The 7 Best Portable Carpet Cleaners for Restoring Your Rugs to (Almost) New

Best Overall

If you’ve ever stumbled upon #cleantok and witnessed Bissell’s powerful little green carpet cleaner restore this family’s favorite white chair, you probably don’t need more convincing from us. However, if you haven’t seen the video, here’s what you need to know: It uses a special kind of HeatWave Technology to maintain a consistent water temperature so it can easily zap away stains on upholstery, leaving it looking brand new. Plus, it comes with a 3-inch stain tool and its 48-oz. tank capacity ensures you won’t have to continuously stop cleaning to empty dirty water. It’s basically the Michelangelo of portable carpet cleaners.

Best Value

Finding something budget-friendly that doesn’t sacrifice quality is a tall order, and this baby delivers. Hoover’s two-in-one cleaner is designed to move around high-traffic areas and small spaces, where it’s fully equipped with a special dryer brush and fabric softener bag to dry quickly. It comes with a trial-size solution to keep the room smelling fresh and clean, and it’s lightweight and compact, making it easy to store in the garage or basement.

Best Design

This powerful little cleaner is a professional-grade machine that guarantees to clean your carpet thoroughly. Not only does it have 5.7 amps of suction to easily remove dust and dirt, but it also comes with stain tools that’ll make cleaning pet messes a breeze. The best part? Don’t worry about researching “best carpet cleaning solutions,” because this baby comes with a trial-sized bottle of their powerful Pet Pro oxy urine eliminator formula to get you started.

Best for Pets

If you feel like 80 percent of your day is spent cleaning pet hair, this carpet shampooer will change your life. Not only does it use an ammonia solution to remove stains quickly and efficiently, but it features a four-row, dirt-lifting power brush to pick up pet hair with ease. Plus, Bissell’s powerful engine features 3.4 amps of corded suction, and it has a retractable handle for easy storage. What we really love about it, though, is how lightweight it is (12 pounds!). It’s practically easier to tote around than your Frenchie.

Most Convenient

We guarantee this carpet shampooer will make being a WFH parent a little less hard on the home (no offense, kids). Not only is its ultra-portable design and 8-foot hose *perfect* for maneuvering around heavy furniture, but its dual-V nozzle ensures that you’re getting equal parts suction and solution. Oh, and did we mention that it weighs less than 20 pounds?

Best Durable

If you’ve been wine-ing and dining your way through 2020 (same), you’ve probably realized how important having a carpet cleaner is when you’re at home 24/7. And if you’re looking to invest in a cleaner that’ll last a lifetime, we’ve got you covered. Not only can this carpet shampooer reportedly remove up to 90 percent of embedded dirt, stains, oils, and grime for professional cleaning results, but its easy-to-lift clean and dirty water tanks provide stress-free filling and emptying. It features a built-in microfiber cloth to keep pet fur and dirt from getting on the machine's surface, and its powerful suction will leave your house feeling like it’s just been professionally cleaned (seriously, you have to see for yourself).

Easiest to Use

Not big on bells and whistles? We guarantee this one will get the job done in the most straightforward, efficient way possible. If you’ve ever used Resolve’s carpet cleaning solution, you know it’s a miracle for cleaning pet-related accidents, and this carpet cleaner features a heavy-duty brush and handle to expedite the spot cleaning process. It doesn’t get simpler—or more lightweight and effective—than this, folks.