I Tested And Ranked The Best Carpet Cleaners Of 2023
A reliable, high-quality carpet cleaner should be highly effective and easy to operate. I’ve tested the 10 most popular options on Amazon, and here's my ultimate ranking.
FYI, prices and ratings are accurate as of time of writing.
1. Bissell Little Green Carpet and Upholstery Cleaner
Top-rated: 62,948 ratings
Credit: Amazon.com
Highlight: Clean multiple surfaces (carpet, stairs, upholstery, area rugs, auto interiors, and more).
Helpful review: "First let me say I don’t normally take time to write reviews but I just had to share my story because I’m still giddy about how well this machine worked.
I recently purchased a beautiful cream, designer chair at a furniture consignment shop and the lighting must have been bad in the store because I didn’t notice at all that it was quite dirty. I was just so excited that it was exactly what I had been looking for - color, size, style and price!
When I got it home it was perfect in every way EXCEPT the off-white that was so perfect in the fluorescent lighting was a dingy EWWW in the natural light of our living room. I took the armrest covers off and YUCK! I noticed how dirty the arms were and then noticed that I hadn’t looked that closely on the store - there were spots all over the chair!
The store doesn’t take returns AND I loved everything about the chair except the grime and spots (how did I not notice those in the store???) so I googled best upholstery cleaner and the BISSELL Little Green Machine showed up as top-rated in multiple blogs so I searched for it on Amazon. It had awesome reviews confirming what the blogs has said so I ordered it.
It came super-fast and was easy to set up. I got to work. Well, my sweet husband got to work. My plan was to have him handle the task as he’s usually in charge of the grimy stuff. Love that man. 😊🙏
Well I had no idea cleaning upholstery could be so fun! This little machine sucked the grime right out! It was really satisfying to see it get sucked out right before my eyes. Before my husband knew it, he was free to watch his baseball game because I had taken over.
When I was finished the cream chair looked like new!
And I didn’t stop there.
I had a 14-year old blue chair in my home office that had weathered two babies, lots of journaling and phone conversations with my feet tucked up underneath me, latte spills and just…a full life! Our whole family loves mommy’s blue chair as it’s where good conversations and snuggles have happened my kids’ entire lives. When we recently remodeled our home I was looking for a new chair for myself. My whole family protested because they loved it so much. Our whole house was clean and fresh from the much-needed after 17 years in the house remodel. Having to look at that chair, as much as I loved the memories of it, grossed me out.
So when I finished the cream chair I thought, I’m going to see what the BISSELL Little Green Machine could do for the blue chair. I figured, worst case scenario it would make it worse and then I’d HAVE to get my new chair. 😀
I honestly didn’t think it would make a difference. I had actually had a professional rug + upholstery cleaner look at it and say he couldn’t do anything to make it look better just two months ago during the remodel. So despite seeing the INCREDIBLE results on the cream chair, my expectations were low. Additionally, this was an inexpensive chair with a sueded microfiber fabric - not nearly as well made as the cream chair so I wasn’t sure if the not super-sturdy fabric would withstand the cleaning fluid or brush.
I was blown away. The BISSELL mighty little machine did an amazing job!!! The blue chair is saved and we are ALL excited. Yes, even me. 😃 I just wish I would have taken videos of cleaning the blue chair - the water was SO dirty. GROSS! Again though, it was SO satisfying throughout the process to see the dirt come out and have brand new chairs.
This machine is WELL worth the very reasonable price and I also absolutely love being able to restore two chairs rather than buy new ones. Less landfill and consumerism to help the planet. And the pocketbook!!!
A little technique scoop (if you’re still reading) - on the cream chair we sprayed the cleaning water from the machine on the area, then sprayed Resolve and let it sit for a minute or two before we sucked up the dirt. The Resolve did make the dirty water in the tank pretty foamy and I’m not sure if it could damage the machine or the chair but when we tried it we were kind of thinking we didn’t have anything to lose as the fabric was so grungy when we got it home to natural light, we would not have kept the chair if the BISSELL didn’t work. The machine seems totally fine and of course the chair is now clean and beautiful!
I could not possibly love this little machine more and now I can feel much more confident with all of our new carpet and furniture because if we get a spill or a stain this lightly little green machine will take care of it! I highly recommend the BISSELL Little Green Machine!" — Mrs. Augie
Get it from Amazon now: $123.59 & FREE Returns
2. Hoover PowerDash Pet Compact Carpet Cleaner
Top-rated: 73,592 ratings
Credit: Amazon.com
Highlight: Comes with a Hoover Nozzle Cleanout Tool and a Hoover Trial Size Solution.
Helpful review: "We've got white carpeting in our living/dining area and upstairs in the hallway and master bedroom. The carpet was not new when we bought the house, but had been cleaned, and looked great. We moved in with our three dogs and our two cats, and somehow, we haven't figured out what caused it, the carpet began to get a bit dirty, especially in areas where our biggest dog (Zeus, an 85 pound teddy bear) prefers to sleep.
Then, a few months ago, my elderly mother moved in with us, and she has two small dogs who decided to come along for the ride.
One of those two dogs (Katie, a Feist dog who looks like a tiny deer more than anything else,) isn't housebroken. Is. Not. Housebroke. Not at all. Not even a little bit. She *was* housebroken at my mom's house, before Mom moved in with us, but Katie is a shelter dog, and we don't know if she was abused or just severely neglected before the shelter got her, but "timid" doesn't even begin to describe this dog. She's not afraid of *us* anymore, and gets along great with the other dogs. But fear is her steadfast companion, and for whatever reason, she has decided that one thing to be afraid of is the very idea of going outside without my mom.
The people who owned this house before we did also had a small dog. I don't know how well housebroken that dog was, but, I used to work for a carpet cleaning company, and one thing I learned there is about "wicking."
What can happen is, let's say that your dog--or our Katie--pees on the carpet and happens to pee where some other dog once peed on the carpet too. Not only can Katie leave a stain, but, the moisture can actually cause the stain from the *old* pee to get wicked back up to the surface, just the same way that oil is wicked up in a lantern to burn by the .... well, by the wick.
So apparently Katie is pretty good at finding old pee stains because very often, where she chooses to pee we not only get her new pee stain, but another stain as well, with brown edges. Nice, right? Our white carpet quickly became white, yellow, brown, and ugh, colors. And yes, in this case, "ugh" is a color.
I was desperate. We can't afford new carpets, and no one in their right mind would buy new ones. If anyone had come over to visit with the carpet looking like this... okay, I was about to say I would have died of embarrassment. But that would be overstating my degree of concern about what other people think by about a million degrees.
Still, we're pretty fond of this house (a mid century modern) and its looks, and we wouldn't want the carpet to be the thing people remembered the most about the house, especially not when there's a backyard with 5 dogs pooping in it for them to remember instead. (Flies. We have flies. Even though we scoop, we have flies.)
Enter this little machine. For the price, I have to tell ya, I wasn't expecting *too* much. Then again, I was expecting *something* or I wouldn't have bought it.
What I got was, in fact, a lot more than I was expecting, I can tell you that.
I followed the quick start guide and put it together; all very simple.
I filled the water tank with water and a little of the detergent that came with it, plugged the machine in, and fired it up. I did that after first tempering my husband and mother's expectations by letting them know that it was possible that it wouldn't do anything except make the wicking problem even worse, and advising them that for that reason, I was going to test just a small area.
Listen... well, no, just read. No wicking problem. New stains are gone. Old stains are gone. Does the carpet look brand new again? Well, no. But it looks as good as it does when we moved in here.
The machine spits the water into the carpet, rub-a-dub-dubs it however much you want it to, and then when you're ready, it sucks the water back out again, and applies some heat to help start it on its way to getting dry again. Easy as can be.
In fact, I'm afraid to say this because we ARE talking about housework here but it's actually kind of.... well.... fun. I don't SAY that about housework. But the thing is that it's not housework I hate. In fact, I *love* housework when it's not overly strenuous, doesn't make me sweat, and I can look at what I've just done and really tell that I DID something, and this machine covers all those points. And for the price? Well.
All I can say is that it's one of the best purchases I've ever made, and if you could see my buying-history, and thank god you can't, you'd realize what a huge statement that is for me to say. There may be some carpet cleaning jobs it wouldn't be recommended for, but not any carpet cleaning jobs that *I* would ever do. That's a fact.
I love this thing. I love it so much I'm going to name it. I just haven't chosen the perfect name yet. I'm thinking "Slosh," though. Even though it doesn't. Slosh, that is. Oh, and one more thing: emptying out the dirty water so that you can put in some nice clean water and clean more carpet is easy as can be, also.
Be sure and vacuum first if you have pets. I didn't because I was in such a hurry to try this bad mofo out, and I was rewarded by having the machine spit out a couple of (quite clean!) hairballs while I was doing my test area. So yeah. Vacuum first. Buy this. This is the droid you're looking for." — F. Wafford
Get it from Amazon now: $130.19 & FREE Returns
3. Bissell TurboClean PowerBrush Pet Carpet Cleaner
Top-rated: 26,868 ratings
Credit: Amazon.com
Highlight: Great for cleaning high traffic areas, small spaces and area rugs.
Helpful review: "Firstly, for context I just got this carpet cleaner today and used it for ~3 hours. If I have any issues with it in the future I’ll update. Right now, I’m super happy!
I was in the market for a carpet cleaner to clean our nasty rental carpets and to have on hand for pet messes. I poured over the reviews for all the affordable machines on Amazon and this one seemed to have the most positive ones. The machine is very easy to put together and use. You snap the handle together, snap in the dirty water tank, fill and snap in the clean water tank, and you’re ready to start cleaning.
If you’re looking for something to clean smaller areas, like rugs or pet accidents, this machine is ideal. I have a small-ish apartment and using it over my whole living room was time consuming and took a LOT of water changes (especially because the carpet was gross), but doable. If I had a large house worth of carpet I would’ve wanted a bigger machine. But for my situation I’m okay with spending more time for less money. If you’re willing to spend more to save time and/or you’re wanting to cover a large area, look elsewhere.
PROS:
- Very lightweight and compact.
- Easy to assemble and use.
- Good suction. Cleaned out old stains in my carpet with just a few passes. It pulls most of the water out so your carpets get cleaner and you’re not left with soaking wet floors.
- Separate tanks for dirty and clean water. Dirty tank is much bigger so there’s room for suds.
CONS:
- Small tanks. You run out of clean water and/or need to empty very frequently. It took me about 30 mins to do one pass of a 10x10 foot area, for which I needed to empty the tanks probably 3-4 times.
- Small width, so it doesn’t cover very much surface area with each pass of the machine. This also means you spend more time to cover the same area.
- The brush is cylindrical and spins like a regular vacuum brush. I was actually surprised at how much staining it got out, but for very dirty or ground in stains you would probably need to pre treat and scrub by hand to loosen them up before using this machine.
- No attachments, like you’d use to clean furniture or car seats.
TIPS FOR USING:
- Vacuum VERY WELL with a regular vacuum before using this machine. If you have pets and fluffier carpet, I recommend getting some type of carpet brush to pick up embedded fur.
- To use this you fill the clean water tank with hot water plus whatever cleaner you want to use (there is a mark on the water tank for each), then hold down the trigger in the handle to dispense the clean water and let go to suck it back up.
- The directions recommend going forward and back with the trigger held, then forward and back with it released. I recommend going forward/back with the trigger held once, then repeat without it held until the carpet feels reasonably dry. The reviews that complained of sopping wet carpets were probably either holding the trigger down for too many passes, or not going back over enough times to suck up water.
- GO SLOWLY. Especially as you are pulling the machine back toward yourself. If you go too fast it won’t have enough time to suck water back up.
- Use hot water. The directions say 60C/140F. I used very hot tap water.
- A little soap goes a long way. IMO just a splash of soap is enough, this was enough to pull up a lot of foam (and dirt) out of my carpets. Just plain water will pull out dirt too.
- Do a pass with soap over the whole room, then go back with only water in the tank to get the soap back out. Repeat till water runs clear.
- Some reviews complained that the dirty tank leaked. It won’t if you pull it straight up and out of the cleaner and then hold it upright until you empty it. If you turn it upside down then flip back upright it will leak a little out the bottom. Also, make sure that it’s properly attached when you click it back in.
- If your carpets are really gnarly like mine, expect to spend a lot of time on them (maybe even a multi-day project as you complete individual rooms). I did 4 passes over the room and was still getting dirty water coming up. If I used an industrial strength machine I probably could’ve done less passes, but I’m willing to spend more time since I saved some money buying this machine.
OVERALL:
I think this is a really good purchase IF you know what to expect. Is this a professional level machine with tons of power and a huge water tank? Definitely not. Can you get a professional level clean with this? Maybe, but it’s going to take quite a while. If you want to save yourself some money but have the time to spend, and not a huge amount of area to cover, this little machine is a good option.
Carpet cleaner rental near me is $60 a pop, not including attachments or soap. I was willing to spend a little more to just buy this even though I knew it would probably take me longer, the convenience of being able to use it whenever I want is worth it to me." — Emily Gabrick
Get it from Amazon now: $113.30 & FREE Returns
4. BISSELL SpotClean Pet Pro Portable Carpet Cleaner
Top-rated: 12,314 ratings
Credit: Amazon.com
Highlight: Bissell's most powerful portable spot and stain cleaner.
Helpful review: "I’ve been thinking about buying this for a long time. I finally pulled the trigger, so I thought I would take the time to list my thoughts.
1. Yes, it works. I’m trying to get a few more years out of my furniture & I know there are some hot spots from my pups. I clean it by hand when I find them, but I know the smell is there. Over the years, the fabric has hardened (likely from cleaning agents) but the odor lingers for the dogs. I followed the instructions and worked on my chair. As you can see in the pictures, it definitely pulls the dirt/residue/hair out. The fabric is visibly cleaner and much softer.
2. One run is probably not enough if the fabric is dirty enough. I let my chair dry overnight, but woke to the smell of urine. It’s going to take several rounds of cleaning, but I’m very hopeful & pleased.
3. Yes, it leaks (as described by other users) - if they are talking about in the clean tank or somewhere else. Honestly, I don’t know how it couldn’t. If you look in the first picture (clean tank), you can see the mechanism. It’s similar to a Shark steamer - you turn the tank upside down, it fits in the machine, and a few dribbles of water comes out. I don’t see why that’s a big deal: maybe it is & I’m unaware; maybe they are talking about something else.
4. It creates a lot of condensation around the items you are cleaning. For instance, I was cleaning a chair. I had a ton of water on my floor. Make sure you put down some towels. I should have known better.
5. Like some other reviewers reported, my brush did look used, but it was clean so I chatted with Bissell. According to the customer service rep, they sporadically test their brushes before sending them out. Do I believe that? No. Do I think my brush was used? The more I think about it, I think it is probably lower quality and was poorly packaged.
6. I think the brushes are low quality and will replacing before your machine.
7. Cleaning your device - make sure you clean the filters, hose, and crevices. I found a lot of dog hair tucked away. I have a feeling if you don’t, your machine will stop working sooner rather than later.
8. Amazon’s warranty - don’t purchase. When I initially asked about my brush, Amazon sent me to Bissell (so no help). And when I went to Bissell, I realized Bissell offers a free two year warranty.
9. Enzymatic cleaners - it comes with two sample bottles of cleaners. You only need 2mL/96oz H2O. 96oz of water is a large amount. I cleaned for 1.5 hours and still have nearly 1/2 of the clean water left. I bought the extra bottles, but I don’t think I will need them for some time.
OVERALL THOUGHTS:
I debated between this version and the little green machine. I opted for this one because it was only $20-$30 more, offered super suction, and held 96oz. I also think I this one is on wheels and the other isn’t. I like the super suction, but I definitely don’t need the 96oz. The only reason I’m removing a star is I’m sure I will have to replace the brushes. Great buy and I should have purchased sooner. For those of you on the fence, rest a little easier knowing Bissell offers the 2-year warranty. Go for it.
UPDATE:
I was mistaken. This does not have wheels. My apologies!" — Jodie Aaronson
Get it from Amazon now: $175.04 & FREE Returns
5. Bissell Little Green Pet Deluxe Portable Carpet Cleaner
Top-rated: 5,139 ratings
Credit: Amazon.com
Highlight: Includes a 3" Tough Stain Tool, Stain Trapper Tool, HydroRinse Self-Cleaning Hose Tool, 8 oz trial-size PET Spot & Stain formula, and 8 oz trial-size PET OXY Boost.
Helpful review: "This product saved my life. I recently adopted a puppy who has been still figuring out potty training. It’s been a struggle I’m not going to lie. We decided we needed to invest in a carpet cleaner, and picked this one. After some trial and error I can tell you it works wonders on pet stains, and even on other stains as well. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the machine itself, however I really do not like the cleaning solution that comes with it, or any cleaning solution from bissell for the following reasons:
1. The bissell cleaning solution smells really weird after use. My house still smelled like a horrible mix of pet urine and cleaning products.
2. It’s very expensive and annoying to order it every time.
3. Doesn’t work as fast as using off brand.
So save yourself the time, money, and horrible smells and go to your local target and buy the pet stain + odor eliminator for $2 and it will be so much better. In addition to that, I only use the medium sized nozzle because I find it works best (I think it’s the one attached to the machine in the picture).
I cannot say enough good things about the machine itself. Definitely worth the money.
P.s. for people who are curious, here is how I tackle my tough stains with this product:
1. Immediately pick up larger chunks
2. Pour baking soda on stain, let soak for as long as needed
3. Pour white vinegar on baking soda, wiping the carpet with paper towels as it’s reacting
4. Wipe off carpet as much as possible before using machine
5. Machine assembly- pour 1 bottle target brand pet stain + Odor eliminator (mentioned above), and fill the rest full with water and put tank in machine. Attach medium nozzle to hose, plug in, and turn on.
6. Before using the spray button and adding more water. Just let the machine suck up as much of the vinegar solution as possible
7. Once carpet is a little more dry, spray more of the target cleaning solution using the machine, and suck that up until most of the water is out of carpet. Repeat this step as needed, however I almost never have to repeat.
8. Let dry with fan." — Emma G. Dakota
Get it from Amazon now: $139.99 & FREE Returns
6. Hoover Power Scrub Deluxe Upright Carpet Shampooer
Top-rated: 47,285 ratings
Credit: Amazon.com
Highlight: Powerfully removes deep-embedded dirt and stains with 360 degree brushes and strong suction.
Helpful review: "About 25 or so years ago, I decided I was going to make some quick money by getting into the carpet cleaning business so I bought some heavy duty equipment; an Electrolux Epic Pro scrubber, Riccar upright vacuum and a Bissell Mean Green machine to use an an extractor. I never made any money, much less quick money, but I have had that equipment with me ever since and it still works as well today as when it was bought. It has been used, borrowed, abused and used some more. I decided I needed a new machine, an all-in-one, because I got tired of lugging everything out, dragging hoses, cords, spot cleaners and so on to clean a small area.
So I researched, and researched, and researched some more and decided to buy a Bissell Big Green Commercial unit. As I began to order it, the thought of spending $400 on a giant 50 lb machine I have to drag out every time I need to clean a spot seemed to go against what I was trying to do. Then it dawned on me, "Oh yeah, I have an upstairs.". Nope. I'm not dragging that thing around. Then there are the times when it will be borrowed and I will have to lift it, load it, unload it, etc. So I backed out. I decided on the Hoover Scrub Deluxe based on reviews and ordered it through Amazon. Amazingly it arrived one day early on the two day shipping. Thanks Amazon or UPS or whomever is responsible.
Anyway, here are my thoughts on it. Just so you know, I have high pile carpets so this machine is already at a bit of a disadvantage. I'm going to start with cons.
CONS:
- The handle is not that robust and cheaply attached. Use caution not to put undue lateral pressure on it to force the machine around. It works fine for back-and-forth motion.
- The gasket on the bottom of the fresh water tank is cheap. It leaks. It will wear out rapidly. Go ahead and order a couple and keep them on hand.
- The solution and fresh water fill ports are identical. The identifiers are molded into the plastic and easy to overlook. Grab some markers and label them.
- The tanks are small and go through water quickly. Just cleaning the main walkways in a small room necessitated about three fill-ups and dumps. BTW, remember the cheap gasket? Since you have to remove the water tank to fill it up so many times, it leaks momentarily every time you reinstall it but mine sealed off eventually after each tank install. It might be better to set the water tank on the machine so the fill tank doesn't leak and then just fill it in place with a gallon jug or something.
- The cord is short. I'm assuming the big companies must T&E folks with tiny houses because cords on home appliances are always too short. Just grab a 6' extension cord as that's about how much more you need.
- One other thing, and if it wasn't for the fact I have to box and ship the machine this *might* be deal breaker as it bothers me that much, the cord is routed through the bottom of the machine so you will run over it constantly. Yeah, there is a holding clip on the handle but now the cord is about 2' shorter so I'm having to whip the cord like a cowboy lassoing a calf to keep it out from under the wheels. Come on Hoover, or China or whatever. Stop that crap.
- The scrub brush. I'm pretty sure they just stuck that thing on there to say it has one. It freely floats about 2" with very little down pressure and the bristles are fine and soft. What the heck is that thing for anyway? It's darn sure not scrubbing anything. It's probably better to just take it off as it's just in the way.
PROS:
- Now, you might think from what I listed above that I hate this machine. Actually I was somewhat impressed with it. I'm not sure how it cleans with that crappy little "scrub brush" but it looked like I was pulling chocolate milk out of my carpets. I regularly vacuum and just did some carpet cleaning about a week ago so I was a little disgusted. This little machine is phenomenal when it comes to spraying and suction and this is where it shines. It's not a carpet scrubber. You would need to buy a dedicated unit for that job. This is an extractor and a darn good one.
- I used the Hoover soap solution that was included but as soon as I opened the container, I wasn't a fan of the soapy smell. I went ahead and mixed up a 1/2 soap 1/2 water mix on the solution side (and eventually went to 1/3 soap 2/3 water) but started cleaning the carpet with straight ol' hot tap water. In case you're wondering, the tank is split with a 'rinse' side for straight water and a 'wash' side for water soap mix. I did a standard 'rinse' pushing forward, 'extract' pulling back and was amazed at how well it worked. Just using hot tap water worked as well as the solution but I went ahead and injected a little Hoover soap into the carpet. It's not so bad when greatly diluted so no headaches. Most of the carpets were okay enough to walk on with bare feet within about 30 minutes, although not dry. I'm writing this within an hour of finishing the cleaning so they are still damp. I figure a few hours and we will be good to go.
CONCLUSION:
So, what do you get for the money? Well, you get a China-plastic machine with upholstery attachments that has small tanks, leaks a little right out of the box and has a useless scrub brush but somehow still cleans carpets pretty well. I think it's a little overpriced for what it is but for small rooms and spot cleaning it should be worth it if the longevity is there.
If you really want to make your carpets clean, in this price range I think you would be hard pressed to find a unit with better spraying and suction short of buying a heavy-duty commercial unit. Just buy an actual carpet scrubber with real nap lifters in conjunction with the Hoover. Vacuum really well, then scrub your carpet, extract using hot water with the Hoover then, if you have high pile or plush carpets, go back over your carpet with the nap lifters. It will look brand new again." — Barry Robinson
Get it from Amazon now: $239.99 & FREE Returns
7. Bissell Big Green Professional Carpet Cleaner
Top-rated: 15,127 ratings
Credit: Amazon.com
Highlight: XL DirtLifter PowerBrush with 8 rows of bristles that penetrate carpet fibers to loosen and lift embedded dirt.
Helpful review: "The most important adjective for this machine is, AMAZING! First, I'd like to recommend anyone researching this or any product... Read reviews. The good and the bad! Then, look for the trends in those reviews and from there, determine for YOU what is important versus what is not important.
It doesn't matter how a product is made (assembly line or hand made), there will ALWAYS be faults. No matter the company or how good the product is overall. Obviously, the fewer problems the better. But if you are seeing hundreds or thousands of good reviews to a few dozen or so negative, then that would be a reasonable percentage of errors with any good to great product.
I know some people will have multiple bad experiences with the same product where others have no issues. There are a multitude of reasons that could happen but look for the overall, not just that one review. That said, I recommend and do this myself, but when looking for trends, if the bad reviews are all because something breaks but maybe its a different piece each time, then there may be an obvious trend. I would possibly take that into consideration.
It may not make my decision for me, but the trend of what users say about the product is what I'm looking for and it's paid off for me quite well.
Bottom line of what I'm trying to say is, don't just look at one or two reviews and don't just look at the good or the bad, but rather review as best as you are comfortable with on both ends of the spectrum and decide what trends you find and how those trends impact your decisions. For me, reading actual buyers/users reviews are better in almost all circumstances then any lab testing or any company that does product reviewing.
With that, I have started my research with company reviews, but in the end, WE'RE the end user! It is our perspective and experience that matters most. I'd rather gain real world end user perspective then read an article that may or may not be paid for to make a statement one way or the other.
ON TO MY REVIEW:
I have to say this first. When I was researching and reading reviews, my first thought, when I decided I was gonna make this purchase, was "I hope my money doesn't go to waste, but if I get even one great cleaning, that is better than I could pay any over priced "professional" with a oversized "vacuum" in their van, that doesn't even lift out the dirt but just wets the floor and kinda cleans. Then IT'S WORTH IT." I mean not to offended any professional out there but simple soaping the floor and suctioning it up isn't cleaning. That's multiple experiences and eventually, history doesn't lie.
Now, I did follow the recommendation of at least one reviewer in this review group that doubled up on the solution, and it worked. I'm not recommending that for you. Just telling you my experience and what worked for me.
Now I know you saw the pictures and probably felt ill just looking at that floor. Obviously, we thought so too. It's disgusting and thus we purchased the Big Green Machine. We can compare this unit to the many other ways we've tried to keep carpet clean in companies paid and products purchased and nothing else has come close to this.
We have SEVERAL pets to which I won't mention how many but I will say I don't have enough fingers to count them all. We love our fur babies and other pets. We also like having a clean floor and clean house. The floor is the biggest battle in our household.
Nothing is more off putting then walking into someone's house and it wreaks of animal urine. But when it's your own home and every time you come home it smells. YUCK! Multiply that smell by 5 and and that is what anyone else coming into your home smells. We've been there. We were just there. We didn't want to host anything because of the floors. But now, I can very happily and more than confidently say that we've found our cure. This machine is just straight up, Amazing.
I've never had a "professional" even come close to cleaning carpets as well as this BIG Green does. If I could find a professional to do this it would almost absolutely cost more than this machine, but I can get multiple uses out of this, as long as well cared for. You can see it for yourself in my posted pics. That dirty floor there is several months of pet stains because the moment we moved into this house my first dog discovered the location of the previous tenant's dog's "place" within less than 5 minutes being in this home.
We even waited outside with our dogs before going in to this house for the first time, while they all "did their business" and still she started this disgusting trend. So let's chalk it up to this. More than a handful of household free roaming pets and 11, that's right, ELEVEN months of this.
SO HERE'S WHAT WE DID:
Machine arrived as quoted at time of purchase. That very next available day off, Saturday, I carefully went through the included manual and honestly, this machine looks like it could or should be difficult, but it truly isn't. Very easy to unpack, assemble, dis-assemble, and re-assemble again. That's important as you will have to empty this unit and refill with clean solution every one gallon. VERY easy to push/pull. Don't leave solution in tank or in machine. Keep all parts clean and dry when in storage.
That's how I've best kept any product that uses liquids with electrical devices. Never store liquids in the machine or attachments when not in use.
Unfortunately sometimes that means tossing any leftover portions unless you wish to find another way to store the liquid. Diluted solution is not recommended to be put back in with concentrate as number one, it likely won't fit, and number two, you'll ruin the concentration level of the original solvent.
Next, I went to work on the floor. Now, I do have to say many people and these products suggest to pretreat. I did NOT pretreat. I wanted to see how this product (with double amount solution) would actually hold up. I started with a small space (4' x 4' landing) and immediately could see the difference. Then when I started the first trip down the hallway, my wife suggested to take before and after photos. That's what you find above.
My process with doing this was to make a forward pass (I divided the hallway into 3 sections. Moving side to side the up. Closest, middle, furthest). While moving forward, I moved the machine steady at about 1 inch a second or slower. I know that seems slow but look at it. It works well. Then on the backwards pass/pull, I moved at the same pace where the carpet was heavily soiled, but where it wasn't pet stained I went about 3 inches per second.
This may sound slow, but consider that you have to let the solution get into the carpet and let the machine do its job. No product can do that if you rush through it. And don't force it. Let it do it job. You just steer it and place solution accordingly.
On the forward pass, I held the trigger to spray the entire distance, then on the backwards pull I only held the trigger where stains resided. The suction is at the very front of the unit and collects everything on the backwards pull. Where heavy solution was applied, another slow pass, without pulling the trigger, will gather up about 95% of the moisture.
That said I did make 2-3 passes forward and back with applying solution where the stains were prominent. Which was a strong majority of the hallway. The first pass really did the job better then great but considering the nature of the stains, I wanted to be more than thorough. This hallway measures about 4' wide by 23' long and took about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. But, boy was it worth the time, money, and effort.
The bedroom is my young daughters who struggles still with door knobs and thus her room is open for her, by which the pets in the house took full advantage. Still not good but they did keep most of there spotting to the hall way. Her room was just as, if not more important than the hallway to get cleaned for her benefit and sanitary health.
Once I was done with the cleaning process, I emptied the dirty and clean water tanks and rinsed thoroughly. Then I put about 1/2 gallon of plain water (No solution) in the fresh water tank and ran that over the clean floor by spraying the water just as if I were cleaning the floor. I didn't use the full half gallon. I ran enough water through until I felt the solution was pretty well cleaned out. Probably a total of 1-2 minutes of total trigger squeeze. This was to allow fresh water to run through the machine to clear out the solvents in the lines that carry the solution from the clean tank to the sprayer nozzle.
I can't confirm this was or was not long enough. Just going on experience to avoid damage of the unit while in storage. Once that was all done. The carpet was completely dry by the time we went to bed. So probably 4 hours or less.
It's been 2 days since I did this and spots have NOT magically returned. This is a major win. I will try to update this post after a total 1 week has passed to see if it still holds. If so, I'd call this an absolute winner, where other products have completed the job or professionals have left and within two days spots have returned. That has not yet occurred in this case.
Also, to resolve the pet issue, we placed a very solid metal baby gate to block the dogs from going back upstairs without us, during the day, until it's all our bed time. We work from home, so the dogs hang with us throughout the day. They sleep. We work. They have always and continue to go out at least 8 or more times daily or whenever they sit at the door and whine. Love 'em, but now we can live easier without "never disappearing" pet stains.
We've been renting in this house for almost a year and in our previous home we sold, we had hard floor, for a reason, and will do the same when we buy again in the next 6 months or less. Clean floor + landlord = No loss. Happy research hunting and good luck with your floors." — S. Gabriel
Get it from Amazon now: $411.99 & FREE Returns
8. BISSELL ProHeat 2X Revolution Full-Size Carpet Cleaner
Top-rated: 21,517 ratings
Credit: Amazon.com
Highlight: The spray tips remove tough pet stains and pet odors.
Helpful review: "Let's begin with dislikes and likes. Keep in mind I am a person who values functionality and purpose over bells and whistles. Does the product do what I need it to do:
CONS:
1. This machine is a bit noisier than other carpet cleaners and I've used several but it's just a minor dislike.
2. The Clean tank is only 1 gallon so you will fill this tank more often on your cleaning tasks. I started on a 15 X 18 throw rug with the "Deep Clean" setting. The fill tank needed two total fills to do the job.
3. The Dirty tank seems larger but only fills to 1/3 capacity before the orange float in the tank cuts off the suction. Funny story - I thought, "Great. 15 minutes into the job and the machine breaks." Not to panic, folks. It's the float switch in the dirty tank that "kills" the machine at 1/3 full which is about 5/6ths of the fill tank capacity.
4. Some assembly is required for the handle. A few parts and a screw needing a Philips head screwdriver. Very straight forward though.
Absolutely, this machine could definitely use a bigger clean and dirty tank but it's not a deal breaker.
PROS:
1. The Fill tank is very easy to use. It removes easily, can be filled easily, and does not leak! That's a huge plus. So many other models (like the Hoover) leak a LOT. Not to trash my old Hoover - those machines really do a great job of cleaning but it's a hassle when the tanks dribble all the way to the sink and back.
2. The dirty tank is also really easy to use. It also does not leak. There is a rubber tabbed empty port for quick empty which is nice, but I prefer to fully clean each use. For that, you quick empty then turn the tank over. You unscrew the one big plastic ring on the bottom (goes on and off easily and tightens with a little bit of hand turning.) You pull the float unit carefully out of the tank holding the float switch towards your hand or it sticks at the top. You rotate the float out of the tank and then you can easily clean both the tank and the float unit. Cleans easily - I do it every time to get the pet hair out as there is always a little. You return the float unit into the tank in reverse order, and it slips right in. Hand tighten the plastic ring that screws on and your ready to go - just make sure the rubber tab is seated.
3. Yes, the tanks are smaller, but they are really easy to use and it makes the unit light and easy to maneuver.
4. The machine glides easily and mostly without effort over your carpet surface. You do have to lift the unit onto the carpet or rug because it won't just roll onto a rug like a vacuum cleaner would. While on the rug you can turn easily, keep straight (Some carpet cleaners always 'yaw' one way or the other. This unit does not.) and clean edges easily. Just keep the wheels on the rug.
5. Does it clean? WOW! It really does a great job. This is where this machine really shines and why I like it despite some minor detractions. The cord is a decent length for a carpet machine as well. I was able to do my entire throw rug without moving the cord. The carpet is also much dryer from the GREAT suction even after several passes.
6. Another big plus you don't get with other machines are the attachments for stairs and upholstery. The stair cleaner hose is fairly long, fits easily into the machine (Trust me, some machines are a nightmare to attach and use.) and cleans well. On some machines this is all extra money to purchase or find. In this machine's box it all comes standard.
OVERALL:
4 stars for the few annoyances but this machine is 5 star ALL THE WAY if you want a machine that really works well, comes with everything you need, is easy to use, lightweight and stores away easily. If you are reading, Bissel, make a larger version of this machine with bigger tanks and capacity." — Gary Daniels
Get it from Amazon now: $226.59 & FREE Returns
9. Hoover Smartwash Automatic Carpet Cleaner
Top-rated: 26,673 ratings
Credit: Amazon.com
Highlight: Includes a 2-in-1 Pet Tool, Stair Tool, Sample Bottle of Cleaning Solution, 12 ft. hose, and Accessory Storage Bag.
Helpful review: "I've been looking for a good shampooer because I have 3 animals (1 dog 2 cats) and the traffic causes my carpets to get dirty and they have little accidents. Anyone who personally knows me, knows that I'm pretty anal about being clean and not having a home that smells like animals live in it.
Well, my dog peed on my carpet a couple weeks ago and I tried using angry orange (IT SUCKS, literally the orange scent merges with urine and I thought to myself, the only reason they chose an orange scent is because it basically smells like piss! 0/10) and other carpet sprays but I could still see a tint of yellow in the area it happened.
So prime day sale came and I made up my mind, it was time to invest in a carpet cleaner. It took me literally both prime days to make a decision because I tend to look at bad reviews for honest reviews and was STRESSED. I also had borrowed my managers Bissel Pet Pro to try to clean the urine stain and it SUCKED.
So I absolutely knew I did NOT want a BISSELL machine. The suction was awful and the texture of my carpet still felt stiff and dirty after it had dried. I almost decided to wait on the carpet cleaner because since the Bissell 1 star reviews matched my exact experience I felt like all the carpet cleaners Amazon had to offer were going to fail me. I mean think about if you don't like it and have to return it.. They are heavy!! I was dreading the idea of having to do so.
With an hour to spare of Amazon prime day I was like SCREW IT! Let me just get THIS ONE. It seems to have nice features, good deal, and I truly was sold on having the red mat to put the cleaner on once I was finished so I didn't have to think of something make shift and tacky to put it on.
I received it over the weekend and yesterday I cleaned my carpets and WOOOOW. OBSESSED MUCH?!?! ITS SOOOO EASY TO USE. Plus, the spot treatment was a really cool feature. I love how dry my carpet was after I finished. I love the fact that you can push the "dry only" button and go over your floors to make sure there isn't any excess water on the floor. It was extremely easy to put together and to clean! It's a little heavy but not worth complaining about.
I also love that the solution tank is separate so that you don't have to potentially waste any product if you don't use it all! I literally just poured the rest that I didn't use back into the bottle which was extremely satisfying because it does bother me when I waste product. (its not cheap!).
I was raving about it on my Instagram to my followers I was SO excited about the results, how easy it was to use, how much dirt it picked up, how dry my floor was once I finished. I could put my place back together asap! SO SATISFYING!!!!! Mind you, I haven't even used the additional accessories it comes with yet. I don't have much input regarding those.
I bought the additional shampoos because I didn't know it came with samples. It will go to good use, I appreciate them adding the spot cleaner sample!! Thanks HOOVER!! Great product :D
NOW FOR THE TIPS:
- The solution tank doesn't leak, but it does drip a little when you remove it. Keep an old towel handy to catch the drips. Ditto for the spot-cleaner tank.
- Keep another towel by the sink where you empty the receiving tank and refill the water tank. It's a messy process, not because of the design but because water + gravity = splashing.
- While working, plan each forward stroke, going slowly where the dirt is heaviest to allow extra solution to dispense, and more quickly where the dirt is lightest. Ditto for each backward strike, going more slowly over the really dirty bits.
- Don't skip the plain-water rinsing step. If you work barefoot, you can feel where the carpet is wet with solution vs. where it's just wet with water; that solution residue will attract dirt after the carpet dries. The rinsing step also lifts out additional dirt that the first pass brought close to the surface but didn't quite get.
- Extraction is your friend. Go slowly and let the Hoover suck every visible drop of water out of the carpet, bringing the dirt, dander, and dust mites with it. Your carpet will also dry more quickly if you don't neglect this step (and in summer, a damp carpet easily becomes a sour, smelly carpet).
- The spray from the edging tool will land a couple inches short of the baseboard. If you want it to reach all the way to the edge, you'll need to lift the tool and angle the spray where you want it to go. Let the solution sit a little, then really work that tool into the gap, angling the head up and down to find the best suction. If you're not especially strong, it helps to apply a little downward pressure with the opposite hand so it can really suck the water out. (Sadly, the brush won't reach that gap no matter what you do. To remove trapped hair, you'll need to go in first with a small, stiff brush.)
- Clean the machine thoroughly after use, and allow all the parts to dry before reassembling it. Trust me on this. If you have pets, there will be a lot of wet, nasty hair that you'll want to get out of there before it dries.
- And finally, although I found the Hoover-branded cleaning solutions very effective, I obviously needed some extra oomph. I ended up pre-treating stains and traffic areas with a solution of OxiClean (1/4 scoop to 32 oz. water), applied with a spray bottle. Where necessary I later re-treated the especially funky stains with the Spot Chaser.
I don't always go on with product reviews, but the enthusiastic ones helped me, and I want to pass that along. Buy this machine. You won't regret it." — Tiffani Warner
Get it from Amazon now: $279.99 & FREE Returns
10. Bissell Turboclean Powerbrush Pet Upright Carpet Cleaner
Top-rated: 33,948 ratings
Credit: Amazon.com
Highlight: Weighs just 12 pounds and has a retractable handle for easy storage.
Helpful review: "I've used this now twice to clean my bedroom carpet. Its not a huge room but big for an apartment. I'm VERY glad I didn't get dissuaded by some of the reviews that complain about cleaning it, because it's really not that hard (I'll get to that).
SUCTION:
I found the suction to be more than adequate. I've used a lot of steam cleaners, many way more expensive and had it take days to dry the carpet. With this cleaner both times the carpet was dry the next day following the instructions doing two or so passes to suck up the water.
EFFECTIVENESS:
You can see by my image that it definitely gets up the dirt. I have two little elderly dogs, so on top of the normal dog dirtiness they also occasionally have accidents. It got up the dirt very well as you can see in the image, but it also got up the accidents, which is no small feat. They are male dogs so it has a particularly strong smell.
CLEANING:
I read all the reviews that stated you have to take it apart and unscrew to get it clean and about getting hair in the tank. Don't do what I did, and instead ignore those. You don't have to do that.
To clean the tank, I found it quite effective to fill it water after use and dump it out in a way that directed all of the hair out or close enough to the hole to reach it with my finger to get it out. Rinsing it out and drying it between uses will also help the smell that was mentioned by other reviews.
As far as it being awkward to dump out. I found that is true of every carpet cleaner I've ever used. My strategy is to set it in the tub to drain. If you are worried about the dog hair going in the drain, get a TubShroom. And if you aren't get a TubShroom anyways (it catches the hair above the drain). I don't work for them, I just have really long hair, and clumps of it comes out in the shower and I hated pulling it out of the drain.
Cleaning the brush. Don't take the screws out, it's a pain to get them back in and you don't need to. I found I was able to get all the hair out with my finger, a small toothbrush would also work. They designed plenty of space in there to clean it out.
Cleaning the rest of the machine. Just run water through it after you use it, which is recommended by the manufacturer anyways. I leave it to dry in the tub after I clean everything out before storing it.
SIZE:
This is the perfect size for an apartment, or if you only need to do spot cleaning but don't want to kill your back. It is super tiny so I can put it in my apartment closet, and it also fits in cleaning some of the tighter spaces which was an unexpected bonus. For cleaning my one room I had to empty out the dirty water tank 3 times. I doubt this was intentional, but you can tell when it's full because foam with spurt a little out the vent on the top of the tank, which was pretty handy. The downside of the size I could see the size of the tanks being annoying for cleaning multiple rooms or a large space.
LONGEVITY:
I can't really speak to this since I've only used it twice. But I didn't notice a performance difference between the first and second uses. I did notice that when you take the tank out the bottom plastic flexes quite a bit. I'm hoping this is to accommodate slight floor bumps and not indication of the plastic breaking in the future, but only time will tell.
BOTTOM LINE:
If you are considering for a smaller space or spot cleaning, do it. The only con for my use case, my dog is TERRIFIED of it. It's so scary he hid behind the also scary vacuum." — Kaitlyn Vale
Get it from Amazon now: $194.59 & FREE Returns
![I Tested And Ranked The Best EV Chargers In 2023 [Level 2]](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/ca2c56_a3d5100d310d4b338da5bab3a65a8ad2~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_294,h_165,fp_0.50_0.50,q_90,enc_auto/ca2c56_a3d5100d310d4b338da5bab3a65a8ad2~mv2.jpg)
