Carpet cleaners are a necessity in any home with carpeted floors, but often, the carpet cleaners are so large and heavy that they are immobile. This makes moving them from room to room, up and down the stairs and in and out of cabinets an unnecessary pain.
You may be wondering if settling for a portable carpet cleaner will take away from its performance or cleaning ability. However, many companies design cleaners such that they can work optimally even when they are compact or lightweight; it is just a matter of finding the right model.
Choosing one from many portable carpet cleaners can still be tough because there are so many options in the market, each one with different pros and cons. Other considerations include your budget and personal requirements. To put your mind to ease, we have compiled a thorough review that covers all the best portable carpet cleaners. By going through these reviews, you can find the one that best fits your needs.
| Name | Features | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Bissell 3624 SpotClean Pro | Editor’s Choice | Check Price |
| Rug Doctor Portable Spot Cleaner | Best Overall | Check Price |
| Bissell Multi-Purpose 1400B | Best for Budget | Check Price |
| Bissell SpotBot Pet | Best for Pets Owners | Check Price |
| Hoover Spotless Deluxe | Best for Easy Use | Check Price |
| Bissell Little Green Proheat 14259 | Built-in Heater | Check Price |
Best Portable Carpet Cleaner Reviews 2020 – Buyer’s Guide
1. Bissell 3624 SpotClean Professional Portable Carpet Cleaner – High-End Cleaner
This professional spot cleaner is very compact and easy to move around. It is perfect for specialized cleaning of small areas. From car upholstery to carpets, this cleaner can be used on many surfaces thanks to its wide range of interchangeable tools. It is a good option if your main concern is cleaning areas that are otherwise hard to get with upright cleaners. It is also especially good for dealing with specific spots.
Using SpotClean will give you professional-level results. The combination of water, cleaning chemicals, and high suction power can handle any cleaning issue you have at home. Having an ultra-portable carpet cleaner with a large tank means you can go around and tackle many areas in one go.
This carpet cleaner gives you good value for money. It comes with a 5-foot hose that helps clean spots and stains in areas that are otherwise hard to reach. Having this hose on the machine along with many tools means there is no cleaning problem you can’t fix with this cleaner. These fittings are made for specific tasks, so they are specially designed to reach difficult areas or address different materials.
Even on such a portable machine, the tank is large. This cleaner has a 3/4-gallon tank, so the need for adding water and cleaning solution frequently in one session is reduced drastically. You can clean many areas of your house before you need to refill the tank, which really simplifies the cleaning process.
The Bissell 3624 comes with a 6-inch stair tool, which is the perfect size to clean carpeted stairs. The 5-foot hose along with the 22-foot power cord also allows you to reach a great distance, even with the machine connected to one power outlet. Moreover, the cleaner addresses a large variety of stains, so you don’t have to worry about a specific stain not being cleaned.
At 13.2 pounds, the cleaner is very portable and the 3/4-gallon tank is more than sufficient for one round of cleaning. The machine comes with a trial bottle of BISSELL Professional formula, which works well in conjunction with the machine.
The machine does have some cons. For instance, the power cord limits the range of machine and the hose weakens with heavy use. However, with proper maintenance, the cleaner will stay in good shape and last a long time.
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2. Rug Doctor Portable Spot Cleaner – Easiest to Use
Rug Doctor’s portable spot cleaner is another option you may want to consider. It uses the spray, scrub and raise method to lift stains and dirt off your carpets. It is great at focusing on spots that are deeply embedded as the scrubbing lifts the dirt straight off the carpet.
Since it’s a portable option, it checks the boxes of easy lifting and carrying. You can use it to clean stairs, the inside of your cars and any area that is otherwise hard to access with a heavier carpet cleaner. Not only does this cleaner address stains, but it also gets rid of odors, making it the perfect cleaner for spills and pet messes.
It comes with a motorized brush so that you don’t have to exert any manual effort for scrubbing. The brush scrubs deep into your carpets so that no dirt is left. Having this system of brushing is especially useful because it reduces the time you would spend to ensure you were scrubbing well enough.
Additionally, the size of the cleaner is made to be so small that it can fit on a single stair step. Hence, you can store it even in the smallest of closets. It has a retractable handle that compresses into the cleaner itself so that it takes less space. Having the handle also means you can easily wheel it around. The wheels are specialized for easy gliding so that the work is made as easy as possible.
The machine has removable tanks that keep the clean and dirty water separate so that you can clean without the dirty water contaminating the clean one. It also boasts twice the suction power of competitors to make sure all kinds of stains are easily cleaned.
It is made specifically for fast drying so that the cleaning process doesn’t inconvenience you. The brushes have the ability to feather the area that has been cleaned so that it blends in with the rest of the carpet once the cleaning is done. Since no steam or heat is involved in the process, the cleaning is gentle and does not damage carpet fibers.
Despite all these upsides, there are some flaws in the machine. For one, its tank has been reported to be inconvenient to fill compared to other cleaners. The machine may also leave a foot trail on the carpet. However, these issues are not very prominent when compared to the many advantages that it offers.
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3. Bissell Multi-Purpose Portable Carpet and Upholstery Cleaner – Environment-Friendly
If you’re looking for a carpet cleaner that is also designed to work well with upholstery, this may be an option worth checking out. In Bissell’s range of cleaning machines, it is one of the lightest and smallest devices. This means that the cleaner is perfect for spot cleaning but not so much for larger areas.
Most portable carpet cleaners are focused on stain and spot treatment as opposed to large spreads of area. With that in mind, this machine is a good option to consider as it does a great job of getting rid of tough stains.
The cleaner addresses your cleaning needs all in one step. The spray and suction effectively clean the area and when the cleaner is lifted, the drying is fast and the stain is gone. The fast action of this machine is definitely a notable factor on this device if you’re not a big fan of cleaning and just want the job done.
The water tanks on this cleaner are easy to drain and reuse. This is important in a cleaner like this one because compact cleaners have smaller tanks as compared to their full-sized alternatives. The ease of tank drainage plays a major role in how quickly the machine can be filled, used, drained and put away. These tanks speed up the process and are a great perk to have.
The machine comes with a 3-inch stain tool that is the perfect size to address specific spots with strong suction. Furthermore, it weighs only 9.6 pounds, so it is easy to carry. It can also be easily stored because of its compact size and since the power cord is 15 feet long, it can clean a large area without changing the power outlet.
It is multipurpose and is perfect for cleaning furniture, car interiors, carpets, and stairs. The cleaner comes with a specialized cleaning liquid that is especially effective at cleaning out stains. Additionally, it is environment-friendly in that it is made from post-consumer recycled plastic and the tanks and hose are PVC-free.
On the downside, the cleaner comes with only a 1-year warranty while most competitors offer 2 years. The head can also get clogged with debris but can easily be separately washed.
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4. Bissell SpotBot Pet Handsfree Spot and Stain Cleaner – Most Innovative Cleaner
Another option by Bissell is its pet handsfree cleaner. As far as carpet cleaners go, this is perhaps one of the easiest to use. It comes programmed with different cleaning modes that can be used for different types of messes and can work accordingly. Just like other cleaners, the brush deep cleans.
The automated setup of this cleaner allows you to pick a mode, and the cleaner does the rest for you. If you are a pet owner and want a device that specializes in cleaning up pet messes, you will find this machine of great use.
The handsfree aspect of this cleaner is its biggest advantage. It has different automatic cleaning cycles to choose from. This cuts down on the time and effort required to clean up. You don’t even need to be present while the machine is working as it will stop when its cycle ends.
This machine uses DeepReach technology. It aims to clean stains deeply embedded in carpets, so the brushes rotate while they scrub in order to get the dirt out. The spiral brushing action performs over 400 cleaning revolutions in one cycle, so there is no doubt your carpets will be sufficiently cleaned.
The cleaner weighs 14 pounds and is compact so that it can be easily stored. The power cord extends to 15 feet to let you reach large areas without changing the power outlet frequently. Furthermore, the machine comes with Bissell 2x Pet Stain & Odor Formula as well as Bissell Pet Oxy Boost Formula for optimal cleaning.
Unlike other options, this cleaner is not specialized for staircase cleaning. Moreover, at 14 pounds, it is heavier than other alternatives. However, for many people, the automated aspect of the cleaner will outweigh the cons.
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5. Hoover Spotless Deluxe Carpet Cleaner – The Most Portable Cleaner
A portable option by Hoover is its Spotless Deluxe Carpet Cleaner. It comes equipped with many different types of tools that can be used in many different areas, so the cleaner is multipurpose. If you are looking for a high-quality spot remover, this is one device you should consider.
It is lightweight, compact and portable. The long hose and power cord extends your reach even more, allowing you to reach difficult places and deep clean them. Pets and children have been considered in the making of this device, so the stain remover is able to remove spots of a large variety. Hence, you don’t have to worry about which tough stains the machine can’t handle.
Often, cleaning the machine itself is a big problem in its maintenance, but this carpet cleaner reduces this worry by implementing a self-cleaning hose. You only have to plug the hose into the cleaning port at the back of the cleaner and turn your Spotless on to flush out any debris built up within the hose. This avoids both dirt buildup as well as any odors that may develop within the hose.
This cleaner is especially compact as it is only 15 inches tall. This allows you to store it anywhere without worrying about space. The compact size of a cleaner is very important in the choice of portable carpet cleaners as their storage needs to be easy. Since this machine is lightweight, compact and easy to store, it’s a big plus.
The machine includes a 2-in-1 tool with antibacterial protection that prevents bacteria, mold, and mildew from building up. It also includes a stair tool and crevice tool for hard-to-reach areas. Its Dual Tank Technology separates clean and dirty water so that the cleaning process is hygienic.
The hose is 5 feet long so that it can reach a large area while still plugged into one outlet and the machine weighs less than 9 pounds, so it is ultra-portable.
Some customers have reported that the tank can be difficult to fill without a funnel. It is important to note, however, that filling the tank is usually the only difficult part of using a carpet cleaner, so this is not
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6. Bissell Little Green ProHeat Portable Carpet and Upholstery Cleaner – Best Cleaner That Uses Heat
This ProHeat cleaner heats up the water for the best cleaning results instead of using room temperature water. It has a built-in heater for this purpose that is used in the tanks. In addition to the heated water, the machine uses a powerful spray and suction to dry the carpet after cleaning.
It comes with various tools including a flexible hose, a stain brush, and spraying crevice tool so that all types of cleaning necessities can be fulfilled by one cleaner. It is easy to use while being very effective.
The most prominent feature of the cleaner is definitely its heating system. This is rare to find in a machine that is not a steam cleaner. The heater heats water up to 25 degrees and in combination with the cleaning chemicals, this gives great cleaning results. The heat makes it easier for stains to be removed without scrubbing to the point of irreparable damage to the carpet.
The small size and lightweight of the device make for easy cleaning experience. Even the tank refilling process has been modified to ensure that using the machine is as easy as possible for the user. You don’t have to worry about wasted time with this cleaner as it is made specifically to be efficient and effective.
Clean and dirty water tanks are separated in the device for hygiene purposes. The device weighs only 13 pounds and the hose is 4 feet long, so you can reach far and wide without unplugging and re-plugging the cleaner.
A 3-inch tough stain tool allows you to reach difficult areas to remove stains. The package includes a trial bottle of the Stain & Odor Formula for even better stain removal.
A con to this device is that the nozzle may be sensitive to rigorous cleaning and has to be used with care. As a general rule, however, it is best to use any cleaner with care in order to prevent damage, so this con can be easily overlooked if you are a cautious user.
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Buyer’s Guide
Portability
On a portable device, the factor of importance is often the weight and size of the device. The lighter and smaller a machine is, the more easily it can be moved around and stored.
Power Cord and Hose Length
Having a long power cord and hose on a device will allow you to clean a large area while the cleaner is still plugged in the same power outlet. This allows you to save time.
Additional Tools
When buying a carpet cleaner, it is a big pro if the same machine can be used for multiple cleaning purposes. Hence, it is important to check what additional tools come with the device that will allow you to clean difficult areas such as stairs.
Suction Power
The greater the suction power on your cleaner, the higher its ability to suck the cleaner liquid and water back up. This ensures that your carpets are not left too soggy or that any stains are not left behind.
Brush Specifications
When it comes to the brush head, it is important to check whether the brush is automated or if it will have to be manually rubbed into the carpet. An automated brush allows for a more thorough cleaning.
Conclusion
There are many factors that you have to consider for your specific case such as whether you have children or pets. There might be a specific feature as well that stands out to you such as the heating on the ProHeat by Bissell or the automation on the Bissell SpotBot, but what really determines your final choice is your needs.
You would not be disappointed by these portable carpet cleaners as you can easily move them around and access more areas in your home as well as your car. You will also not have to face the physical burden of using heavy upright cleaners and their large water tanks. The ultimate choice of the perfect portable carpet cleaner depends on you. Happy cleaning!