The Best Carpet Cleaners for Busy Households, Tested

For an active household with lots of foot or paw traffic, a carpet cleaner, sometimes called a carpet shampooer, can make quick work of cleaning common stains and refreshing dingy rugs or carpets. Whether you’ve considered one for spot cleaning or need more frequent whole-house cleaning, carpet cleaners can make upkeep a lot easier. 

We tested 23 top-rated carpet cleaners on rugs, carpets, and stairs to find which ones leave flooring fibers looking like new while also offering the best value. Our favorite was the Hoover SmartWash+ Automatic Carpet Cleaner thanks to its effective stain removal and overall cleaning power. Read on to find out why we also consider the following to be some of the best carpet cleaners on the market and learn about what features will best suit your home and lifestyle.

1. BEST OVERALL: Hoover SmartWash+ Automatic Carpet Cleaner
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2. BEST BANG FOR THE BUCK: Hoover PowerDash Compact Carpet Cleaner
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3. BEST SPOT CLEANER: Bissell Little Green Portable Carpet Cleaner
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4. BEST FOR STAIRS: Kenmore RevitaLite Pet Carpet Cleaner
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5. BEST FOR PETS: Shark CarpetXpert HairPro Pet With StainStriker
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6. BEST DEEP CLEANER: Bissell Big Green Pet Pro Carpet Cleaner
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7. BEST SMART: Tineco Carpet One Cruiser Smart Carpet Cleaner
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Carpet Cleaners Comparison

Our Top Picks

Whether you’re looking for a portable option for quick spot-cleaning or an upright for whole-house cleaning, our list has you covered. See how each carpet and rug cleaner we recommend fared in our tests and which one might be best for your needs. 

Our Ratings: Ease of Use 4.5/5; Effectiveness 5/5; Suction 5/5; Portability 4.5/5; Value 4.5/5

With no buttons to push or triggers to pull, Hoover’s high-tech SmartWash+ carpet cleaner makes quick and easy work of messy tasks. Pushing the unit forward automatically turns on the cleaning function, and pulling it back switches the machine to auto-dry. The cleaner’s AutoMix system combines and dispenses the correct amount of carpet cleaner solution​, while the 1-gallon tank provides ample capacity for washing and rinsing.

In testing, it only took a few passes to remove all the test stains from our carpet square and get it bone dry. We found the dry-only mode especially helpful—so much so that we even used it on a couple of other still-wet test squares and pulled out an impressive amount of excess moisture. In addition to being easy to use and effective, this upright carpet-cleaning machine was lighter than similar models, which made it easier to maneuver and carry. With its longer power cord, 8-foot hose, and several attachments (including one for pet hair), it’s also quite versatile.

The downsides of this otherwise great machine were build quality and a not-always-intuitive design. Some plastic pieces came loose when we removed the hose, and we struggled to get them back into place. Also, after we took off the brush and cover for cleaning, they weren’t super easy to snap back on. Still, those issues felt minor compared to the overall value of this very effective carpet cleaner.

What our tester says: “It took us a little while to get used to the lack of buttons and triggers, but once we used the machine for a bit, we found it to be one of our favorites.”—Amber Guetebier, Product Reviews tester and writer 

Get the Hoover SmartWash+ carpet cleaner at Amazon, Ace Hardware, Walmart, Target, or Hoover.

Our Ratings: Ease of Use 4.5/5; Effectiveness 5/5; Suction 4.5/5; Portability 5/5; Value 4/5

This budget-friendly Hoover model is a whole-home carpet cleaner with a user-friendly compact design. It weighs just 12.5 pounds, making it ideal for anyone with limited storage space, yet the 0.5-gallon tank provides enough water for most rooms. This unit also features Hoover’s HeatForce Technology, which heats the carpet as dirty water is sucked into the tank for faster drying. It comes with a pet brush roll that helps collect hair and purge difficult stains, and though it doesn’t have a hose attachment, its low profile lets users get under furniture fairly easily.

This compact upright cleaner impressed us with how quickly it removed carpet stains, eliminating them in three passes, which took less than 5 minutes. After running it for another 2 minutes without dispensing any more water, our carpet square was dry to the touch. Though it was fast and very easy to use, the fact that it doesn’t come with an attachment hose made getting into small spaces and corners a little difficult. Also, compared to others, the process of removing the dirty water was a little awkward, but not enough to be a deal-breaker, especially at this price point. If you’re in the market for a carpet cleaner machine that gets the job done with no fuss and at a great price, this is an excellent choice.

Get the Hoover PowerDash carpet cleaner at Amazon or Wayfair.

Our Ratings: Ease of Use 5/5; Effectiveness 4.3/5; Suction 5/5; Portability 5/5; Value 4.7/5

The Bissell Little Green portable carpet and upholstery cleaner is a versatile machine designed to tackle everything from stained carpets to sticky auto interiors. Its powerful suction capabilities can efficiently remove messes from almost any soft surface, yet it’s small enough to carry from place to place without any hassle. The Little Green comes with two 48-ounce water tanks (one for clean water and one for dirty) that are easy to remove and maintain, a 3-inch tough-stain tool, a HydroRinse attachment, and a sample-size bottle of the brand’s cleaning solution. 

In testing, this carpet spot cleaner​ easily eliminated dirt and fresh stains, and it greatly improved the appearance of set-in stains. We liked its large-capacity tanks, which reduced the frequency of filling and emptying, as well as its lightweight build and 15-foot cord for portability. And given how much of a pain it typically is to clean the hoses on carpet cleaners, the HydroRinse self-cleaning tool made it much easier to get the job done without spilling water everywhere. 

Read our full review: Bissell Little Green Portable Carpet Cleaner

Get the Bissell Little Green carpet cleaner at Amazon, Walmart, or Bissell.

Our Ratings: Ease of Use 4.5/5; Effectiveness 4/5; Suction 4/5; Portability 4.5/5; Value 4.6/5

With its low price and solid performance, Kenmore’s RevitaLite portable carpet cleaner gave our best bang for the buck winner a run for its money. However, given this budget-friendly model’s light weight and incredibly long hose and cord, it’s an easy win for the best carpet cleaner for stairs. Whether you’re in need of whole-house or spot cleaning, it does an excellent job removing everyday dirt as well as set-in stains. 

In testing, this lightweight carpet cleaner​ was one of the easiest upright models to push and pull, likely because its clean and dirty water tanks sit quite low on the unit. Even with the 3.2-liter water tank full, it weighed just over 25 pounds, which helped a lot when maneuvering around furniture feet and up stairs. 

While it only comes with two tools (a 3.5-inch tough stain tool and a 6.5-inch wide path tool), we found they were enough for everything from pulling up pet messes to getting old stains out of couch pillows. If we had one complaint, it’s that it didn’t seem to pull out as much extra moisture as others, which left the carpet a bit damp. A storage mat would be nice for catching post-cleaning drips, but for the price, it’s really a pretty minor issue. 

What our tester says: “This was my favorite carpet cleaning machine for stairs, which is where our carpet tends to get the dirtiest. With the 8-foot hose and the 25-foot cord, I had no issue reaching the bottom steps from the ground floor and the top steps from the second.”—Michelle Larson, Product Reviews tester and writer 

Get the Kenmore carpet cleaner at Amazon or Kenmore.

Our Ratings: Ease of Use 4.7/5; Effectiveness 4.6/5; Suction 5/5; Portability 4.5/5; Value 4.4/5

The Shark CarpetXpert HairPro is an excellent pet stain carpet cleaner​ for those needing regular hair removal and targeted carpet deep cleaning. Designed to capture three times more pet hair and deliver 20 times more stain-removing power than traditional models, it’s ideal for ongoing carpet and rug maintenance as well as more urgent issues. In our tests, it was easily one of the best for picking up pet hair without clumping, and we loved that the brush roll was designed to prevent hair wrapping, which made post-use maintenance much easier. 

This Shark couldn’t have arrived at a better time. Given that both of our dogs were sick for several days, we had ample opportunities to use all four attachments, including the pet mess extractor, 3.5-inch pet stain eliminator, mini stain eliminator, and hair extractor. In addition to tackling mess after mess, it was also easy to use thanks to a dual-tank design that automatically mixed Shark’s Deep Clean Pet and Oxy Multiplier cleaning solutions as needed. The LED warning lights let us know when the dirty water tank required emptying, and given the substances we were handling, we especially appreciated the hose’s self-rinse feature. 

What our tester says: “One of our pets always seems to be sick when I’m testing carpet cleaners, and it happened again this time. But between the Shark’s pet mess attachment and powerful suction, you’d never know that both our pups have had a bug for the last 3 days.”—Michelle Larson, Product Reviews tester and writer 

Get the Shark carpet cleaner at Amazon, The Home Depot, or Best Buy.

Our Ratings: Ease of Use 5/5; Effectiveness 5/5; Suction 5/5; Portability 3/5; Value 4.5/5

This heavy-duty carpet cleaner from Bissell uses an extra-large rotary brush to lift dirt and deliver results similar to those of professional carpet cleaning. Its 1.75-gallon clean water tank holds more than enough water for most rooms, and the 9-foot hose reaches easily under beds, sofas, and other hard-to-access areas. The Big Green Pet Pro also comes with a pet stain tool and a 6-inch stair tool, but since it weighs 44 pounds, it can be hard to maneuver and requires significant storage space.

That size did offer much in the way of effectiveness, however. In just 20 minutes, we removed all the stains on our test squares plus several older spots on our low-pile basement carpet we thought would never come out. Its powerful 12-amp motor provided enough strong suction to leave our carpets surprisingly dry to the touch and completely dry within about 4 hours.

We also appreciated the cleaner’s practical attachments. The stair tool was great for corners and narrow areas, and the 6-inch attachment cleaned couch stains in under a minute. Anyone looking to avoid renting a carpet cleaner or paying to have their carpets professionally cleaned won’t be disappointed with this deep-clean carpet cleaner​.

Get the Bissell Big Green carpet cleaner at Amazon, Wayfair, Walmart, or Bissell.

The Tineco Carpet One Cruiser is a smart carpet cleaner that automatically adjusts suction power, water flow, and brush speed based on detected soil levels. Weighing just under 22 pounds with a 21-foot cord and low-set water tanks, it’s designed to be easy to maneuver for whole-house cleaning. It also comes with a two-in-one nozzle for maintaining carpet and upholstery, plus a small bristle brush for cleaning the dirty water tank, brush chamber, and roller. 

Though it comes at a premium price, we found a lot to like about this model during testing. First, it uses what Tineco calls SmoothPower technology to help propel itself forward and back, meaning it took almost no effort to push or pull, even when the 2-liter water tank was full. And although it only came with one extra cleaning nozzle, that was both wide enough for couch cushions yet narrow enough for corners. Also, as a heated carpet cleaner with a self-wash system, we really liked how the PowerDry function sped up drying and that the automatic brush roller and suction pathway cleaning system took care of some of the post-use maintenance. The one thing we didn’t love was that it left behind a few hair clumps from our cat, even though we vacuumed first.

What our tester says: “As much as I like how this model automatically adjusts to the dirt level it senses, my favorite things about it are walking over the slightly warmed carpet as the Tineco dries it and not having to do nearly as much work to clean the brush after it’s cleaned my carpets.”—Michelle Larson, Product Reviews tester and writer 

Get the Tineco carpet cleaner at Amazon or Tineco.

Jump to Our Top Picks

How We Tested the Best Carpet Cleaners

Before we began testing, we researched more than three dozen products, ranging from small portable options to professional-style equipment and even a few steam carpet cleaners. We considered weight, cord length, and accessories, and we also looked at carpet cleaner reviews to determine what made potential picks exceptional.

We then tested 23 different carpet cleaners on a carpet swatch marked by several tough-to-clean stains, including red wine, chocolate, dirt, and oil. We also used them around the house on old stains and furniture when possible, trying all included accessories, carrying each machine up and down stairs, and monitoring how long the carpet took to dry after use. We then rated each machine on how quickly and how well it eliminated stains, overall ease of use, portability, and suction, and assigned our favorite models awards based on their strengths. 

What to Consider When Choosing a Carpet Cleaner

Carpet cleaning equipment often features various cleaning modes and includes several accessories. Hose and cord length affect how long the unit can continuously clean before unplugging and moving. Keeping these factors in mind when shopping can help ensure you pick the best residential carpet cleaner for your needs.

Spot-Cleaning vs. Whole-House Cleaning

Spot-cleaning machines are lightweight, portable, and less expensive than whole-house cleaners, but their suction isn’t as strong as larger units. A handheld carpet cleaner is ideal for use on stairs, in homes with just a couple of carpeted rooms, or on area rugs. These small carpet cleaners are also good for cleaning the carpets in the car. 

Whole-house or upright carpet cleaners have robust motors, powerful suction, and thick, rotating brushes that provide deep cleaning. Many models offer multiple cleaning modes and use their own cleaning solutions, making them better suited to larger homes with many carpeted rooms that see heavy traffic. A whole-house, heavy-duty carpet cleaner is ideal for lifting dirt and grime that’s settled deep into carpet or rug fibers.

Size, Weight, and Portability

Buyers will want to consider their physical limits, the amount of carpeting, and the number of levels in the home when making a decision. In general, the heavier the machine, the more powerful its suction motor and rotating brushes will be. Portable carpet cleaners, like handheld carpet cleaners, are lighter and easier to maneuver, whereas full-size upright machines capable of heavy-duty cleaning will be harder to move and store. 

Cord and Hose Length

Cord and hose length both affect cleaning time; the less often you have to unplug and plug in, the more efficient the cleaning session. Long cords of 20 feet or more and hoses up to 10 feet are particularly helpful in large rooms and for cleaning stairs. Since some upright units don’t have hoses, buyers wanting to clean under heavy pieces of furniture will want to be careful when choosing.

Accessories

Carpet-cleaner accessories are attachments that can be added to a hose or intake port for cleaning different materials, reaching difficult areas, or dealing with pet hair and odors. Some of the most common types include upholstery cleaners; crevice-cleaning attachments (handy for tight spots like the indent created where the baseboard meets the carpet); or spinning brushes that lift tough, stuck-on stains. Pet attachments include special brushes, guards, and even isolated tanks for trapping fur to prevent it from getting caught in the machine. Many machines include samples of the brand’s best carpet shampoos or cleaning solutions to help you start cleaning right away.

FAQs

Before buying or renting a carpet cleaner to keep your carpet looking new, take a look at these frequently asked questions and their answers. 

Q. Is a carpet cleaner worth buying?

The price range in this lineup is $125 to $700. However, the average cost of hiring a professional carpet cleaner is about $50 per room and can be up to $600 for larger homes. This means that after just a few uses, your new carpet cleaner will have paid for itself. You also have the option of renting carpet-cleaning equipment and DIYing the job at an average price of $30 per day. Either of these routes may make sense if you have just one or two carpeted rooms, but if your entire house is carpeted or you live with small children or furry friends, it may be more cost-effective to compare carpet cleaners and invest in your own unit.

Q. How often should I clean a carpet?

If regular vacuuming and moderate care are taken, a carpet can be cleaned once every 12 to 18 months. In an active household with pets and children, you’ll want to clean the carpet every 6 to 12 months.

Q. What is the best carpet cleaner for a home with pets?

The best carpet cleaner for pets can remove pet hair, odors, and stains from even the deepest fibers of the carpet. In our tests, the Shark CarpetXpert HairPro Pet With StainStriker did a great job on these tasks as well as on more serious pet messes.

Q. How long do you have to stay off the carpet after cleaning?

Bissell recommends staying off carpet for 4 to 6 hours after cleaning, but total dry time depends on a variety of factors, including the type of carpet fibers, the pile, how much solution and water were used, room size, ventilation, humidity, and temperature. Carpet made from polyester takes between 6 and 12 hours to dry, but wool carpet takes at least 24 hours to dry. To reduce drying time, use a quick-cleaning mode, which releases less liquid, and increase ventilation by opening windows, turning on fans, and turning on heat or air conditioning.

Q. Is it better to shampoo or steam clean carpets?

If you want to remove surface stains or odors, shampooing your carpets will be better. To deep clean and sanitize carpet, a steam cleaner will be more effective. 

Q. How much should I spend on a carpet cleaner?

How much you should spend on a carpet cleaner depends on your needs regarding features, size, and frequency of use. The carpet cleaners selected for this guide cost between $125 and $700, which reflects the typical price range for reliable models.

Meet the Testers

Amber Guetebier is a writer, editor, and creative writing instructor who began writing for the Bob Vila team in 2021. She is also a mother of one active son and four pets, all of whom track in dirt, make messes, spill things, and generally wreak havoc on her carpets year-round. 

Michelle Larson has been a writer and editor for more than 10 years in the fields of health, business, and the home. Because she’d rather spend a little more up front than buy a tool or appliance twice, she strongly believes in the power of research and reviews for finding quality items that are meant to last.

Debbie Wolfe is a photographer, author, and freelance writer in various niches. She has contributed hundreds of home, garden, and crafting articles and DIY tutorials for leading media outlets and retailers.

Additional research was provided by Timothy Dale.

 

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