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If your home has carpet or area rugs, it’s worth investing in a trustworthy carpet cleaner to minimize hair, pet dander, food stains, and other blemishes. Fortunately, carpet and upholstery cleaners are lighter, more powerful on tough stains, and more accessible than ever before.
There are a variety of models on the market, so our team evaluated the best portable carpet cleaners against their full-size vacuum cleaner counterparts. We looked at machines made for pet owners, steam cleaning, large areas, tight corners, and more.
Here are our top picks.
Top 5 Portable Carpet Cleaners
- Best Upright: Hoover PowerDash Pet Carpet Cleaner
- Best Handheld: Bissell Pet Stain Eraser
- Best Steam Cleaner: COSTWAY Steam Cleaner
- Most Efficient: Bissell SpotBot Pet Portable Deep Cleaner
- Best for Pet Stains: Rug Doctor Pet Portable Spot Cleaner
Compare Top Portable Carpet Cleaners
| Product | Cord Length | Weight | Capacity | Warranty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hoover PowerDash Pet Carpet Cleaner | 20 feet | 12.5 pounds | 64 ounces | 1 year |
| Bissell Pet Stain Eraser | Cordless | 4.4 pounds | 8 ounces | 2 years |
| COSTWAY Steam Cleaner | 10 feet | 13 pounds | 52 ounces | 60 days |
| Bissell SpotBot Pet Portable Deep Cleaner | 15 feet | 14 pounds | 30 ounces | 2 years |
| Rug Doctor Pet Portable Spot Cleaner | 28 feet | 19 pounds | 64 ounces | 1 year |
| Product | Cord Length | Weight | Capacity | Warranty |
Best Upright Cleaner
Hoover PowerDash Pet Carpet Cleaner
- $119.99
Prices taken at time of publishing.
Key Features
- Has a 20-foot power cord
- Weighs 12.5 pounds
- Holds 64 ounces of liquid
Pros and Cons
✔ Uses HeatForce technology to dry your carpets quickly
✔ Intended for everyday cleaning
✔ Has a long 20-foot power cord
✘ Has a trigger you need to hold to release water and solution
✘ Doesn’t work as a dry vacuum
What Customers Are Saying
We found that customers appreciated the intuitive design and impressive performance of this compact carpet cleaner. They cited that it was useful for everyday cleaning tasks in high-traffic areas, such as hallways and living rooms. However, other customers experienced longevity issues, stating that the machine lasted less than a year.
Best Handheld Cleaner
Bissell Pet Stain Eraser
- $98.9
- $133.89
- 26% off
Prices taken at time of publishing.
Key Features
- Has a cordless design
- Weighs 4.4 pounds
- Holds eight ounces of liquid
Pros and Cons
✔ Not restricted by a cord
✔ Has a light and small build to use with one hand
✔ Comes with a pet tool and two bottles of stain remover
✘ Needs to be recharged between uses
✘ Has a small 8-ounce water tank
What Customers Are Saying
Our research revealed that many customers highlighted this stain tool’s light weight and simple operation of this carpet cleaner in their reviews. For a cordless carpet cleaner, many users were pleased with how well it picked up pet hair, pet stains, and other blemishes. Other users complained that its suction wasn’t powerful enough to remove deeply embedded grime.
Best Steam Cleaner
COSTWAY Steam Cleaner
- $99.99
Prices taken at time of publishing.
Key Features
- Has a 10-foot power cord
- Weighs 13 pounds
- Holds 52 ounces of liquid
Pros and Cons
✔ Works on other surfaces besides carpet
✔ Includes 19 accessories for cleaning versatility
✔ Provides 30–45 minutes of steam
✘ Has a limited reach with a 10-foot power cord
✘ Take five to six minutes to preheat
What Customers Are Saying
The main benefit of this cleaner that customers repeated over and over again in their reviews was that it was versatile. Satisfied users liked that it could disinfect and clean a wide variety of surfaces—not just carpet. Unsatisfied customers had complaints about the machine leaving a greasy residue on the surfaces that it cleaned. At just 10 feet, the relatively short power cord was also a common complaint.
Most Efficient
Bissell SpotBot Pet Deep Cleaner
- $219.56
Prices taken at time of publishing.
Key Features
- Has a 15-foot power cord
- Weighs 14 pounds
- Holds 30 ounces of liquid
Pros and Cons
✔ Has separate tanks for the dirty and clean water
✔ Offers different automatic modes, including quick clean and deep clean
✔ Has a simple push-button operation
✘ Comes with only a trial-size bottle of cleaning solution
✘ Weighs nearly 15 pounds without wheels
What Customers Are Saying
Our research showed that buyers laud this carpet cleaning machine for its ease of use. This machine’s preset, hands-free cleaning modes saved users valuable time and effort that they would have spent manually cleaning their carpeted and upholstered surfaces with a standard cleaner. Customers with accident-prone children or pets said that this cleaner was able to remove worn-in stains. Negative feedback included mentions of low suction power, loud operation, and soapy residue.
Best for Pet Stains
Rug Doctor Pet Portable Spot Cleaner
- $148.7
- $189.99
- 22% off
Prices taken at time of publishing.
Key Features
- Has a 28-foot power cord
- Weighs 19 pounds
- Holds 64 ounces of liquid
Pros and Cons
✔ Comes with a long power cord and hose
✔ Includes a retractable handle for increased control
✔ Has a dual tank to keep dirty and clean water seperate
✘ Is heavy at nearly 20 pounds
✘ Can be loud when operating
What Customers Are Saying
We found that customers who were happy with this carpet cleaner were impressed with its high degree of suction power and how quickly it eliminated stains. Others commented on this cleaner’s ability to remove odor. However, we did notice a few reviews that said this product was difficult to operate, and others had issues with it leaking out water unexpectedly.
Buying Guide for Portable Carpet Cleaners
Weight, size, suction, reach, tank capacity, accessories, and other factors play into your purchasing decision when you’re shopping for a portable carpet cleaner online. Learn more about each of these factors below to make a confident and informed purchase.
Size and Weight
While it’s inconvenient to rent a heavy, professional-grade carpet cleaner for deep cleaning, you can carry a true portable carpet cleaner by yourself with relative ease. Most portable carpet cleaners weigh under 15 pounds when their water tank is empty, lighter than other vacuums for carpet. They usually have a handle, wheels, or both.
Suction Power
A powerful cleaner is able to dry your carpet faster after soaking it with water and solution. It’s also more likely to dig deep and remove old stains that a normal vacuum cleaner can’t reach.
Reach
Despite the mobility of portable carpet cleaners, few models use a rechargeable battery. To achieve the suction that’s necessary to deep clean carpets, most portable carpet cleaners use a cord for continuous, powerful electricity. To cover a lot of ground without changing outlets, look for a machine with a cord that’s at least 15 feet long.
Tank Capacity
Most portable carpet cleaners hold around a half-gallon of water and solution. The more water and solution a model holds, the heavier it will be. If you’re primarily getting one of these machines to hit specific areas of your carpet, a large capacity won’t be a major concern, as you’re not likely to go through the whole tank in one cleaning session.
Accessories
Various attachments help you clean the carpet in vehicles, on stairs, between furniture, and in other awkward or hard-to-reach areas. Many carpet cleaners are sold with extendable hoses, upholstery-specific tools, scrubbing brushes, and other accessories.
How To Use Your Portable Carpet Cleaner
Portable carpet cleaners encompass various lightweight cleaning tools. Whether you’ve chosen a powerful spot cleaner or a traditional upright vacuum, here are some tips to help you efficiently clean your carpet without damaging it:
- Before you use your carpet cleaner, run a vacuum cleaner over your carpet first. This removes surface-level debris.
- Pretreat stubborn grime with a carpet stain remover. Let the spray soak in for a few minutes before running the carpet cleaner over the area. Have your machine ready and close by before pretreating the stained area so that the spray doesn’t dry before you get to soaking it up.
- Clean the bristles of your carpet cleaner’s brush after each cleaning session.
- Consider going back over your carpet with just water to remove any leftover cleaning solution.
- Give your carpet plenty of time to fully dry before walking on it.
- Ventilate your home by opening windows and running fans to circulate air. Proper ventilation is especially important when you’re using a cleaning solution with harsh chemicals.
Frequently Asked Questions About Carpet Cleaners
What’s the difference between a spot cleaner and a carpet cleaner?
These two names are usually used interchangeably. However, if you want to get technical, spot cleaners target small stains here and there, whereas carpet cleaners clean an entire surface.
Can portable carpet cleaners remove old stains?
Sometimes. However, you usually can’t remove old, worn-in stains without using commercial-grade rental equipment or contacting a professional cleaning company.
How long does it take for my carpet to dry after using a portable carpet cleaner?
It usually takes three to six hours for your carpet to dry after cleaning it. For a faster drying time, point one or multiple fans toward the carpet.
How often should I use a portable carpet cleaner?
We recommend deep cleaning the carpeted areas of your home at least once every three months. Increase the frequency to every one or two months if you have pets or children. Supplement your carpet cleaning with regular vacuuming every week.
How We Selected the Best Portable Carpet Cleaners
To provide our readers with the best recommendations possible, we rely on several key sources of information to help guide our selection process.
Initial Research: Our research process began by generating a list of portable carpet cleaners with a significant number of verified buyer reviews and an average customer review rating of 4–5 stars. We looked at positive and negative reviews alike, focusing on information from both satisfied and critical buyers.
Expert Insights: Through our years of experience, we’ve learned that listening to what others have to say is key to building accurate, well-rounded articles. To complement our in-house expertise, our team looked at reviews and videos from trusted publications and independent testers, spoke with subject matter experts, and drew insights from reader contributions.
Final Product Selection: We then began fine-tuning our list by replacing older models with the latest versions and eliminating any discontinued models. From there, we pared the list down further by comparing each model’s feature set and selecting the best-in-class options for various buyers, budgets, and scenarios.
Why You Can Trust Us
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