Best Portable Carpet Cleaners in 2022: Buying Guide
- Loredo Litherland
- Dec 31, 2020
- 9 min read
In this buying guide, you’re going to learn about eight of the best portable carpet cleaners. These are the portable carpet cleaners that go above-and-beyond the others that are available.

Portable carpet cleaners are wonderful devices. As the name suggests, a portable carpet cleaner is a smaller carpet cleaner, and this small size makes the experience more comfortable, while giving you more precision and direct control over what you clean, and how you clean.
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You aren’t just going to learn about the eight best portable carpet cleaners. Instead, you’re also going to learn about the key questions that must be asked. These are questions that will allow you to narrow down what you need in a portable carpet cleaner, so that you can find the best one for you!
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What Are The Best Portable Carpet Cleaners?
8) BISSELL 20037 Cordless Portable Carpet Cleaner
Every Bissell purchase helps save pets. Bissell proudly supports Bissell pet foundation and its mission to...
Spray, scrub and suction to remove pet stains and messes from carpet, upholstery, stairs, area rugs, auto...
Grab and go cordless convenience; enjoy the freedom of a lithium-powered handheld carpet cleaner that lifts...
7) SpotBot Pet Spot And Stain Cleaner
The SpotBot Pet Spot And Stain Cleaner is designed for regular carpets, and pets. It has a variety of features that make it great for cleaning up all kinds of different stains and messes.

What’s nice is that you can turn on this device, and then walk away. Just choose the cleaning cycle that you want, and the SpotBot Pet Spot And Stain Cleaner will clean on its own!
If you want to engage with the carpet cleaning process directly, you can do that, too. Just grab the handle of the device, and then move the brush across the surface of your carpet. The brush consists of some very strong bristles, and it rotates quickly. This allows it to remove stains, dirt, and gunk in a quick and efficient manner, ensuring that your carpet looks very nice.
Every BISSELL purchase helps save pets. BISSELL proudly supports BISSELL Pet Foundation and its mission to...
Get rid of messes without getting your hands dirty. This hands free portable carpet cleaner does all the...
Preset cleaning cycles that automatically spray, brush, and suction to permanently remove both surface and...
6) Bissell SpotClean Professional Portable Carpet Cleaner
The Bissell SpotClean Professional Portable Carpet Cleaner is larger than other portable carpet cleaners. But, this is because it comes with more attachments and offers more cleaning power.

To use the Bissell SpotClean Professional Portable Carpet Cleaner, you’ll be relying on a flex hose. This flex hose is five-feet long, and it’s great for cleaning all kinds of different messes and stains.
Sometimes, you need specialized cleaning power, and when that’s the case, you can use the stair tool and the tough stain tool. Both of these tools are great for their intended purposes, and the tough stain tool is fantastic for those thick and nasty stains that are difficult to remove.
Every Bissell purchase helps save pets. Bissell proudly supports Bissell pet foundation and its mission to...
Our most powerful portable spot and stain cleaner for carpets, stairs, upholstery, auto interiors, and more.
Combines superior suction, scrubbing action and professional cleaning solution to remove stubborn pet stains,...
5) Hoover PowerDash Go Portable Spot Cleaner
POWERFUL STAIN REMOVER: Tackle any accident, spill or tough set-in stain
LIGHTWEIGHT SPOT CLEANING: Makes it easy to clean stairs, upholstery or an auto interior
PORTABLE AND COMPACT: Simply go from one cleaning job to the next with easy and convenient storage
4) Rug Doctor Pet Portable Spot Cleaner
2X SUCTION POWER* (compared to leading comparable portable spot cleaners). The Rug Doctor Pet Portable Spot...
HANDHELD DUAL ACTION PET TOOL with rubberized bristles removes pet hair, tough stains and odors. Easily...
PORTABLE, LIGHTWEIGHT, COMPACT design features carpet-friendly wheels and a retractable handle. Perfect for...
3) Bissell Little Green Spot And Stain Cleaning Machine
The Bissell Little Green Spot And Stain Cleaning Machine is a very affordable portable carpet cleaner. It doesn’t offer a whole lot, in terms of unique design choices or features. But, what it does offer is simplicity, efficiency, and convenience.

Using this portable carpet cleaner is an easy experience. Just fill the tank up with some water, and start cleaning. In around five-to-ten-minutes, you’ll be able to clean whatever messes or stains that you need to clean.
If you need to clean on couches, chairs, or other surfaces, you can do that, too. This is because the Bissell Little Green Spot And Stain Cleaning Machine is small and versatile, giving you lots of flexibility.
Bissell Little Green Spot and Stain Cleaning Machine, 1400M by Bissell
Scrub, spray and lift away dirt and stains with powerful vacuum suction, 3 spot cleaning machine can clean...
BISSELL
2) BISSELL SpotClean Pet Pro Portable Carpet Cleaner
If you compare the BISSELL SpotClean Pet Pro Portable Carpet Cleaner to the other portable carpet cleaners on this list, what you’ll find is quite simple. While the BISSELL SpotClean Pet Pro Portable Carpet Cleaner is, essentially, an amalgamation of the design choices and features from other portable carpet cleaners, it also improves upon the basic cleaning features.

Using this portable carpet cleaner, you have access to the main brush, a stain trapper tool, and a tough stain tool. These are great for cleaning on all kinds of surfaces and spaces – due to the size of these tools/brushes – and for removing thick and dense stains. The cleaning power is excellent, and it gives you a lot of speed and efficiency, while also giving you a simple and easy-to-use design, as well.
Every Bissell purchase helps save pets. Bissell proudly supports Bissell pet foundation and its mission to...
Our most powerful portable spot and stain cleaner for carpets, stairs, upholstery, auto interiors, and more.
Combines superior suction, scrubbing action and professional cleaning solution to remove stubborn pet stains,...
1) BISSELL SpotClean ProHeat Portable Spot And Stain Carpet Cleaner
The BISSELL SpotClean ProHeat Portable Spot And Stain Carpet Cleaner is quite affordable. It’s not one of the more powerful portable carpet cleaners, but it’s quite inexpensive, and gives you multiple cleaning tools.

Through the use of the tough stain tool and the deep reach tool, you can clean most of the stains that are on your carpet, as well as the stains that are on your couch and chairs, along with other surfaces. But, for particularly thick stains and messes, the BISSELL SpotClean ProHeat Portable Spot And Stain Carpet Cleaner isn’t always as effective as it could be, due to the strength of the brushes that you’ll be using.
Every Purchase Saves Pets. BISSELL proudly supports BISSELL Pet Foundation and its mission to help save...
Permanent Stain Removal with the Power of OXY. Take on your toughest spots and stains with the power of...
Heatwave Technology. Helps maintain water temperature throughout the cleaning process as you loosen and remove...
When Searching For The Best Portable Carpet Cleaner
What Will You Be Cleaning?
Naturally, you’re going to be cleaning your carpets, since you’re buying a portable carpet cleaner. But, portable carpet cleaners are quite versatile, and they can clean many other surfaces, as well. Surfaces such as couches, chairs, and even curtains; along with many others.

When you’re searching for the best portable carpet cleaner, it’s always wise to consider the other surfaces that are in your home. By considering these surfaces, you can find a good portable carpet cleaner that allows you to clean them, as well as your carpets!
On the same note, you also need to think about the kinds of stains that you’ll be cleaning. Most stains work the same way, but pet stains can be very difficult to clean. So, if you have pets, it’s always good to find a portable carpet cleaner that has features for cleaning up pet stains.

What Kinds Of Tools Would Be Useful For You?
Some portable carpet cleaners don’t come with any extra tools, but a lot of them do. These tend to be tools designed for cleaning specific kinds of stains – such as pet stains – as well as different brushes.
If you’re going to be cleaning up pet stains, then a pet-stain tool is a great choice. The same goes for if you’re cleaning thick and nasty stains, or even stains that are light but spread out across your carpet.
While this isn’t a tool, necessarily, buying a portable carpet cleaner that supports cleaning solution is always a good choice. Just a few drops of cleaning solution can easily loosen a stain that just isn’t coming out.
What’s Your Budget?
Finally, the last question to ask is “What’s your budget?” Portable carpet cleaners aren’t very expensive, for the most part, but they do vary in price.
If you’re looking for a portable carpet cleaner with lots of tools and features, then you’re going to need to spend more money. But, if you just want a simple and efficient portable carpet cleaner, you don’t need to spend a lot of money.

Conclusion
Portable carpet cleaners offer a lot more precision than most of the larger carpet cleaners that are available. This precision allows for cleaning that is thorough and efficient.
If you’re looking for a carpet cleaning device that is great at removing every last little stain, then a portable carpet cleaner is a great choice! Each one of the portable carpet cleaners in this guide is excellent, and by asking those three questions listed above, you’ll be able to figure out which portable carpet cleaner is the best one for you!
Spot Cleaner | Recommended
Our Pick No. 1
Removes Spots & Stains. Lift away messes from carpets, upholstery, car interiors and more.
Spot Cleaner | Recommended
This website is supported by readers. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. If you have any questions, please add them below in the comment section. Similarly, please let us know if you spot any mistakes.
Previously in Our Recommended List
Bissell SpotClean ProHeat Portable Spot Cleaner
The Bissell SpotClean ProHeat Portable Spot Cleaner is a portable carpet cleaner that comes with two main cleaning tools. Most of the time, you’ll be using the Tough Stain Tool, which is a smaller tool that is great at removing thick stains that are difficult to remove. There is also the Deep Reach Tool, which is excellent for cleaning stains and messes that are deep within the carpet.

Since the Bissell SpotClean ProHeat Portable Spot Cleaner is a smaller carpet cleaner, it’s easy for you to move it from place to place. It’s lightweight, portable, and you can easily attach the two cleaning tools to it.
Bissell ProHeat 2X Lift Off Pet Carpet Cleaner
The Bissell ProHeat 2X Lift Off Pet Carpet Cleaner is unique, because it’s an upright carpet cleaner. But, you can detach the main canister and use it as a portable carpet cleaner.

When you’re using the Bissell ProHeat 2X Lift Off Pet Carpet Cleaner – regardless of whether you’re using the upright or portable modes – you’ll be relying on the DirtLifter PowerBrushes. These are exceptional brushes that easily remove all of the dirt, gunk, and grime from the depths of your carpet.
When these brushes are paired with water and powerful suction, they make it so very easy for you to quickly and efficiently clean your carpet especially if you have pets that like to leave little messes and stains.
Rug Doctor Portable Spot Cleaner
What makes the Rug Doctor Portable Spot Cleaner great is its simplicity. It’s a simple device that you can push around and move across large spaces with absolute ease. And, while the features aren’t particularly elaborate, they all work well and provide a nearly effortless carpet cleaning experience.

To use the Rug Doctor Portable Spot Cleaner, you just need to put some water into the main tank and then bring the device to the carpeted area you need to clean. Then, remove the brush and start to scrub down the area. In no time, whatever stains, dirt, or grime happen to be on that carpet will be loosened up and then sucked into the carpet cleaner. When you’re done, you can empty the water tank.
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