleaners from top-rated brands like Bissell, Tineco, Hoover, and Rug Doctor can tackle stains old and new in a flash, and take a lot of stress out of the situation. For this guide, Fowler recounted all the times she had to scrub out her dog’s pet urine and other liquid spills from her dad’s precious carpet and fluffy rug. Most carpet stain removers, like the ones listed in our guide, come in a liquid spray bottle. You could pre-treat your stains for more effective results, which is true of all carpet cleaners.