The 7 Best Carpet Cleaners of 2023, Tested and Reviewed

Final Verdict

Our top pick is the Bissell Big Green Pet Pro Carpet Cleaner because it noticeably brightened white carpet and eliminated pet odor after just two months of use. Plus, it features two large water tanks, so you can tackle wall-to-wall carpeting without constantly stopping to refill or empty the tanks. 

For a more budget-friendly option, we like the Hoover PowerDash Pet Advanced Carpet Cleaner because it’s effective yet lightweight enough to carry up and down stairs.

Our Testing Process

We gathered 21 of the best carpet cleaners on the market, including commercial, upright, and portable machines, and spent three days rigorously testing them in our Lab before bringing them home for additional testing over a two-month period. During our Lab tests, we started by evaluating the ease of setup by using a stopwatch to measure how long it took to unbox and assemble each carpet cleaner. 

Then it was time to test each machine’s effectiveness at removing stains: Prior to testing, we added potting soil, chocolate syrup, red wine, and coffee to a section of medium-pile carpet. Everything was left to dry for 72  hours, and on the day of our stain testing, we added a fresh coffee stain to test how effective each carpet cleaner was at removing fresh stains, too. We evaluated how well each carpet cleaner removed the stains, and let the clean samples sit out to dry and checked if they were still wet after one hour. During testing, we used a decibel meter to record the noise level of each machine. 

We also assessed the design and portability of each machine, included attachments, and ease of emptying and cleaning. Finally, we decided on overall value, considering each product’s price relative to their performance. Once Lab testing was complete, we used the carpet cleaners in our homes and provided feedback as to how well they held up to regular use over two months.

How to Shop for Carpet Cleaners Like a Pro

Intended Use

David Ragsdale, production manager at SERVPRO, says it’s important to first determine whether you’ll be using your carpet cleaner to regularly clean a large area or to spot-treat in between professional cleanings. Do you have pets or kids that make big messes? Look for a carpet cleaner with a powerful motor that can tackle tough stains and a large tank that can cover large areas. 

For cleaning area rugs, it's important to purchase a carpet cleaner with good water extraction so you don’t over saturate your rug. Area rugs also have a tendency to hold onto dirt and dust, but a machine with a powerful rotating brush will help to lift these out with ease. 

Finally, if you’re shopping for a carpet cleaner for spot cleaning small areas, cleaning upholstery, or cleaning car interiors, look for a portable carpet cleaner that is lightweight and easy to maneuver.

Type

Carpet cleaners generally come in three different sizes: upright, portable, and commercial.

An upright carpet cleaner, which resembles an upright vacuum cleaner, is designed to tackle wall-to-wall carpeting. They generally have large tanks with more cleaning capacity and more powerful motors. However, their build and heft can make them difficult to maneuver around small spaces. 

Portable carpet cleaners are much smaller and feature narrow cleaning pathways for spot cleaning carpets, furniture, car interiors, etc. They’re lightweight and designed to clean up messes like spills or pet stains in between deep cleanings. Some households may choose to own both an upright carpet cleaner for deep cleaning entire rooms and a portable carpet cleaner for spot cleaning. Some upright carpet cleaners can be used for both deep cleaning and spot cleaning, but portable carpet cleaners tend to be much more convenient to use for small spills and stains. 

Finally, a commercial carpet cleaner is a big machine meant for big cleaning jobs. If you’re someone who frequently rents carpet cleaning machines or hires professional carpet cleaners, investing in a commercial-style carpet cleaner can save you money in the long run. However, they’re big, bulky, and difficult to store, not to mention pricey. For homes or businesses with a lot of carpet, they can make a great investment, but for the average person, an upright or portable carpet cleaner may be easier to use and more economical.

Attachments and Accessories

Extra tools like an extended hose or a crevice cleaning tool can be helpful for maneuvering around stairs, furniture, car interiors, etc. Some attachments may be included with the carpet cleaner, while others must be purchased separately. More attachments make for a more versatile device, but it also means there will be more setup and cleaning involved.

Tank Size

Upright carpet cleaners will generally have large tank capacities, which means they’ll have more cleaning power and require fewer refills. However, this also means they’ll be heavier, and the weight will only increase as they fill up with dirty water. Most carpet cleaners feature a dual or two-tank design, meaning there’s one for clean water and another for dirty water. This means you won’t have to keep emptying and refilling the tank because the water is dirty.

Special Features

Most quality carpet cleaners come with extra features that set them apart from the competition. These could include things like a cleaning agent dispenser that automatically adds cleaning solution to the water, dry-only settings that suck up water to speed up dry time, an internal water heater to help you heat or maintain the temperature of the water, a rotating brush for lifting dirt, stain pretreatment, and more.

More Carpet Cleaners to Consider

Bissell Big Green Machine Professional Carpet Cleaner: This is a more basic version of our best overall pick, the Bissell Big Green Pet Pro Carpet Cleaner. It gave an impressive performance, but we missed the advanced features of the Big Green Pet Pro, such as the flow indicator that monitors the water and solution levels, as well as the ergonomic handle. 

Bissell SpotClean Pet Pro Portable Carpet Cleaner: This is another great portable cleaner for spot treating stains. We love the handle that makes it easy to tow, although the shape of the brush attachment can make it a bit tricky to get into tight spaces.

Questions You Might Ask

How do carpet cleaners work?

According to Ragsdale, most commercial carpet cleaners use what's known as "hot water extraction" to clean carpets. "To clean carpet, soils must be suspended in a solution and then extracted," he says. "Soil suspension is achieved by using heat (hot water), cleaning product, and agitation to separate the soils from the carpet fibers… Once soils are separated from the carpet fibers they can be 'washed' out of the carpet with hot water, leaving the carpet free of soils and cleaning product residues." Many carpet cleaners also feature a powerful suction to remove moisture for quicker drying.

What is the difference between a carpet cleaner and a steam cleaner?

Carpet cleaners are sometimes referred to as "steam cleaners," but this is actually a misnomer. The difference between the two largely comes down to the use of a cleaning agent: "A carpet deep cleaner is going to perform a shampooing action," says Ragsdale. "Shampooing is achieved with aggressive agitation of a product into the carpet which will create a shampoo/foam and that is then extracted."

A steam cleaner, on the other hand, relies solely on steam and water to loosen dirt, and then vacuums it up into a holding tank. The high temperature can act as a disinfectant and help get rid of pests, germs, and allergens. Some steam cleaners can work on both carpets and hard surfaces, while others might have a steam output that’s too powerful and can damage carpet fibers. And, without the use of carpet cleaning solutions, steam cleaners may struggle to remove set-in stains.

In general, steam cleaners can help to refresh your carpets, but for heavily soiled carpets, a carpet cleaner is the better choice.

How often should you clean your carpets?

Ragsadle suggests deep cleaning your carpets every six months to a year, depending on the foot traffic of the area. However, owning a home carpet cleaning machine—as opposed to renting one or hiring a professional service—means you can achieve a deeper clean as often as you think necessary, whether it be monthly or even weekly. If you have pets, kids, or other sources of build-up, you may want to do more frequent cleanings. It's important to note that in addition to periodically deep cleaning your carpets, you should also learn how to give your vacuum cleaner a thorough cleaning to prevent mold- and bacteria-laden dust from disseminating into the air. In between deep cleanings, you can use a portable carpet cleaner or the crevice/upholstery attachment on your upright carpet cleaner to spot treat any stains and spills.

Take Our Word for It

This article was written by Melanie Fincher, associate commerce editor for Real Simple with three years of experience writing product reviews and lifestyle content. To compile this list, we tested 21 carpet cleaners over the course of three days in our Lab and two months in our homes and evaluated each model on its ease of setup, effectiveness, versatility, noise level, design, portability, and overall value. For expert tips on how to buy a carpet cleaner, Melanie consulted David Ragsdale, production manager at SERVPRO.

What Is Real Simple Selects?

Next to each product on this list, you may have noticed a Real Simple Selects seal of approval. Any product appearing alongside that seal has been vetted by our team—put through tests and graded on its performance to earn a spot on our list. Although we buy most of the products we test, sometimes we do get samples from companies if purchasing a product ourselves isn’t an option. All products go through the same rigorous process, whether they are purchased or sent by the company.

Love our recommendations? Check out more products that have earned the Real Simple Selects, from humidifiers to cordless vacuums.