Best Carpet Cleaner for Pets & Pet Stains: Small, Upright Carpet & Spot Cleaners

(Last Updated: March, 2024)

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There’s nothing worse than catching your pet ruining your carpet. Your puppy might not know any better, or they may just drag some mud in accidentally, but either way, you’ll want to get that carpet back to looking like new. Instead of getting down on your hands and knees to scrub, consider picking up one of these deep cleaning carpet cleaners. Made to sort out any pet mess, the best carpet cleaner will handle everything your pet throws your way.

According to our tests, the best carpet cleaner for pets is the Hoover Power Scrub Deluxe. This carpet cleaner is designed to clean your carpet from all angles, and weighs under 20lbs.

7 Best Pet Carpet Cleaner Machines:

More About The Hoover Power Scrub Deluxe

There’s a reason why Hoover is known as one of the leading carpet cleaning brands out there.

This low-cost pet carpet cleaner is a steal for all of the power and features it packs.

The spinscrub brush system safely deep cleans even high pile carpets with tough dirt without causing any damage.

When it comes to drying, the carpet cleaner is also a huge contender for the price. It uses a proprietary “Heat Force” to speed up drying time while also lifting out stains.

This worked fairly well on surface level stains, but deep set in stains will require multiple passes. However, with this carpet cleaner costing under $200 at most retailers, its an absolute steal for what you pay.

Pros:

  • Can handle deep down pet stains
  • “Heat Force” speed drying helps cut down on dry time significantly
  • Filling it with the solution is quick and easy

Cons:

  • This is a low-priced item, and will show signs of wear and tear over time

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More About The Hoover Power Scrub Elite

The Hoover PowerScrub Elite is a step up from the Deluxe version listed above.

This carpet cleaner has the same spin scrub system that helps remove set in stains with 360 degree brushes, and quick dry heating system as the Deluxe.

Where this carpet cleaner shines is the tank capacity. If you have a large home, this two tank system, with a 25% greater capacity than the industry standard will help you get much more out of your cleaning without having to refill and aren’t using dirty water and get a deep clean.

Hoover is a quality brand known for putting out great products, and the Hoover PowerScrub Elite is no different.

Pros:

  • 25% larger tank than industry standard
  • Heated quick dry
  • Can clean most set-in stains with a slow, single pass

Cons:

  • The power cord is short and will require you to move from outlet to outlet to clean larger areas.

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More About The Bissell ProHeat

Bissell is another great option when it comes to choosing a carpet cleaner for pet stains. This Bissell ProHeat includes a Max Clean mode, which will use 12 rows of Dual Dirt Lifter Power Brushes to give you a professional level cleaning.

This means that it lifts all pet stains and pet hair too, and will leave your carpet dry in only about 30 minutes. Just carry this 18-pound vacuum with you wherever you need it.

Pros:

  • Lightweight and easy to move around
  • The hose attachment makes it a great option for cleaning stains in cars
  • You can literally see the dirt leave your carpet

Cons:

  • Plugs up fairly quickly with hair 

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More About The Bissell DeepClean Deluxe

Take a look at this Bissell DeepClean Deluxe, which uses the Cleanshot Trigger to direct the formula right at your stains.

This means that you don’t need to waste time cleaning everything, especially when you use the Stain Trapper tool to keep all the messes in a self-contained area.

The deep cleaning this carpet cleaner provides is unsurpassed.

There’s even a Pet fur Basket in this Bissell so that you can trap and throw away all of your pets hair instead of dealing with clogs.

Pros:

  • Larger tank allows you to clean more at once
  • The water will stay hot for the entire time the machine is in use
  • You really can catch all the hair in the hair basket

Cons:

  • The Cleanshot can be a little hard to use, since it’s not always exact 

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More About The Hoover PowerDash

Pick up the Hoover PowerDash as your pet carpet cleaner, which has two times the cleaning power, is lightweight, and not to mention isn’t overtly expensive either. It even includes a power spinning brush that will deliver a good clean in a small package. Don’t forget about the Heatforce power either, which will dry up your carpet so you can walk on it again in no time.

Pros:

  • Very easy to assemble right out of the box
  • Small and easy to store
  • Perfect if you have a lot of pets

Cons:

  • The machine itself is extremely loud

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More About The Rug Doctor Mighty Pro X3

The Rug Doctor Mighty Pro is made to give you those professional results in a compact and lightweight form. Just set it down and turn it on for those rotating brushes to get to work. It’s made to clean up everything you push it over, and also uses your cleaning solution to renew your carpets so they look like new.

Pros:

  • The brush moves side-to-side too for deeper cleaning
  • Will not rip fibers out of your carpeting
  • Works really well to get rid of deep smells in the carpeting too

Cons:

  • It’s not durable over time

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More About The Hoover SmartWash

Use the Hoover SmartWash to clean your carpeting in no time with the automatic cleaning technology. Really, all you need to do is push it forward to clean and pull it back to dry it. The auto-cleaning technology will mean that you don’t need to think too much about what you’re doing, especially since you have powerbrushes to get rid of all the debris for you with this intuitive machine.

Pros:

  • It cleans very deeply
  • Cleans out deep-seated smells
  • It’s very easy to use

Cons:

  • The durability is questionable

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What to Consider When Shopping For a Pet Carpet Cleaner

When you’re looking for a pet carpet cleaner, you need to do a little more research than when you’re just shopping for a vacuum. For the most part, the majority of vacuums in the same price ranges perform at a similar level. The same can’t be said for carpet cleaners, especially those designed for pet stains. 

The following at the things you should consider when shopping for a carpet cleaner for a home with pets. 

Power and Effectiveness

Power is easily the most important factor to consider when shopping for a pet carpet cleaner. Investing in a carpet cleaner for your home can often cost more than a single carpet cleaning session done by a professional carpet cleaner. When you’re analyzing the power and effectiveness of a carpet cleaner, look for things like suction power, cleaning efficiency, how the brushes work, and how the cleaner dries the floor after cleaning. 

Also check for anything that mentions the carpet cleaner can clean in a single pass. Some carpet cleaners may say they can remove set in stains stains, but the fine print could mention it could take several passes. 

Pet Stain and Odor Removal

You might not think that your vacuum can really handle smells, but the leading carpet cleaners can. A good cleaner will get deep into the carpet to completely neutralize odors from old stains and new ones alike.

It’s not just enough to remove stains. If you have a puppy who has soiled your carpet and it’s gotten deep into the underside, you’re going to need a carpet cleaner that cleans just as deep to remove the pet stain odors as well. Always make sure you’re a fan of the smell of the cleaner too! Some people don’t like the smell of certain cleaners so give it a sniff before you commit to cleaning your carpet with it. 

Check for cleaners that use enzymes or baking soda to help specifically with odor elimination. Some detergents cover odor, others seek it out and eliminate it. 

Heat and Drying

Heating and drying is almost as important as the cleaning itself. Most carpet cleaners will be able to get a carpet dry again within an hour. Any longer than that, and you risk a mildew after smell, especially if you’ve gone over a specific area multiple times. 

Not all carpet cleaners have a heated dry feature! If your carpets are extremely soiled, make sure you go with an option that has a heated drying option.

Less Essential Features

If you’re looking to clean pet stains, theres some features you may initially overlook. If you want a few extra features that are less essential, you can consider looking for a handle that’s ergonomic and easy to push around, or a cleaner that has large wheels to help it move around on carpets that are plush. You might also want to look for attachments that will help you clean up pet messes that much easier.

Carpet Cleaning Tips for Pet Owners

You have your carpet cleaner: how do you use it? For the best cleaning and the best usage of your cleaner, here are a few tips for getting started removing wet stains from pet urine, or set in stains from pet urine, feces, dirt or other debris.

Wet Pet Stains (Pet Urine)

If you’re dealing with a new pet stain, meaning that it’s still wet, soak up the pet urine before you use your cleaner. Use a thick layer of paper towels, stand on the padding, and wait until it’s mostly dry. This is the best time to start using your cleaner to remove all the odor and discoloring.

Set in Pet Stains

You might want to get rid of old stains too, and this is where your carpet cleaning can really shine. All you have to do is push it around to work, and use an odor neutralizer once you have the pet stain out.

Conclusion

You don’t need to pay big money to get your carpeting replaced when you have pets. You also don’t need to always be down on your hands and knees to get stains out, or even get too angry at your pet. All you have to do is choose a carpet cleaner that will work for you, and think about the features you most want to help you clean your house.

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