20 Best Handheld Carpet Cleaner For Pets (2022 Updated)

I first started cleaning carpets professionally back in 1977, and since thatime I have used a LOT of carpet cleaning devices. That said, I needed a small, portable cleaning unit for cleaning the stairs in our new house.

I tried another brand (won’t say who but it was green) because it was on sale, and the vacuum extracted NO water from the carpet! Horrible suction! I took it back and since I recently used a Rug Doctor at work that has incredible suction, bought this one and I LOVE IT! Refilling the clean water tank is not that big of a deal, but being to completely empty and rinse out the dirty water tank is a strong point as I don’t want dirty water clinging to the inside of my tanks! The power cord is long enough that I can clean the entire staircase top to bottom without having to disconnect from the outlet! If I had any annoyance it is that the brush pad is a bit agressive and really doesn’t allow much for back-and-forth motion of the wand across the carpet, but all in all it does all that I would expect it to! Highly recommend for stairs, automotive, and yes, pets!.

Bought this product to help with pet messes and spills. Machine worked great at first when I purchased it then after a while it lost suction. I returned it three times while under warranty. It would work for a while then lose suction again.

I asked for a refund and they refused since my 90 days was over. I wanted to get it serviced and they would never give me the address for repair they kept saying find a local repair shop. The closest one is over 50 miles away from my house.

I will not buy another rug dr product I will get a bissel animal pet cleaner.

Like: nozzle design allows me to easily apply pressure, which is necessary to vacuum water deep down. Also, it’s all one piece; my previous machine had removable piece which leaked suction and was the first thing to break.

Also, short hose length helps provide greater suction. Machine is light weight and stable enough to position close to what I am cleaning. Also, suction head does a good job at carpet/ wall edges, and “pet tool” scrubber is more effective than bristles.

Dislike: soap trigger oversprays a bit wildly, poorly designed. Overall I like it enough to keep it but I think it is overpriced for what it does. Elbow grease not included.

First off, I love this product. The solution that comes with it is a nice intro to their pet cleaning series. It is absolutely super satisfying to see the stains lift right out of the carpet. I am especially a huge fan of the handheld sprayer that has a special receptacle for the dog mess so it doesn’t go into the main holding container.

I have light gray carpet and if there is any type of yellow staining, it definitely shows. I didn’t have a chance to pretreat the carpet when I used, so I did have to run the vacuum over it, let it dry, and then run it again.

(I have to add that I have a very sick dog with pancreatitis that is having accidents in the house so his pee is highlighter yellow). The major thing you do need to watch out for is the noise – this vacuum is really loud.

I realize that it needs to be this loud because it is super powerful at lifting stains, but you should use protective hearing. I used for 15 min and I felt like I blew my right ear drum out – I even went to my doctor to get it checked! I started to feel light-headed and off balance because the noise impacted my inner ear.

I’m on the mend now but it did take about 3 weeks to feel normal. I didn’t ding the rating because this has nothing to do with the efficiency of the carpet and all to do with personal safety measures one should take.

Don’t hesitate in buying this – I really have zero regrets buying this. Good luck!.

This was very handy to have when our kitchen sink and dishwasher pipes backed up and flooded. I was able to quickly suck up all of the water and avoid a lot of damage and work that way. I originally bought it for my dog’s messes on the carpet, and it is effective for that purpose as well both for stain and smell.

The water tank lasts a long time when used just for this purpose. The tank saver tool has less effective suction than the main tool and had to be emptied more frequently than was convenient for cleaning up a large mess.

Definitely save for the small stuff and just use the main tank for bigger messes. I always had enough clean water left in the tank to rinse out the dirty tank.

I LOVE my SpotClean Pet Pro portable stain remover. This thing is wicked with what it cleans. Imagine coming home to the most disturbing, disgusting, and terrifying image of how ill your dog became while you were at work.

Apparently my daughter had left some chocolate chip eggos she had made for breakfast on the counter and poor Arthur ate them. This machine is a God sent. My sick pup had violated not only my rug in the living room but also my wood floors.

This machine was able to spray down, clean and suck up alllllll the nastiness and mitigate the smells from spreading by providing a thorough and quick cleaning session. I was able to sanitize my little guy, the vacuum, by taking a bucket of bleach mixed with hot water and sucking it up, filling my dirty reservoir and cleaning the hose at the same time.

This vacuum cleaned up the entire debacle in about 20 min total whereas on my own I would have gagged and possibly barfed in between handfuls making it closer to a 3 hour job. I will add that I have had to replace my hose but that was due to user error where I pushed too hard on the brush head and broke it at the base rendering my hose useless.

I completed the repairs myself and ordered the replacement hose off of ebay for about 7 dollars.

I love the intended use for the product, but I have 2 major issues with it. House training a pup you’re going to expect accidents and that it when a product like this is a lifesaver; however, when walking around with the carpet cleaner it leaks and it leaks everywhere.

The bottom chamber was designed poorly. The black flap isn’t watertight, so when you move, the nasties inside move too. You need to clean the backseat of your car? Don’t even think about using this. You can’t hit angles, just back and forth.

Juices leak from the vents on the side and from the bottom chamber and when it gets into the vents it STINKS and it sticks for a long time. It’s been months since I accidentally tilted the cleaner and it still smells.

You’re better off getting a portable little green machine from them. This works, but is not built for every mess. You’re very limited to what you can se this item for.

I have the unit with the powerbrush, model 2846. When the unit is working it is a great unit! There’s nothing else like it. This will be the 3rd time I have had to have the unit replaced. Called BISSELL talked customer service and all that want you to go through just to get a replacement, I don’t know! Didn’t have to go thru all of what they want last time they replaced it.

Basically what it is, is where is a bearing where the bristle roller mounts to the side. This bearing gets wet the bearing rust and locks up and doesn’t work. I have told them this. Right now they are talking a few weeks before I even get the unit.

I have to supposedly mail mine back and then once they receive it they will send me one. I have seven dogs, I can’t wait. So it looks like I may try another unit/brand.

Received my Rug Doctor, started with some large room rugs, could not believe how much dirt the machine pulled out of rugs and we had them recently cleaned. Made top carpet look like the day I had it installed.

The Rug Doctor pulls out all excess water and is dry with a couple of hours.

This is an excellant machine. Easy to use in home and cars. Never have had any problems with a rug doctor when I rented them. I trust this company above all.

Combined we have 8 kids from 1-15 years old. I finally pulled this bad boy out today and tackled my jeep, my couch, and spot cleaned my carpets. IT WORKED MIRACLES! I will list the cons I found with it so you can know if it’ll work with what you need, but please don’t let it detour you from buying this little miracle worker.

1. It doesn’t get into tight spaces well 2. The hose is very short and I kept having to adjust the machine 3. The spray nozzle seems to already be not spraying correctly, it’s dripping and the spray doesn’t seem as strong, but still gets the job done.

Just a tad messier 4. I have pets and the hair is stuck inside of the nozzle and dirty tank. I used a bowl of clean water and used the nozzle to suck it up to help get a lot of it out of it, and I filled the dirty tank with water and shook most of it clean.

but still has some left behind. Pros- -it got old, set in stains out of my carpet that were here when we moved in. – I get my jeep detailed somewhat frequently and spots they couldn’t get out of my carpet and seats, this machine removed without me putting in any extra effort to those areas.

-my couch looks brand new, and I was at the point I was ready to buy a new one because it was getting dingy looking. Using this on it was a last ditch effort before I went furniture shopping. Now it looks so good I don’t have to worry about that.

-my daughter accidentally smashed a baby food green bean container in my car. sending green goo all over the ceiling, dash, seat, visor, floor, window, and me. My interior ceiling is off white. I was so upset that it would forever have a gross green stain on it.

One pass over with this and all evidence of the mishap are GONE. Please, just buy yourself one. You’ll thank me later!.

Fantastic product. Extremely effective. I bought this one for the portability, so I could also clean in my car. I use it primarily for pet stains (slobber, vomit, etc). It’s done fantastic, even removing older stains.

It’s a little disgusting watching all the pigment come up out of the stain, but speaks to how blotting just doesn’t cut it for getting gross things out of the rug. Since it’s used to clean up a lot of stinky things, I like how easy this machine is to clean afterward-the dirty tank and brush are super simple to remove and clean, and mine came with a little attachment to even clean the inside of the hose with any extra cleaner in the tank! It leaves my rug reasonably dry.

It only gets a star off because to get good suction, I often need to press down hard, which means I can unintentionally hit the trigger for the cleaning solution, adding a few extra minutes of vacuuming.

Minor inconvenience for a good product. #sweepstakes.

I am amazed at how effective this machine is at cleaning up even very old pet stains from carpet and mattress topper. I have two chihuahuas that occasionally barf on the bed or my carpeted bedroom floor, and sometimes they will pee too on the carpeting.

I of course blot up as much as possible when this occurs but it was still gross. Not bad enough that it stank to high heaven or anything but the beige carpet looked gross with lots of little spots and definitely needed a freshening.

I couldn’t believe how immediately this machine removes the pee and barf stains!! Even ones that were really old, even got old bile stains out of a white mattress topper-quickly and easily. Everything looks and smells great now.

I really can barely believe it! I happened to get this machine second hand/used from someone’s tag sale but I would pay the full price. Well worth it!.

I received the spillbuster™ Cordless Spill + Spot Cleaner with Powered Scrub Brush to give it a try and to provide my feedback. I received the tool right on time because we just spilled a huge glass of orange juice with high pulp content and a lot of ice on the front seat of our car.

That orange mess was everywhere, so we pulled out the spillbuster. I was surprised how quick and easy it sucked everything in. It’s so powerful that there was no need to apply any pressure to get the orange stuff off.

After we were done cleaning the seat looked like nothing ever happened there! Cleaning a spillbuster was a breeze. It opens up easily and gives a chance to dump the content out. Also, after removing the filter we just placed the collection container and a nozzle on the top rack of the dishwasher and an hour later spillbuster came out clean and shiny as new.

I also tried it on an old stain that I had on one of the dining chairs and the brush helped to clean it completely. I have a big vacuum cleaner that can clean out the wet stuff too but it’s huge and hard to maneuver in comparison to a little spillbuster that is light and cordless which is super convenient.

I totally see that this little magic tool will help me a lot to keep my house and a car clean and stain free and I will recommend it to all of my friends and family.

Spray function is weak and takes effort to even trigger. We now just spray or wet the carpet directly. Also, this thing is sloppy. Barely picks up the liquid, but rather “smooshes” it around with the larger surface area that’s in contact with the carpet.

We end up dripping liquid everywhere when lifting the vacuum. The reservoir also needs three hands to get it off if your hands aren’t big enough to grasp and pull the reservoir off with one hand while the other is pressing the release.

Two stars because I guess it picks up SOME liquid, but honestly it’s a pain. Not sure we can still return it.

I am obsessed with my new Black and Decker Spillbuster Cordless Spill & Spot Cleaner! I can’t believe I’ve gone so long without it! It’s the perfect small appliance if you have pets or young children.

It’s a cinch to switch from vacuuming to scrubbing away and removing stains. I use it primarily to tackle small areas of high volume and for accidents on carpet. For stains and spills, I use it with Resolve Carpet Solution, and I felt together they did a great job getting out those tough stains.

I love that it is cordless, but also that it is lightweight and ergonomic to use. It is so powerful for such a small machine, and I’m so glad it doesn’t take up much room in my utility closet. Overall, I’m just thrilled with this product and definitely recommend!.

I have berber carpet in my apartment which I believe to have been here since the building was constructed in 2001. And needless to say, it is a terrible carpet. It’s ugly for one, but it traps stains quickly and with a dog who has extreme anxiety about new places, she used the restroom on it a lot when we first moved in.

It has settled for months and I’ve tried a friends portable bissell pet eraser a couple times, but the stains were still there. I was mostly hoping for this machine to get the odor out and to maybe lighten up the stains.

BUT NO, the stains are GONE. I mean seriously, it looks as good as 20 year old berber carpet can be. And I was stressed about using it on berber because there were no reviews about this kind of carpet.

But to say the least, I am extremely impressed. And it’s easy to store because of its size and easy to set it up and clean it out. 10/10 recommend.

This is one impressive little machine. I had a used recliner sitting in a corner and I used this chair to pile things on for a couple of years. Dirty boxes, dirty muddy shoes, it was the go to dump spot for things I didnt want to deal with at the time.

I bought the Bissell Little Green Spot Pro after reading reviews on it. The amount of dirt and grit (actual sandy, dirty grit) it pulled out of the upholstery was TRULY impressive. I was shocked by the brown water and 1/4″ thick layer of grit at the bottom of the container.

The chair was not soggy after using the Bissell Spot cleaner, the key is to go over it several times (in different directions) and keep the head upright to get maximum water removal. I was able to sit on the chair after 2 hours on a 60° day in November (I did put down a towel to help remove any moisture still in the fabric when I sat on it).

The upholstery smells awesome (I added a Tbsp of Oxi Clean powder to the cleaning mixture) , feels soft to touch, looks brighter and like a chair you’d actually want to sit on. Wish I could give this machine a 20 star review.

I would highly recommend this item! It works just like it says. Very long cord 20 feet long. Deep cleans. Easy to disassemble and clean out and put back together. Very compact. but strong performance.

The only thing I can think of that might help future customers is if you buy this there is a bottle of carpet cleaner that comes with it, its size is generous, but deluded (amount of water per cap of cleaning solution) only does about 2 and a half times.

so I would make sure to order a extra bottle of the cleaning solution to make sure you have enough. Also just so people understand this works very very good but if you have a new stain or a lighter colored stain this will make your carpet look like NEW.

but if it’s a older stain (like years old or really really grind in) then it will lighten it but not fully take it out. Also the more times you go over it the better (it might take going over it time and time and time again) I wish I had pictures to put on here but I have a 2006 Buick Rendezvous and when I bought it you could tell the carpets had never been cleaned, and some of the carpets I had to repeat a few times that day but by the time I was done the carpets (even those really grind in spots) looked almost like new.

One of the main simple keys is to get your water as piping HOT as your sink can put out and don’t fill the container up with that hot water till right before you turn on that switch. because the hotter that water is and the more scrubbing power you put behind it the better those carpets will look!! Another words this Little Green Pro will without question do ITS part.

So bottom line is I will never use another carpet cleaner because I absolutely love this LITTLE GREEN PRO!!!.

BEWARE!!! First off, my package arrived next day! Was so happy to have it so quickly and was ready to try it out. I noticed on the Bissell box there was a sticky note with numbers and thought that was weird and hoped it wasn’t used.

Next, there was a brush missing as well as the cleaning products, there should have been two. When looking at the machine, there was a dried water spot and when I pulled out the hose there was still water in it! Customer service was really great but they couldn’t guarantee I wouldn’t get another used machine so getting a full refund and buying somewhere else.

This was my first purchase with Chewy and I guess my last. They totally knew they were sending me a used and probably defective machine.

This is our second SpotBot; we had our first for three or four years and decided it was time for a new one. We researched all the models and chose this one because it seemed to fit our needs the best and had great reviews.

The thing’s a champ for small messes (like carpet discoloration left over from a freshly-enjoyed bully stick, as we just found out!) and works well on upholstery. The only thing I don’t care for is their own brand of cleaning solution; it comes with a small bottle, but we’ve found that it set stains more often than it cleans them.

We go with an enzymatic brand called Bubba’s Rowdy Friends Carpet Cleaner. We also use a Rug Doctor to keep our whole rugs clean in general, but this is great for quick touch ups and upholstery.

I did a lot of research before purchasing this, and this one was the best reviewed, for good reason. It works very well. Pre-treat, soak and then scrub the work area in different directions using a brush (or using the included brush head tool, but don’t apply suction yet).

Don’t over-saturate the work area. Take it slow, keep the fit tight to maintain suction and make multiple passes in different directions for best results. It’s easy to clean, and there is a special attachments (not included, but available for purchase separately) called the HydroRinse Self Cleaning Tool, that aids in cleaning the hose.

​ The only negative is that it is a little loud considering how short the hose is and how close your head is to the motor. Let me conclude by saying. Bissell sure does make things confusing. So, here is a summary of what I learned that might save you some time: This portable carpet cleaner is sold at a few different major retailers, and each retailer seems to sell a different version of it.

The only differences are the name (some call it “little green”, some don’t), accent color (blue, purple, green, etc. ), the number and type of attachments / cleaning tools and their color, and which starter cleaning solution it comes with.

The machine itself is the same. The attachments / cleaning tools and cleaning solutions will work interchangeably and can be purchased separately if you want to expand your cleaning capabilities, but some attachments can be surprisingly costly, so it’s generally best to buy the version that comes with the attachments you prefer.

One of the reasons I chose this model is because it comes with three cleaning tools (whereas most versions sold elsewhere only come with only two), and the extra tool is a crevice tool, which none of the other retail versions came with.

To find this information, I found the best approach was to get the exact model number (number, not name) and then look up the product info / support page on the Bissell website.

This is my 3rd portable Bissell carpet cleaner over 20 years. I first had the little green machine until the hose broke. Then I got the Spotbot, which I really did like. You still had to go back with the wand and smooth out the circle and also extract more water.

If you wait too long and have a number of little pet pee pee stains to remove, you’ll end up refilling that Spotbot. Also, it was hard to really dry out the two tanks, and it is drippy when you are moving it from spot to spot.

The hose finally broke on that one. I chose the Little Green Pet Pro because the motor is stronger and the tanks are bigger. I was able to clean a number of spots with only one tank of solution and one dirty tank.

It squirts more water out than you think- I did a LOT more dry passes in order to extract as much of the liquid as I had dispensed. Also, it works best when you pull the tool towards you. I ended up moving the machine around so that I could make many dry passes over the areas in all different directions.

The machine is easy to move around. You do have to get on your hands and knees. I really like how you can take the lid off of the dirty tank and clean and wipe it out thoroughly. Also, compared to the Spotbot, these tanks are clear, so it is easy to see when they are clean.

The Spotbot had smaller tanks, and it used more water to clean a small area, so I was filling the tanks more often and also going back and sucking more water out with the wand. You do give up the “set it and forget it” part of the Spotbot.

However, it was faster not to have to fill and clean the tanks as often. It’s a trade off. It was hard to decide between the two, but I do like some of the features of this machine better. I tipped my machine upside down in the sink before putting it away so that it would be as dry as possible before storing.

I did not get the upright w/ the removable spot cleaner because I mainly use it for dog messes and did not want the big part to be pissy.

I like that it’s a portable handheld. I don’t like that it can really only be used in 2 positions. Flat, with bristles parallel to the ground, or upright where the bristles are positioned at the top.

According the the manual, you must not turn the vacuum around on its head to vacuum upside down, and you can’t vacuum sideways. If you have back cushions that can’t be removed, then you can clean the top portion (wherever the vacuum head reaches).

But the long body and handle will prevent you from getting to the bottom areas. And like I said, according to the manual you’re not supposed to turn the vacuum upside down or sideways because of the risk of leaking.

If your seat is at a slight angle, so that the vacuum’s bottom is higher than the front bristle area, then performance suffers again. You can see water being sucked up, but then coming down again around the sides.

I think if you’re only doing flat vacuuming, like for carpets or cushions that you can sit flat, then this handheld will perform better for you. Cleaning curtains upright might be alright too, provided you’re not trying to get to a spot near the bottom.

Worked GREAT, unit is larger then I initially thought, super easy set up and cleaning of the unit. I under estimated my level of patience and strength needed to use this as I thought living in a small apartment with just area rugs itd be easy, opt for upright if for medium to large areas.

I did return the item but I would still highly recommend it!.

This machine works great. My car is 7 years old and I had quite a bit of stains on the seats and carpets from coffee spills, kids and pets. It took me 3 hours and now the car looks and smells like new.

All the stains came out. The only thing that can be improved is the ability to dump the dirty water. The canister portion for this does not have an opening to dump and rinse easily. It is alittle awkward but with lots of shaking and manuevering it can still be cleaned.

It just takes a bit longer. Otherwise this is perfect and works great.

Works so well. Wish the hose was just a bit longer for some of the more awkward spots and reaches, but it picks up like 99% of my dogs hair and did a great job cleaning my couch and rugs. Definitely meant for small-medium cleans, but you can do a large-scale job like a whole rug if you have the elbow grease to work through it.

Affordable, portable, and beginner/casual-use friendly! I’m not sure why this version exists since there’s a paler green version that’s pretty much the same but costs more. I like that it cleaned up my car seats well and it was easy to use.

Now for the bad stuff: it water stained on the very edge where the water didn’t reach; maybe I just needed to extract the water more. I also thought that the machine is hard to clean. I’ve only used it once so far so nothing gross has built up, but it’s difficult to empty out the remaining water from the hose and machine itself.

You have to tilt it a bunch of times. Dirt is starting to build up hose attachment. For some reason, the paler green version I mentioned earlier comes with a hydro rinse tool to clean out the hose, but not this version.

Other than those faults, which may just be human error, this machine saved my car seats. I think it works better on car seats than fluffier carpet fibers—but again maybe it’s because the carpet stains are much older than the car seat stains.

The better question is what isn’t wrong with this machine. It worked really good the first time I used it. I went to town on some old dog pee spots and it worked great, but that’s the end of my praise.

On my second use and after, it leaked dirty water all over my carpet. I’m not sure how, but the nozzle ended up cracking and breaking before my fourth use and I got cleaner all over myself and things I didn’t want wet.

Every time after that, I just made my own solution seperately and sprayed it on myself. By now, the vacuum head is disgusting and I simply can’t seem to get it clean no matter how I try. It’s incredibly hard to clean out the tanks too.

I try one last time on some car floor mats and I come to find that almost none of the sucked solution is actually getting to the container and is just leaking all over the concrete. I look and somehow the plastic has shattered on the container.

Keep in mind this just sits in one spot when not being used, it’s not in a place where it’s being battered around. It’s flimsy, hard to clean, and the suction is laughably weak.

I bought this one sale for $88 (it’s now on sale for $79 – that’d be my luck that it’d be even cheaper once I finally decided to buy it). I was SO excited. We have a retriever mix and a burmese cat and they shed a good bit.

We have a couch, loveseat and matching ottoman that could use a good cleaning. We have moved a few times. So I figured between the animas, moves, sweat/flatulence and just every day wear/use – our couches needed a deep clean vs the spot cleaning I do.

It came with everything but I also ordered a full size of solution because I was the sample size wouldn’t have been enough. However, I didn’t get to try either solution. The thing won’t even turn on.

I’ve tried every outlet in our living room – they all work so I know it’s not the outlets. I then tried the outlets in the kitchen just to see if by chance it was our outlets – nope. It’s the machine – it won’t cut on.

I just wasted my time on a machine that’s supposedly brand new but won’t even cut on. Which I should also mentioned, the canisters were slightly wet. If this machine was brand new then why are the canisters wet and leaking some fluid? I’m so mad.

I’ll be returning this. I’ll find something else that’ll actually work and is truly brand new.

I love my Bissell Pet Stain Eraser. I use it all the time, at home, or on-the-go. It works great to remove stains and clean up messes on my carpet and upholstery. It wasn’t expensive either. When you see the size of it, it’s obviously not meant to do all your household carpet cleaning, it’s great for when you spill something on your floor, in your car, on your couch, or track some mud onto your carpet, etc.

If I had to think of any kind of criticism, it’d be that it may take some time for it to pick up all the liquid, but I’m patient, so it’s not really an issue for me, especially when it does such a wonderful job.

I’ve already recommended it to my friends and family.