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To help you find the best carpet cleaner for your home or office, we’ve tried out a large variety of top products, testing them for cleaning ability, preferring machines with force enough to easily remove stubborn stains, and the kinds of useful accessories that speed up the cleaning process, such as detachable hoses for hard-to-reach areas and attachments for stairs, which the best vacuum for stairs possesses. We also liked models that were easy-to-use and those were cleaned easily after use.
The best item we tried was easily the Hoover Power Scrub Deluxe Carpet Cleaner Machine, which features powerful brushes that spin a full 360 degrees in order to help eliminate stains and a detachable eight feet hose for hard-to-reach areas, which could make it one of the best vacuum cleaners for carpets. This machine produces plenty of heat as it cleans, which can help to increase speed and efficiency, and is easy to clean, with a dirty water capacity of one gallon. Keep reading to learn more about the Hoover Power Scrub Deluxe Carpet Cleaner Machine and the other products on this list. But before we learn more about these units, check out our list of the best vacuum cleaners.
Award: Top Pick
WHY WE LIKE IT: This is the best carpet cleaner machine we tried, with brushes that spin a full 360 degrees, to help remove stains, and ships with a series of useful accessories for cleaning hard-to-reach areas and for cleaning stairs.
Read Full Review: Hoover Deluxe Carpet Washer FH50150
The Hoover Power Scrub Deluxe Carpet Cleaner Machine is an extremely capable product that boasts brushes that spin a full 360 degrees and a motor that produces plenty of heat, both of which help to remove stubborn stains. We also liked that it ships with a series of useful accessories, including a tool for cleaning stairs, a crevice tool, and a long hose, eight feet, for cleaning hard-to-reach areas and spaces throughout the home. For another great option to deep clean your stairs, consider one of the best handheld steam cleaners too.
Though this product does ship with a small vial of sample solution for the removal of stains, it is not enough to perform a full carpet cleaning, so you’ll have to purchase some additional cleaning agent. Additionally, this machine is somewhat heavy compared to some featured products, at 19 pounds, though this was by no means a deal-breaker. The best handheld vacuum is great for quickly cleaning up messes to avoid serious issues as well.
Award: Honorable Mention
WHY WE LIKE IT: Extremely powerful spot cleaner that excels with the elimination of a wide variety of stains, including mud and wine, that ships with some useful accessories.
Read Full Review: Bissell 3624 SpotClean Professional Portable
The Bissell 3624 SpotClean Professional Portable Carpet Cleaner is an extremely high-quality spot cleaner that excels with the removal of tough stains from carpet, upholstery, the inside of automobiles and other areas. It works extremely efficiently and includes a wide variety of useful accessories, including a stair tool, an attachment for caked in, tough stains and a small bottle of cleaning solution. We also liked that it is on the lighter end, 13 pounds, which increases its portability.
Related: Have a look at the best central vacuums.
This is a portable spot cleaner that specializes in the removal of tough stains, so it is not really intended to clean large swaths of carpet that run through an entire home, which is something our top pick excels with. Also, the detachable hose is useful for cleaning hard-to-reach areas, but it is only five feet long, whereas our top pick comes with a much longer hose. Still, this is one of the best carpet cleaners in the market. Remember that the best upright vacuum can go a long way toward keeping your carpet clean as well.
Award: Longest Warranty
WHY WE LIKE IT: Ships with the longest warranty on this list, at 5 years, and boasts a motor that excels with suction, helping carpet to dry faster, and 2 large water tanks totaling 1.75 gallons.
Read Full Review: Bissell Professional Cleaner Machine 86T3
The Bissell Big Green Professional Carpet Cleaner Machine is a professional-grade product that excels with the removal of stains and the general cleaning of carpeting throughout a home or office setting. It includes a lengthy hose, nine feet, for hard-to-reach areas, which is longer than our top pick, and serious suction capabilities, which helps with the drying process. This is particularly helpful, since it’s a little more work to dry a wet carpet without a vacuum. We also liked the lengthy warranty on offer, five years, and that it includes two large water tanks, totaling 1.75 gallons, so you can clean an entire home without having to empty out the dirty water.
This is a heavy-duty product with serious cleaning ability, so it is extremely heavy, clocking in at nearly 50 pounds. Additionally, it does ship with a small vial of cleaning solution, but it is not enough to clean an entire home, so you’ll have to make another purchase. The best canister vacuum is a great addition to your cleaning arsenal as well.
Award: Best for Pets
WHY WE LIKE IT: Excels in homes with multiple pets, thanks to a light and compact form factor, and can easily be moved to a problem area, with a motor that creates powerful suction.
Read Full Review: Hoover PowerDash Carpet Cleaner FH50700
The Hoover PowerDash Pet Compact Carpet Cleaner features a rolling brush that excels with picking up pet dander and fur, in addition to removing stains caused by accidental urination, which pet owners will appreciate. This model is extremely light and compact, weighing around eight pounds, and can easily be moved to problem areas throughout the home and used on area rugs. We also liked the powerful suction capabilities, which helps carpeting to dry faster, and the easy-to-clean design, which features removable water tanks.
Though this product does ship with a two-year warranty, which is decent, this is significantly less than some picks on our list, including our number three pick. Also, it does not include some of the useful accessories that ship with our top picks, including a detachable hose for hard-to-reach areas. Even the best shark vacuum needs a carpet cleaner to finish up from time to time.
Award: Best for Multi-surface Cleaning
WHY WE LIKE IT: Efficient multi-surface cleaner that quickly eliminates messes, including pet dander, while remaining easily maneuverable, thanks to a swivel-based design and innovative edge-to-edge cleaning capabilities.
Read Full Review: BISSELL Cleanview Upright Bagless 2252
The BISSELL Cleanview Swivel Pet Upright Bagless Vacuum Cleaner is a fantastic multi-surface cleaner that removes all manner of messes, from accidental spills and pet stains to pet dander and related debris. It ships with plenty of useful accessories, including tools that specialize in pet hair and those that easily clean corners. It is also extremely easy to maneuver throughout the home, thanks to a swivel-based design and edge-to-edge cleaning capabilities.
While this upright cleaner model does excel with the removal of dry messes and spills, especially if you pair it with a good carpet cleaner solution, it does not do quite as good of a job at wet stains as some picks on this list. Additionally, this model also ships with a two-year warranty, which is less than our number three pick, though you can pay extra for more time. For your hard floors we suggest the best vacuum for hardwood floors.
Award: Easiest to Store
WHY WE LIKE IT: Boasts an extremely long power cord, at 28 feet, making it easy to clean multiple rooms without having to unplug, and a boost feature that deep cleans heavily trafficked areas, along with a collapsible design for storage.
The Rug Doctor Deep Carpet Cleaner excels with the elimination of stains and impurities from heavily trafficked areas of the carpet, thanks to its unique boost feature which gives the motor and suction a temporary boost. It also comes with a detachable tool that specializes in the cleaning of upholstery, such as sofas and couches, and an extremely long power cord, 28 feet, which means you can clean multiple rooms without having to unplug and replug. We also liked that it collapses together, making it easy to stow away in a closet when not in use.
Though we did like that the dirty water tank easily unsnaps for cleaning, we found the design made it difficult to completely eliminate accidental splashage. Additionally, this is a fairly heavy product, at nearly 30 pounds, which could impede portability. If portability is important to you, consider a corded stick vacuum. Many talk about Dyson vacuum being the best, so it never hurts to compare any model to the best Dyson vacuum.
Award: Best Carpet Shampooer
WHY WE LIKE IT: Innovative design that shampoos carpet as it removes deep stains and other debris, with an extremely light form factor, at 12 pounds, and a dual tank system to help keep dirty and clean water completely separate.
Read Full Review: BISSELL Turboclean Powerbrush Shampooer 2085
The BISSELL Turboclean Powerbrush Upright Carpet Cleaner Machine excels with the shampooing and washing of carpet, in addition to removing deep stains and other debris. The design is light and compact, weighing just 12 pounds, and collapses into itself for storage. We also liked the dual tank system, which helps to keep the dirty and clean water completely separate, and the power brush, which effectively removes caked-in dirt.
Though we loved the dual tank system, the capacity is on the lower side, at just ½ gallon, which means you may have to replace the water in the tanks mid-clean. Additionally, this product ships with a one year warranty, which is the shortest metric on this list.
Note: Other carpet cleaners that we did not fully review or include here that are worth mentioning are Bissell ProHeat 2X Revolution Pet Pro Carpet Cleaner that gives you a deep clean, and the carpet cleaner Bissell Pet Stain Eraser Cordless and Portable, one of the best portable carpet cleaners that takes care of any pet stain such urine. Also, another interesting model is the Dupray Neat Steam Cleaner that uses bursts of 275-degree steam to clean, and kills 99 percent of bacteria with that heat. Lastly, the Hoover Smartwash Automatic Carpet cleaner comes with an auto-clean mode motion sensor, Auto Mix, Auto Dry, and FlexForce that ensures a deep clean and removes embedded dirt and debris.
To help narrow down to the above list, we focused primarily on cleaning power, preferring models that effectively and efficiently removed a wide variety of stains from thick and thin carpeting. To that end, we enjoyed models with powerful motors and moving brushes, which help to shake loose dirt and related debris, which complement the best carpet cleaning detergents on the market today.
We also liked models that boasted powerful suction technology, which worked to suck up excess water, creating an end result that dried rather quickly. Models that featured easy-to-clean water tanks, often easily detached, were also enjoyed, as were models with larger-than-average water tanks, in the one gallon range, which could allow you to finish an entire cleaning job without having to change out the water.
Useful accessories were also on our mind as we tried out these products. We liked machines that shipped with lengthy hoses, up to nine feet, for the cleaning of hard-to-reach areas and those that came with detachable accessories that specialize in the cleaning of stairs, the cleaning of upholstery and related materials and the elimination of pet fur and dander. Finally, we liked products with lengthy warranties, of up to five years, and those that collapsed into a smaller shape for storage.
We recommend one of our top picks. Our top pick, the Hoover Power Scrub Deluxe, is a fantastic freestanding machine that can easily clean each piece of carpeting in an entire home while our number two pick, the Bissell SpotClean Professional, is an extremely high quality spot cleaner that excels with deeply stained areas.
You’d be surprised by just how much foot and pet traffic an average piece of carpeting receives throughout an average year. Though the numbers are difficult to accurately pinpoint, anyone who has performed a deep cleaning can tell you just how much gunk and grime comes up from the lower strata of the carpet.
This is a complaint lodged by some consumers and it could have something to do with the amount of soap you are using and inadequate drying practices. We recommend to go with the manufacturer’s instructions regarding how much cleaning agent to put in the machine and to pick a carpet cleaner that boasts heavy suction capabilities, which can help with drying.
They each have their benefits. Steam cleaners tend to leave a drier carpet after use compared to products that use detergent. Steam cleaners can also reach deeper into the carpet to shake loose debris, dirt and accumulated grime. Shampoo-based cleaners may not clean as deeply but are generally easier to use, allowing users to clean a large carpeted area in just a few minutes. Make sure you click on a few of them to see more. I like the steam vs shampoo and maybe the last one. Thoughts?
