Best carpet cleaners to remove stains, tried and tested in a real home

For whole-home deep cleans with reliable spot-cleaning on tap, this is the carpet cleaner to beat. Set-up is simple – just pour the antibacterial solution into its own tank and the machine handles the mixing. This is cleaner and more economical than premixing in a jug, and you can decant any unused solution back into the bottle, or keep it in the solution tank until your next cleaning session.

Motion sense technology is the headline feature here, and it works exactly as promised. Push forward and the cleaner washes, pull back and it switches to suction-only to extract moisture from the carpet – so you don’t need to do it manually. On my medium-pile rug, the ‘back and forth’ approach cleaned well and with little effort. Water in the tank was impressively murky after a single pass, and my carpet felt dry enough to walk on within minutes.

If you’re a pet owner, you’ll appreciate the sprayer handle, which lets you pre-treat a fresh accident with pet stain and odour removal before working on the area. The 2.5m hose and spinning spot tool attachment are genuinely useful, while the long 9m power cord means you won’t constantly be hunting for sockets around the house.

This is a sizeable machine, so edge cleaning along skirting boards may need an extra pass, which is par for the course with upright carpet cleaners. Maintenance, however, is straightforward, with both tanks lifting out cleanly. The brush roll cover and filters are also easy to remove for a quick hair clear. Compared to the Bissell proheat revolution (£299.99, Amazon.co.uk), this is a simple, all-in-one solution.

For cleaning stairs and upholstery, the hurricane stairmaster is an affordable solution. It has a built-in wide brush bar that scrubs rather than glides over the pile which, in practice, helps to lift muck and fresh spills, giving it a real edge over basic spot washers. It’s also portable and compact enough to store in a cupboard, ready to be deployed quickly when you need it.

Set-up is simple: fill the clean tank, add solution, and clip on the tool. The motorised head does the hard work, so you’re not relying on elbow grease, and there’s enough suction to keep drying times reasonable –certainly faster and more effective than manual blotting. However, older, set-in stains still require multiple passes.

The tanks are on the small side, so you’ll need to refill them frequently on multi-step jobs. The hose reach is fine for most jobs, but I needed to reposition the unit once or twice, and the build feels more plasticky than premium rivals. Still, this is an easy recommendation if you want a low-cost tool for regular touch-ups.

When faced with those nightmare stains that have defeated all previous cleaning attempts, this machine could be a lifesaver. During testing, I was struck by how effectively this compact model tackled everything from sauce spills to ground-in mud that had lingered for months.

The cleaner’s suction power and real scrubbing action is a combination that you can tell lifts deeply embedded dirt rather than just surface cleaning. The 1.5m hose was invaluable for reaching awkward spots without dragging the entire unit, while the specialised tools made light work of different surfaces, from carpets to more delicate upholstery.

Perhaps most impressively, this machine extracted significantly more dirt than expected, even from areas of carpet that appeared relatively clean beforehand – revealing just how much hidden grime regular vacuuming can leave behind.

On the downside, the clean water tank capacity feels somewhat limited for larger jobs and may require frequent refills when tackling multiple stains. I also found the machine heavier than expected when carried between rooms, despite its compact appearance.

For homes prone to spills, or for breathing new life into tired carpets, this powerful portable cleaner delivers professional-level stain removal that genuinely impressed throughout the testing period.

After putting it through its paces, I found this carpet cleaner delivers results that could genuinely give professional services a run for their money. The Bissell machine addresses some fundamental frustrations typically associated with home carpet cleaning right off the bat. Despite its substantial cleaning capabilities, it’s remarkably lightweight and manoeuvrable – a rare quality in full-sized cleaners. It is, however, slightly more challenging to assemble.

The dual cleaning modes are genuinely useful in different scenarios. The deep clean setting tackled perhaps years of embedded dirt and pet hair with aplomb, while the express clean mode – which left my carpet dry in about 30 minutes – is perfect for regular maintenance or quick refreshes.

The specialised pet tools are thoughtful inclusions, effectively extracting stubborn pet hair that standard vacuums missed. The only thing that keeps it out of the top spot is the small water tank. It needs frequent refilling during larger cleaning jobs, and it's somewhat louder than expected at maximum power. It’s not unbearable, but the Vax platinum smartwash pet-design carpet cleaner above delivered a similar clean without these issues.

These minor drawbacks aside, this capable machine delivers near-professional-level results that have transformed my visibly tired living room rug.

If you want to blitz multiple rooms in a single session, this is the workhorse to do it. It’s a full-size upright carpet cleaner with a wide cleaning head, generous twin tanks, and a long mains lead that work together to make light work of large, open-plan spaces and sprawling hallways. Plus, the pet-focused tools handle sofas, stairs, and the occasional accident without requiring a second machine.

Unlike Vax’s newer smartwash (£349.99, Vax.co.uk), this is a traditional trigger-and-pass design, but assembly is straightforward – fill the clean-water tank, add detergent, and you’re ready to go. The perk here is that you get to control how much solution is applied to your carpet. Performance is consistent, with the brush system effectively dealing with deep traffic, greying areas and pet-related stains with minimal effort.

Pet owners will appreciate the hose and dedicated upholstery tool, which effectively removed embedded hair from a fabric sofa, outperforming a standard vacuum nozzle, and the targeted sprays, which made quick work of a fresh spill on the rug.

Taller and heavier than many rivals, it’s less nimble around tight furniture groupings and bulkier to store. The wide head speeds up room-length passes, but edging along skirting boards may need an extra run to catch leftover lines of debris. It may not have some of the conveniences of my top pick from Vax above, but it does have classic trigger control, a wide path and big tanks, which make it better for larger homes.

This relatively budget-friendly model proves that effective carpet cleaning doesn't always come with a hefty price tag. Initially, I was sceptical about the performance of such a compact machine, especially for those with deeper carpets, but it quickly impressed with a performance that belies its modest cost.

Weighing just 4kg, this nimble cleaner would particularly excel on stairs – an area where bulkier machines typically struggle. During testing, I could easily carry this machine and clean simultaneously, tackling sofas and curtains without the usual backache. The powerful 400W motor gives you impressive suction that significantly reduces drying time, while the notably firm bristles on the brush head effectively agitate stubborn stains that had previously resisted conventional cleaning.

The compact footprint makes storage refreshingly straightforward – it easily fits in a standard kitchen cupboard, ready for emergency spills or regular maintenance. During testing, it performed admirably on a desk chair, removing ground-in muck and leaving it looking (and smelling) a lot fresher.

On the downside, this isn't really suitable for whole-house deep cleaning – it's specifically designed for spot treatment and smaller areas. But for households needing effective stain removal without a significant investment, this compact powerhouse punches well above its price point.

The stainstriker is an invaluable ally when tackling spilt wine or muddy footprints. During testing, I loved how quickly this compact cleaner transformed from cupboard-dweller to stain-fighting superhero – I had it unboxed, filled and operational in less than two minutes when faced with a genuine, accidental coffee spill.

The dual-action formula delivers great results on fresh accidents, completely eliminating visible traces of cat pawprints on a rainy day or food spills (when tackled promptly) during testing. The lightweight design (just 3.6kg) means you can grab it one-handed and rush to the scene of any domestic disaster.

The concentrated cleaning power works without leaving carpets sodden, too – the powerful suction extracted moisture well, allowing areas to dry quicker, compared with a lot of other cleaners. This makes it perfect for high-traffic areas that can't remain out of action for long.

However, I found this machine’s effectiveness diminished somewhat on older, set-in stains (an old satay sauce spill in particular), despite multiple attempts. The relatively small tank capacity may also require refilling during larger cleaning jobs.

So, for reviving old carpets, you need something else. For households with children, pets or clumsy adults, this responsive little cleaner could genuinely save countless carpets and upholstery from permanent staining.

Whether it’s fresh coffee spills or muddy paw prints on the rug, this machine is a true emergency responder. It goes from cupboard to carpet quickly, and the suction was strong enough to lift moisture and grime without soaking my fabrics. The twin-tank setup keeps clean and dirty water separate, and the compact body of the cleaner is easy to carry around the house and out to the car.

In testing, it handled recent stains on rugs and a sofa well, which dried quickly. But, as with most cordless spot cleaners, there are trade-offs. Smaller tanks mean more frequent refills for multi-step jobs, and the runtime (up to 40 minutes) is best suited to targeted clean-ups rather than longer cleaning sessions.

It won’t match the deep extraction of its mains-powered rivals, such as Bissell’s spotclean pro (£129.99, Bissell.co.uk), while Shark’s stainstriker (£124.99, Sharkclean.co.uk) remains quicker on nightmare stains. But if you’re after a speedy cleaner for everyday accidents, and want the convenience of a cordless, this is a budget-friendly option.