Top 5 compared
The best carpet cleaners
Spilled coffee, muddy paws and the gray path down the hallway: a carpet cleaner washes out what a vacuum leaves behind.
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The top 5 at a glance
A carpet cleaner sprays water and cleaning formula into the pile, scrubs it with brushes and sucks the dirty water back into a separate tank. A full-size upright is pushed like a vacuum and takes on whole rooms; a compact upright weighs less and tucks into a closet; a portable spot cleaner sits beside the mess while a hose and hand tool do the work.
Vacuum the carpet first and try a small hidden patch before doing a whole room. Full-size uprights are heavy to carry, so roll them from room to room and empty the dirty tank before taking one upstairs. A spot cleaner fits in a closet or under the sink between messes.
What matters
- A big clean water tank, for fewer refills mid-room.
- A long cord, so one outlet covers more of the room.
- A built-in hose and stain tool for stairs and upholstery.
- A self-cleaning hose or tool that rinses out after each job.
#1BISSELL Big Green Professional Carpet Cleaner (86T3)
Over $300
An extra-large DirtLifter PowerBrush across a 10.5 in path, 1.75-gallon clean and dirty tanks, and cleaning on both the forward and the backward pass, so a big room takes fewer passes and fewer trips to the sink. A 9 ft hose and a 6 in Tough Stain Tool take care of stairs.
What owners say: Owners get results they compare to a professional clean, one rating it above a rented Rug Doctor, and say carpets dry quickly and look new again; it’s easy to fill and rinse out, though opinions on its weight differ.
Heads up: At 42 lb it’s heavy, so roll it rather than lift it, and empty the dirty tank before taking it upstairs.
A closer look: Work in slow, overlapping passes, since it cleans on the pull back as well as the push. The 25 ft cord covers most rooms from one outlet, and afterward both tanks are worth a rinse and a few hours open to air-dry before it goes back in the closet.
- Cleans pushing and pulling
- 10.5 in cleaning path
- 8-row scrubbing brush
- 5-year limited warranty
Best for: Whole houses and heavy soiling
- Type
- Upright
- Tools
- 9 ft hose, stain tool
- Clean water tank
- 224 oz
- Dirty water tank
- 224 oz
- Weight
- 42 lb
- Cord length
- 25 ft
- Hose length
- 9 ft
#2BISSELL Little Green Mini Portable Carpet Cleaner (4075)
$75–$100
A small spray, scrub and suction machine that lives in a closet until the dog has an accident or coffee hits the couch. It weighs 7 lb, and its HydroRinse tool rinses the hose clean after each mess.
What owners say: Pet messes and ground-in dirt come out well, owners say, and they like that it’s light, easy to move around and small enough for a cabinet; a few find the suction weaker than they hoped.
A closer look: Its 16 oz tank is sized for spots, not rooms: a couch cushion, a stair or two, a car seat or a pet bed. The cord is 12 ft, so on stairs plug it in at the landing and work a few steps at a time, then run clean water through the HydroRinse tool before putting it away.
- Tool rinses the hose clean
- Trial bottle of formula included
Best for: Spills, stairs and couches
- Type
- Portable
- Tools
- 4 in stain tool
- Clean water tank
- 16 oz
- Dirty water tank
- 13.5 oz
- Weight
- 7 lb
- Cord length
- 12 ft
- Hose length
- 4 ft
#3Shark StainStriker Portable Spot and Stain Cleaner (PX221BRN)
$75–$100
Shark’s portable mixes two formulas inside the machine as it sprays, an OXY booster and its Deep Clean Pro, so there’s no premixing, and a click-in self-clean flushes the hose and tools after each mess. It weighs 8.5 lb and fits in a closet or under the sink.
What owners say: It’s simple to use, owners say, with strong suction and a self-clean they rate highly, and it earns its keep with pets around, though some had leaks and a few found an attachment missing from the box.
A closer look: Click the hose into its dock after each job and let the system flush water through, which keeps old dirt out of the next clean. The short cord and hose suit a stair or a car seat with the machine set down close by.
- Mixes two formulas while spraying
- Flushes its own hose clean
- Removable dirty water tank
- Fits under the sink
- Two formula bottles included
Best for: Pet stains and spot cleaning
- Type
- Portable
- Tools
- Stain tool, crevice tool
- Clean water tank
- 41 oz
- Dirty water tank
- –
- Weight
- 8.5 lb
- Cord length
- 12 ft
- Hose length
- 4.5 ft
#4Shark CarpetXpert Upright Carpet Cleaner with Built-in Stain Remover (EX151)
$200–$300
A full-size upright with a hose and spot and stain tool built in, so one machine does the living room carpet, the stair runner and a spill on the couch. Shark’s PowerSpray is made to soak deep into the fibers without oversoaking them, so carpets dry sooner.
What owners say: Owners say it lifts dirt and stains better than they expected and that carpets can dry in 15 to 20 minutes, though opinions differ on how much water it leaves behind and on how often the tank needs refilling.
A closer look: Vacuum thoroughly first, since a carpet cleaner lifts ground-in grime rather than loose crumbs and hair. At 17 lb it rolls easily but is a lift on the stairs, so leave it at the bottom and work up with the hose and stain tool. Rinsing out the dirty tank after every session keeps smells away.
- 7 in wide-path tool
- 12 oz formula included
- Sprays deep without oversoaking
Best for: Carpets that need to dry fast
- Type
- Upright
- Tools
- Built-in hose, 3 tools
- Clean water tank
- 77 oz
- Dirty water tank
- 29 oz
- Weight
- 17 lb
- Cord length
- 25 ft
- Hose length
- 5 ft
#5BISSELL TurboClean Upright Carpet Cleaner (3952)
$75–$100
A compact, light upright for smaller spaces: 13 lb, with a four-row DeepReach PowerBrush that scrubs out the ground-in dirt a vacuum leaves on busy paths. It comes with two 8 oz formulas, one of them for pet stains.
What owners say: Owners like the strong suction and how easily it comes apart to rinse, and some find it small enough to tuck in a closet, though others wish the tanks were bigger, and a handful stopped working within months.
Heads up: There’s no hose or hand tool, so it cleans floors only: pair it with a spot cleaner for stairs and upholstery.
A closer look: Snap the nozzle off and rinse it under the faucet after each clean, as it’s made to come off for exactly that. Its 7.5 in path suits hallways, bedrooms and area rugs better than a big open-plan room.
- 4-row scrubbing brush
- 7.5 in cleaning path
- Nozzle snaps off for rinsing
- Two 8 oz formulas included
Best for: Small spaces and storage
- Type
- Compact upright
- Tools
- None (floors only)
- Clean water tank
- 80 oz
- Dirty water tank
- 44 oz
- Weight
- 13 lb
- Cord length
- 20 ft
- Hose length
- None
How they compare
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| Feature | #1BISSELL Big Green | #2BISSELL Little Green Mini | #3Shark StainStriker | #4Shark CarpetXpert | #5BISSELL TurboClean |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall | Best budget | Best compact upright | |||
| Picked Rating | 9.3 | 9.0 | 8.9 | 8.9 | 8.8 |
| Price | Over $300 | $75–$100 | $75–$100 | $200–$300 | $75–$100 |
| Type | Upright | Portable | Portable | Upright | Compact upright |
| Tools | 9 ft hose, stain tool | 4 in stain tool | Stain tool, crevice tool | Built-in hose, 3 tools | None (floors only) |
| Clean water tank | 224 oz | 16 oz | 41 oz | 77 oz | 80 oz |
| Dirty water tank | 224 oz | 13.5 oz | – | 29 oz | 44 oz |
| Weight | 42 lb | 7 lb | 8.5 lb | 17 lb | 13 lb |
| Cord length | 25 ft | 12 ft | 12 ft | 25 ft | 20 ft |
| Hose length | 9 ft | 4 ft | 4.5 ft | 5 ft | None |
| Best for | Whole houses and heavy soiling | Spills, stairs and couches | Pet stains and spot cleaning | Carpets that need to dry fast | Small spaces and storage |
| Buy now | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon |
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