09-04-2025
The 5 Best Portable Carpet Cleaners To Tackle Spills And Messes
Even if you regularly vacuum your carpeted floors and upholstered furniture, most soft surfaces in your home could benefit from the occasional deep clean. If you're looking for a convenient tool to lift stubborn stains and embedded debris, the best portable carpet cleaners are just as capable as their larger counterparts. The Bissell Little Green Portable Carpet Cleaner has long been a favorite of Forbes Vetted editors—especially those with young children and pets—and we think it's the best option for most people.
The best portable carpet cleaners remove stains and ground-in dirt without fuss.
There are a few important reasons to regularly deep clean your carpets and upholstery, but the main one is that it helps them last longer. Consistent deep cleaning can also improve indoor air quality, since fabric often traps allergens and irritants. Just like washing the dishes or doing laundry, 'carpet cleaning is all about developing a routine," says Darrell Hagan, director of technical and programs at The Carpet and Rug Institute. "If you get into a good routine and keep it up, you will see great results.' Read on for our recommendations for the best portable carpet cleaners for home use.
Amazon
Dimensions: 8.3 x 17.3 x 12.5 inches | Weight: 9.8 pounds | Water capacity: 48 ounces | Cord length: 15 feet | Tools: Stain, crevice and self-cleaning tools
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Though it's not a new product, the Little Green Machine has remained popular among consumers and reviewers since its release. Its compact size and lightweight design make it perfect for apartments or homes with limited storage, and the large handle makes it easy to carry around. Despite its small size, the tank capacity is surprisingly generous.
Its portable design also makes it great for freshening car upholstery, as long as there's an electrical outlet nearby. Just keep in mind, the Little Green requires a Bissell-brand cleaning solution. A small sample is included, but you'll need to reorder when it runs out. If what you love the most about the Little Green is its compact size, you might be interested in the new, even smaller Bissell Little Green Mini—the same machine everyone loves, but even smaller. We haven't tried it out yet, but are looking forward to seeing how it compares.
What our editors say: Brinda Ayer, editorial director of Forbes Vetted, says that her Bissell Little Green "is honestly the best purchase I've ever made, hands-down." She uses it to clean cushions, area rugs, fabric couches and upholstery of all kinds. Kara Cuzzone, Forbes Vetted's supervising editor of deals and coupons, loves this little machine to help with pet messes. "It can clean dirt, vomit, pee and even poop out of carpets and upholstery," she says. 'A few passes over the soiled area and the fabric looks good as new. Since I live in a studio apartment, I also appreciate that it's more compact than most cleaners.'
Amazon
Dimensions: 14.8 x 12.9 x 10.3 inches | Weight: 8 pounds | Water capacity: 19 ounces | Cord length: 15 feet | Tools: Stain and pet attachments
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The Dirt Devil portable carpet cleaner is perfect for quickly grabbing to tackle wine stains or pet messes. One thing people love most about this machine is how lightweight it is, which makes it easy to move around to clean carpeted stairs, car mats and upholstery. The downside to its portability is its somewhat flimsy plastic build and tiny 19-ounce water tank. The small tank means it's not the best for cleaning large carpeted areas, but it easily handles individual stains.
The flexible hose wraps conveniently around the unit, making it easy to store, and the cord neatly winds away. The Dirt Devil comes with a trial size of the company's premixed cleaning solution, but you'll need to order more.
Amazon
Dimensions: 15.4 x 11 x 13.9 inches | Weight: 13.3 pounds | Water capacity: 96 ounces | Cord length: 20 feet | Tools: Stain and deep stain tools
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We all love the Bissell Little Green Machine, and the Little Green Pro is an upgraded, slightly larger (though oddly not green) version that also excels at refreshing upholstery and removing tough stains. With its generous water tank capacity and long cord, it's also better suited for larger spaces. However, the larger tank does make it heavier to carry around.
It's worth noting that this Bissell model does not feature a self-cleaning hose attachment, so it's a bit more finicky to clean when you're finished using it. The Little Green Pro comes with trial-size bottles of two different cleaning solutions: the Bissell Pro Max Clean + Protect and the Bissell Pro Max Deep Clean + Antibacterial formulas.
Amazon
Dimensions: 12.8 x 11.6 x 15 inches | Weight: 8.5 pounds | Water capacity: 40 ounces | Cord length: 12 feet | Tools: Reversible bristle, pet, crevice and self-cleaning tools
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Not only is this a very convenient and portable carpet cleaner from a trusted brand, but it has elements that make it particularly suited for use by households with pets. One of its multiple attachment tools is designed specifically to hold dirty liquid that may include pet waste in a separate, easy-to-empty chamber. It also features a built-in 'Stain Striker' handheld tool to really target serious, ground-in stains.
Note that it does require two Shark-brand cleaning solutions that mix inside the deivce for powerful stain removal with Oxy. Shark claims the solution is effective at eliminating pet and smoke odors from your home. If you'd like, you can order a bundle of the Shark StainStriker Portable Carpet Cleaner with a full-size bottle of both cleaning solutions.
Amazon
Dimensions: 12.8 x 13.3 x 10.3 inches | Weight: 11 pounds | Water capacity: 40 ounces | Cord length: N/A | Tools: WidePath, tight spot and hose rinse tools
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The best feature of the Hoover CleanSlate is that it's cordless, which allows you to move freely around your home while cleaning; it also makes it easy to carry the device to your car. If your household already has other Hoover devices that use the Onepwr battery, this fits seamlessly into your arsenal. But note that if this is your first purchase in that line, you will have to invest in at least one battery and a charger from the Onepwr line. The company claims that one charge gives you about 15 minutes of cleaning time.
Since it's cordless, it's super convenient for cleaning car mats and upholstery, as you can work wherever you're parked, even with no outlet nearby. You may prefer the 'TightSpot' attachment for cleaning your car, but the 7-inch wide cleaning tool attachment allows you to quickly eliminate even large stains on your carpet. Even better, it has a built-in light that helps illuminate dark corners, stairways and under furniture. If a persistent stain is giving you trouble, the 'Boost' mode can eradicate it. When you're done, the convenient hose-rinse system flushes any residual dirt out so it can be cleanly stored. Just make sure to use Hoover-branded cleaning solution.
What our editors say: Janet Yin, art director for Forbes Media's content and design studio 'absolutely loves' her Hoover CleanSlate. She says "it's the best investment for any pawrents."
The Forbes Vetted home and kitchen team has extensive experience testing, researching and reviewing products to keep your home clean and organized. We've published a vast library of cleaning-focused articles, including the best carpet cleaners, best robot mops, best stick vacuums for pet hair and more.
When choosing the best portable carpet cleaners, we leaned on our editors' expertise, looked to trusted brands, consulted experts and heavily researched top products.
Darrell Hagan of the Carpet and Rug Institute recommends 'professionally deep cleaning your carpets every 12 to 18 months to remove embedded dirt and grime.' But most of us encounter stubborn spills and pet messes more frequently, making a portable carpet cleaner handy to handle smaller jobs between professional cleanings. Here's what to consider when shopping for the best portable carpet cleaner for your home.
All of the carpet cleaners on this list have dimensions and weights suited for portability. Aside from that, whether you choose a corded or cordless model depends largely on where and how you'll use it. If you're unlikely to clean your car, for example, a corded model might be perfectly fine. If you anticipate bigger cleaning jobs, a corded cleaner ensures you won't run out of power before you finish. Before purchasing, take note of the cord length, especially if your home has large rooms or tall staircases.
For many people, a cordless machine is the most convenient solution for small jobs, allowing you to carry it anywhere without worrying about cord length or tangles. If you opt for cordless, remember you'll need a charger and compatible battery, which often can be swapped among other tools within the same brand. Pay attention to the runtime per charge, and consider having a backup battery to swap in when one dies.
A large water tank lets you finish even bigger jobs without having to refill. But the larger the capacity, the heavier the device is when it's full of water. If portability is your main concern, choosing a carpet cleaner with a smaller tank capacity might be more convenient.
With a lower-capacity tank, you'll have to refill it more frequently. Consider how often you'll use your cleaner and whether you'll mostly tackle individual spills or entire carpets to determine the best water tank capacity for your needs.
Portable carpet cleaners come with a wide range of attachments. It's always great to have options, but more isn't necessary better if you have no use for them. While having plenty of options is nice, more isn't always better if you'll never use them. Some of the most useful attachments are those designed for cleaning tight crevices, attachments with specialized bristles and tools made specifically for pet messes.
Other helpful features include separate tanks to isolate dirty water contaminated by pet waste, and built-in hose rinses that flush out debris from the hose after use. Extras like these prevent mold or unpleasant odors from developing while the cleaner is stored.
Many factors influence which portable carpet cleaner is beset for your home. Some things to consider are how much carpeting or how many rugs you have, whether you'd prefer a corded or cordless model and whether you have pets to clean up after. Overall, we think the popular Bissell Little Green Portable Carpet Cleaner is the best portable carpet cleaner for most people.
The Carpet and Rug Institute recommends first taking preventative measures, like trying to 'stop dirt at the door by using mats outside and in and taking your shoes off when you enter the space.' But sometimes, despite your best efforts, stubborn stains or spills still happen. If your home has carpets, rugs or upholstered furniture, it's absolutely worth having a small carpet cleaner on hand to handle spills, ground-in dirt and pet messes between professional cleanings.
You can use a portable carpet cleaner with plain water to remove surface dust and dirt, as long as it isn't deeply embedded. But for optimal cleaning of stains like red wine, coffee, pet messes or anything oily or sticky, using the appropriate cleaning solution will get you better results. 'If an in-tank cleaning solution is used in the equipment, cleaning should be followed up with a clear water rinse," the Carpet and Rug Institute advises.
