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Have you ever noticed how sometimes the best things in life make the biggest messes? Children and dogs come immediately to mind, for some reason …
Between the spilled drinks and dropped granola-bar crumbs from the kiddos and the dirt tracked in by muddy paws, there’s pretty much always something for parents and pet parents to clean. (OK, I must confess that sometimes — every now and then — I’ve dropped a splash of red wine or coffee on the rug, too. Whoopsie.)
That’s where having a carpet cleaner in the closet is a lifesaver. But you don’t have to get one of those carpet cleaners that’s bigger than your vacuum, as portable carpet cleaners are now just as capable. These lightweight upholstery cleaners tackle stains on sofas, drapes, carpets, car seats, boats or pretty much anywhere you’ve got a mess. You name it, really.
Here are a few portable carpet cleaners we really like that you can easily find online.
Bissell Little Green Multi-Purpose Portable Carpet and Upholstery Cleaner
Bissell’s Little Green carpet cleaner is compact enough to store in a cabinet and easy to transport around the house or garage. The brand is a worldwide leader in home carpet cleaners, and this little device is as good as anything you’d expect from them.
One side of the machine contains the clean water tank and the other catches the dirty water. Use its included stain tool to lift and remove stains while suctioning them into the container that you can pop off and easily pour down the drain. It’s simple to use: You fill the tank with a mixture of cleaning solution and water, move it to the stain, flip the power switch and gently run the stain-cleaning tool over the spot. Turn it off and let it dry.
While in most cases this seems to work like a charm, some reviewers noted if the fabric feels stiff you can repeat the cleaning process using only water to correct it.
You can even keep the 48-ounce tank filled with the liquid formula so it can be ready at all times, which definitely takes some of the stress out of dropping everything to clean a sudden stain. Available on Amazon for $108, the Multi-Purpose Carpet and Upholstery Cleaner also comes with a trial size of Bissell’s cleaning formula.
More than 34,000 Amazon customers have graded the machine with an overall mark of 4.5 out of five stars.
“This has made my list of Top 5 Amazon purchases EVER,” wrote one reviewer, adding that it’s a “dog sitter’s best friend.”
Bissell SpotClean Pet Pro Protable Carpet Cleaner
Another powerful, handheld cleaning device from Bissell is the SpotClean Pet Pro Portable Carpet Cleaner. This machine uses strong suction and works on small- to medium-sized jobs. Amazon reviewers have also rated this device highly (4.6 stars overall), claiming it’s easy to use, durable and lightweight. Find it for $155.99.
Rug Doctor Pet Portable Spot Cleaner
Clean and neutralize odors with this rolling carpet cleaner from Rug Doctor that’s designed to tackle pet messes. (Users say it’s also great for stairs!) Several reviewers said they’d highly recommend it for cleaning up pet accidents. It’s available on Amazon for $167.64 and has an overall grade of 4.3 stars out of five.
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