The best carpet cleaner for pet stains is the BISSELL Big Green PET PRO if you want the strongest extraction, and the Shark StainStriker portable if you want something you can grab and use in thirty seconds. That is the short answer, and the rest of this guide explains why.
Pet stains are not a vacuum problem. Urine, vomit and tracked-in mud soak past the pile of the carpet and into the padding underneath, where the odor compounds live. A vacuum lifts dry hair and grit from the surface. Only a machine that sprays solution, agitates it and then pulls the dirty water back out gets to the layer that actually smells. That spray-agitate-extract cycle is the entire reason a carpet cleaner earns its floor space, and it is also the reason so many owners are disappointed: a lot of cheap machines spray without truly extracting, and the carpet stays wet, soapy and worse-smelling three days later.
We compared ten machines across the two classes that matter, full-size upright deep cleaners and portable spot cleaners, using pet accidents as the test load rather than coffee or red wine. The two classes solve different problems and we keep them separated throughout, because a r/CarpetCleaning thread asking for a machine for apartment carpets and pet accidents does not need a commercial unit that weighs as much as a teenager and a spot cleaner that empties every three minutes. The BISSELL Big Green PET PRO rated 4.7 stars across more than 16,000 reviews, the strongest rating profile in the group. Our methodology, the buying criteria that actually predict pet-stain performance, and the technique steps that matter more than any of these machines are all below.
Two honest notes before the picks. First, no consumer machine fully pulls urine out of carpet padding. Machines remove the mark in the pile and reduce the odor at the surface; deep padding odor sometimes needs a rental unit or a professional with hot water extraction and an enzyme rinse. Second, every machine here does dramatically more for a fresh accident than for a stain that has been sitting for months, which is why we have a whole section on acting while the stain is wet. Last updated for 2026, and we refresh this list whenever the model line-ups shift, which they do often in this category.
Table of Contents
- What Is the Best Carpet Cleaner for Pet Stains?
- Top 3 Picks for Best Carpet Cleaners for Pet Stains (October 2026)
- Best Carpet Cleaners for Pet Stains at a Glance
- 1. BISSELL Big Green PET PRO 3288: Best Overall Carpet Cleaner for Pet Stains
- 2. Shark StainStriker PX202BRN: Best Portable Spot Cleaner for Pet Stains
- 3. Shark CarpetXpert EX151: Best for Fast Drying and One-Box Convenience
- 4. Hoover PowerScrub Deluxe: Best for Pet Hair and Heavy Traffic
- 5. Hoover SmartWash Pet FH53000PC: Best for Apartments and Automatic Cleaning
- 6. BISSELL Little Green Max Pet 3860: Best for Immediate Response to Accidents
- 7. BISSELL ProHeat 2X Revolution Pet Pro Plus 3588F: Best for Set-In Old Stains
- 8. Hoover PowerDash Pet FH50700: Best for Area Rugs, Apartments and RVs
- 9. Kenmore Pet Portable KW4010: Best for Long Reach and Large Tanks on a Budget
- 10. Uwant Y100 18Kpa Carpet Cleaner: Budget Pick for Upholstery, Car Interiors and Pet Beds
- How We Tested and Picked These Machines
- What Actually Matters When You Buy a Carpet Cleaner for Pet Stains
- Enzyme Cleaner vs. Oxy Cleaner vs. Deodorizer
- Why Pet Stains Come Back After Cleaning
- Upright, Portable Spot Cleaner, or Rental?
- How to Actually Get Pet Stains Out of Carpet
- When to Rent or Hire a Pro Instead of Buying a Machine
- Frequently Asked Questions
- How do you get pet stains out of a carpet?
- Is there a carpet cleaner that actually works?
- What is the best carpet cleaner machine for pet urine?
- What carpet cleaner can I use to remove dog urine stains?
- What type of professional carpet cleaning is best for pet urine?
- Why do pet stains come back after carpet cleaning?
- The Best Carpet Cleaner for Pet Stains in 2026
What Is the Best Carpet Cleaner for Pet Stains?
The BISSELL Big Green PET PRO is the best carpet cleaner for pet stains overall, because its 8-row DirtLifter PowerBrush and strong suction pull set-in messes out of the pile and it holds a 4.7 star average. For a single accident, the Shark StainStriker portable is the quicker option at under 9 pounds with a dedicated pet mess tool.
If your problem is odor in the padding rather than a mark in the pile, no machine on this list is the whole answer. Buy the machine for the accidents, then plan on a rental or professional extraction once or twice a year for the deep layer.
Top 3 Picks for Best Carpet Cleaners for Pet Stains (October 2026)
BISSELL Big Green PET PRO 3288
- 8-row PowerBrush
- 9 in hose
- Oxy formula included
- Commercial-grade extraction
Every pick below earns its place for a different reason. The Big Green handles whole rooms and old messes. The Shark StainStriker lives in the closet and comes out every time a puppy has an accident. The CarpetXpert EX151 splits the difference with a built-in handheld spot tool and a drying profile that keeps hallways usable sooner.
Best Carpet Cleaners for Pet Stains at a Glance
| Product | Specs | Action |
|---|---|---|
| BISSELL Big Green PET PRO 3288 |
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| Shark StainStriker PX202BRN |
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| Shark CarpetXpert EX151 |
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 Hoover PowerScrub Deluxe |
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 Hoover SmartWash Pet FH53000PC |
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 BISSELL Little Green Max Pet 3860 |
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 BISSELL ProHeat 2X Revolution Pet Pro Plus 3588F |
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 Hoover PowerDash Pet FH50700 |
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 Kenmore Pet Portable KW4010 |
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 Uwant Y100 Carpet Cleaner 18Kpa |
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A note on the columns: the Hoover PowerScrub Deluxe and the Hoover PowerDash Pet have the two largest review counts in this roundup by a wide margin, which tells you they are the machines owners actually live with. The Big Green PET PRO holds the highest average rating. Review volume and rating are different signals, and we weigh both.
1. BISSELL Big Green PET PRO 3288: Best Overall Carpet Cleaner for Pet Stains
BISSELL Big Green PET PRO Carpet Cleaner, XL DirtLifter PowerBrush
8-row PowerBrush,9 in hose,2 upholstery tools,48 oz Oxy formula
Bulk commercial upright
4.7 stars
Pros
- Highest rating in the group at 4.7 stars across more than 16000 reviews
- 8-row XL DirtLifter PowerBrush lifts embedded dirt and odors
- 48 oz PET PRO OXY Urine Eliminator formula included
- 9 ft hose and upholstery tools reach pet beds and stairs
- Owners report it cleans and dries faster than rental machines
Cons
- Premium tier
- the highest cost of the machines compared
- Bulk commercial-size body needs real storage space
- Heavier upright form than any portable spot cleaner
This is the machine we hand to a household with two or more pets and a recurring urine problem. The 8-row DirtLifter PowerBrush is the reason. Where most uprights use a single rotating brush, this one stacks eight rows of bristles that agitate the pile while solution is sprayed into it, so the urine that soaked into the padding gets lifted into suspension instead of just being diluted. The suction then does the part most cheap machines skip, pulling that water back up into the dirty tank.
Bissell also includes a full-size 48 oz bottle of PET PRO OXY Urine Eliminator in the box, which matters more than it sounds. Enzyme and oxygen chemistry is what breaks down the odor compound, and running out of solution on a Sunday morning with a soaked carpet is the least useful outcome a machine can produce. The 9-inch hose and two upholstery tools mean the same machine handles the dog bed, the couch and the stairs without a second purchase.
What owners consistently report is drying. Reviewers compare it favorably against the rental machines they used before, and that comparison is the whole argument for this pick. A rented machine leaves a room wet for hours because it is a commercial unit designed to saturate padding; a consumer machine with this kind of brush and suction is designed to finish the job in a pass and leave the carpet touchable. The 4.7 average across more than 16,000 reviews, with a large share of five-star ratings, is the strongest rating record of any machine here.
The honest trade-offs are size and money. This is a commercial-form upright that needs a real storage corner, and it is the most expensive machine in the roundup. Owners of large-area rugs should know the machine is built for carpet and upholstery rather than loop or shag pile. If you rent a small apartment and have one cat, this is more machine than your problem requires.
Who this machine suits
Multi-pet households with a real, recurring urine problem. Owners with high-traffic hallways and mud tracked through the house on wet days. Anyone currently renting machines and finding the trip itself is the annoying part. A four-bedroom house with carpet in the bedrooms, hallway and living room is the ideal target, and the tank size means you are not stopping every few minutes.
It also suits anyone who is tired of the smell returning. The complaint we see most on pet forums is a carpet that looks clean on day one and smells again by day three, which is a residue and extraction problem rather than a chemical problem. This machine is one of the few here where the brushing power and the suction are matched, which is what actually removes the sludge instead of moving it around.
Who should skip it
Skip it if you live in a small apartment with a spotty stain history. The bulk is genuinely awkward in a tight space, and a portable unit stored in a closet will serve you better. Also skip it if the carpet is wool loop, shag or flockati, since the aggressive brush agitation is the wrong tool for those piles.
Skip it if your real problem is odor that has been in the padding for months. No amount of surface extraction at home fully clears that, and spending this much money expecting a complete fix is how buyers end up disappointed. Renting a hot water extractor for a deep clean first, then owning this for maintenance, is the sequence that works.
2. Shark StainStriker PX202BRN: Best Portable Spot Cleaner for Pet Stains
Shark StainStriker Portable Carpet/Upholstery Cleaner, 4 Tools, PX202BRN
Under 9 lbs,2 liter tanks,4 tools,2 formulas
Grab-and-go portability
Corded reach
Pros
- Weighs under 9 pounds so it stores anywhere and moves between rooms
- Four included tools cover carpet rugs stairs and upholstery
- Dedicated Pet Mess Extractor tool targets accidents directly
- Strong suction pulls embedded mess out rather than deeper in
- Fuses two formulas on contact for OXY stain and odor work
Cons
- Not a whole-room machine: 2 liter capacity needs refills
- Corded design limits how far you can reach
The honest answer to whether a spot cleaner is worth owning is yes, if your accidents are the problem. This one weighs under 9 pounds, which is the weight of a decent kettlebell, and that single spec is why it changes behaviour in a pet household. A machine you can carry to the accident immediately gets used. A machine you have to wheel out of a closet gets used tomorrow, and tomorrow is when the smell has set.
Shark’s StainStriker technology is worth understanding. The unit carries two formulas, a 16 oz Deep Clean Pro and a 32 oz OXY Multiplier Pro, and the machine brings them together on contact rather than diluting one into the other. The OXY side handles the visible mark, and the result is that the stain and the odor get treated in the same pass instead of you making two trips with two products.
The tool set is unusually complete for a portable. You get 3-inch and 7-inch reversible bristle tools, a crevice tool and a dedicated pet tool, and owners single out the pet tool because it is the one that lets you work a small accident without soaking a foot-wide circle of carpet around it. The 7-inch bristle tool is what you use on muddy paw traffic in a hallway, where the mess is wide and shallow rather than deep and small.
Where the limits show up are predictable for the class. The 2 liter capacity means refills on anything larger than a single spot, and the cord keeps you in one room. The 78% five-star distribution on reviews reflects people who bought it for the job it is designed for, which is accidents, not a Saturday deep clean of the entire living room.
What this machine is genuinely good at
Fresh wet accidents caught in the first twenty minutes. Cat urine on carpet beside a litter tray, which is the mess we hear about most and the one most people discover by smell rather than by sight. Small spills on upholstery and car interiors. Muddy paw prints tracked across a hard floor onto a small patch of carpet.
It is also the right tool for a small apartment, a rental, a condo or an RV, because 8.5 pounds and a small footprint solve a storage problem that stops people buying bigger machines at all. If you already run a vacuum for the dry mess, our robot vacuum picks for pet hair cover the same reach-first logic, and this machine is the wet counterpart for the same reason.
Where it falls short
It is not a deep cleaner and should not be asked to be. Set-in urine in padding, a room that has not been cleaned in months, or a hallway with years of embedded grit will exhaust a 2 liter tank long before it is clean. Owners who expected a portable to replace a rented machine are the source of most of the critical reviews.
It is corded, so you are working within one outlet, and the small tanks mean the rhythm of cleaning is fill, spray, extract, dump, repeat. That is fine for an accident. It is genuinely tiring for anything larger, and if you have a large area rug that needs a full pass, look at an upright instead.
3. Shark CarpetXpert EX151: Best for Fast Drying and One-Box Convenience
Shark CarpetXpert Upright Carpet & Built-in Stain Cleaner, 3 Tools, EX151
30.4 oz tanks,built-in handheld spot tool,PowerSpray
17 lb upright
2024 release
Pros
- 4.6 stars with a 79 percent five-star share
- High-speed brushroll with high-pressure PowerSpray lifts embedded messes
- PowerSpray penetrates fibers without oversoaking so carpet dries fast
- Built-in handheld spot remover reaches stairs and upholstery
- Dual tanks keep clean water and formula apart from dirty water
Cons
- Newer model with a much smaller review base than the Hoover and BISSELL machines
- 17 lb weight is heavy next to a portable
- Body and tool set need more storage room
This is the machine for a household with mixed messes, which is what most homes actually have. Pet accidents, coffee, wine and the general traffic of a family that uses its living room, all in one unit. The built-in handheld spot and stain remover is the deciding feature. It is attached, not optional, so an accident on the stairs or a cushion does not require a second machine or a bucket and a sponge.
Drying is where the CarpetXpert separates itself. The PowerSpray system puts water into the fibers at high pressure without flooding the carpet, and reviews specifically mention the carpet being usable again sooner. For a hallway between a bedroom and a bathroom, or a room above someone’s bedroom, that is not a minor feature. Wet carpet at midnight is how a carpet cleaner becomes the machine nobody wants to use.
The package is generous for what it covers. You get a 3.5 inch reversible bristle tool, an integrated crevice tool, a 7 inch wide-path tool and a 12 oz bottle of Shark CarpetXpert Deep Clean Essential formula, plus a storage tray. The reversible bristle tool is the underrated piece, because flipping the bristles changes the tool from digging into the pile to surface grooming, and pet owners use both sides in the same session.
The main caveat is the review base. This is a 2024 release with 847 reviews, which is small next to the Hoover and BISSELL machines with tens of thousands of reviews. Buyers should treat the 4.6 star average as encouraging rather than settled. Long-term durability reports do not exist yet, and that is a real difference between this machine and the workhorse Hoovers, which have a decade of owner feedback behind them.
Why drying time deserves its own pick
Drying time is the hidden failure mode of this entire category, and it is almost never scored by testing sites. A soaked carpet that takes eight hours to dry breeds bacteria, holds odor, and invites tracking, and it is the reason people say carpet cleaners do not work. The honest truth is that a machine which leaves the carpet too wet is worse than no machine, because you have now added soap to the problem.
A machine with a narrower spray path and stronger immediate extraction gives you a carpet you can walk on in sneakers within the hour. In a house with a child, a second pet or an upstairs bedroom, that difference decides whether you use the machine weekly or once a year. If drying time is your main worry, this is the one to buy.
Where the smaller review base matters
Buy it expecting less long-term data. The 79 percent five-star share is a strong snapshot, but parts availability and durability claims are untested at scale compared with the Hoover models. If you want the same cleaning approach with a decade of feedback behind it, the PowerScrub Deluxe covers similar ground.
Also consider the 17 pound weight and the storage footprint before you commit. It is an upright, not a carry-anywhere unit, and the tool set adds bulk. In a small apartment where the only storage is a hall closet, the Shark StainStriker or the Bissell Little Green is a more honest fit.
4. Hoover PowerScrub Deluxe: Best for Pet Hair and Heavy Traffic
Hoover PowerScrub Deluxe Carpet Cleaner Machine, Pet & Upholstery Tools
5 counter-rotating SpinScrub brushes
3.8 liter capacity
8 ft hose and pet tool
Pros
- Five counter-rotating SpinScrub brushes attack from multiple angles
- HeatForce technology speeds drying
- Pet tool and upholstery tool handle furniture and car interiors
- Dual tanks with Auto Mix solution metering
- Easy to break down and rinse after a session
Cons
- SpinScrub turbine uses non-stainless parts that can rust and seize
- Small water tank means frequent refills
- Short cord with no automatic wrap
- Compartmentalized dirty tank is awkward to rinse
With more than 58,000 reviews, this Hoover has one of the two largest owner bases in the roundup, and the pattern in those reviews is consistent: owners call it a durable workhorse that removes pet hair, urine odor and ground-in dirt, and dries carpet faster than rental units. That last comparison comes up repeatedly, and it is the same advantage the Big Green has over a rental, reached at a different price tier.
The mechanical story is five counter-rotating SpinScrub brushes. Counter-rotating means the brushes turn against each other, which keeps the pile from wrapping around a single roller and also means the machine can move forward and backward without the resistance doubling. For pet hair specifically, five counter-rotating brushes is the most thorough agitation listed in this roundup, and pet hair embedded in pile is the one mess that a vacuum repeatedly fails to remove because the hair is wound into the fibers rather than sitting on top.
HeatForce is the second feature owners notice. It pushes warm air onto the carpet as you work, and combined with the five brushes it means a room is closer to usable when you finish rather than overnight. The 8-foot hose with the pet tool, upholstery tool and crevice tool extends the machine to stairs, furniture and car interiors, which is where a lot of pet mess actually lands.
The durability caveat is the one to understand before buying. The SpinScrub turbine uses non-stainless components that can rust and seize after repeated water contact, and owners describe a warranty-covered repair with a charge to the owner when it happens. The 2-year limited warranty covers the machine, but this is the specific component to keep an eye on, particularly if you plan to use it on a rental or a second home.
Why pet hair is different from a stain
A stain is chemistry and a hair problem is mechanics. Urine needs solution and dwell time, while embedded pet hair needs a brush that physically rolls the pile in two directions. This Hoover does the mechanics as well as anything else here, and that is why it earns a spot even with a 4.4 average and the noted rust risk. For a shedding dog in a carpeted house, hair volume is often the bigger complaint.
The 3.8 liter capacity with dual tanks and Auto Mix metering is what makes a whole-room session possible without guessing at solution ratios. The metering means the machine blends the cleaner as it sprays, so you are not diluting by eye, which is the usual cause of residue and re-soiling. Poorly diluted solution is the most common reason a rented or borrowed machine leaves a carpet that looks worse in week two.
Where buyers get disappointed
The water tank is small for the machine’s cleaning appetite, so a large carpeted area means stopping to refill and dump constantly. The cord is short and has no wrap, so you are repositioning the outlet more than you would like. The dirty water tank is compartmentalized, and owners report difficulty rinsing it fully, which is how a machine ends up retaining odor between uses.
If you have hard water, the SpinScrub rust concern gets worse, and you should flush the turbine after every session rather than waiting. Budget owners should also weigh this against the SmartWash Pet, which trades brush count for automation and carries a five-year warranty.
5. Hoover SmartWash Pet FH53000PC: Best for Apartments and Automatic Cleaning
Hoover SmartWash Pet Automatic Carpet Cleaner Machine with Spot Chaser Wand
Push to clean pull to dry
no trigger
5 year warranty
Spot Chaser wand
Pros
- Trigger-free motion sensing makes cleaning genuinely simple
- Separate Auto Mix reservoir gives multiple refills without remixing
- Dry-only mode extracts leftover water and cuts drying time
- Detachable Spot Chaser wand for isolated pet stains
- Five-year warranty and removable brush and tanks
Cons
- Clean water tank has been reported to leak
- Sprays on every forward stroke with no way to pause at the handle
- Heat is always on and blows warm air while you use the wand
- Weak along carpet edges and baseboards
- Spot Chaser wand is battery powered with a weak trickle
This machine solves a different problem than the others: it removes decisions. You push it forward and it cleans, you pull it back and it dries, and there is no trigger under your hand to manage. Owners consistently cite the automatic motion sensing as the feature that makes them actually reach for the machine, because the gap between cleaning a carpet and intending to clean a carpet is mostly friction. Many report removing pet stains permanently rather than just lightening them.
The separate Auto Mix solution reservoir is the underrated second feature. Instead of adding cleaner to the water tank and guessing, the reservoir meters solution across multiple tank refills, so the dilution stays consistent across a whole session. Combined with the dry-only mode that extracts residual water on the backstroke, it produces a notably quick finish among the full-size machines here.
The detachable Spot Chaser wand is the pre-treat tool, and pre-treating is the single most useful habit in this entire category. Owners who use it before running the machine report better results on set-in marks, because the wand puts concentrated solution where the stain is instead of diluting it across a wide cleaning path. The FlexForce Pet PowerBrushes are designed to resist odor retention, which matters for a machine that lives in a pet home.
At 9.3 kilograms and with a 43.5 inch profile it is closer to a stick vacuum than a commercial unit, and the accessory storage bag keeps the pet tool, 8-foot hose and wand together. The five-year warranty is the longest in this roundup, and removable tanks and brush make the after-session rinse straightforward, which is what stops a machine from becoming the thing you avoid using.
Why renters and small spaces like this one
Apartment constraints are the gap in almost every carpet cleaner roundup, and they are practical. A small apartment has a small tank requirement because there is less carpet, a storage problem because there is no closet, and a drying problem because a roommate or a downstairs neighbor will notice a wet carpet. This Hoover handles all three better than a commercial-style upright, and the storage bag means the tools disappear into a corner rather than a shelf.
Older adults and anyone with a bad back also like it. No trigger to squeeze, no heavy tank to carry, no repeated dumping means a 20-minute session is realistic rather than aspirational. Our steam cleaner picks for kitchen floors make a similar point about small-space cleaning gear in general: the machine that fits the storage area is the one that gets used.
Where the automation costs you control
Automatic spray has a real downside. The machine doses solution on every forward stroke and you cannot pause it at the handle, so you have to press the dry-only button to stop wetting the carpet. If you are spot-working rather than cleaning a full path, that is awkward. Edge cleaning is also weak, and carpet edges against baseboards are exactly where a pet’s accidents concentrate, so plan to finish those by hand with a towel and a small amount of solution.
Owners also report heat that is always on, which blows warm air onto floors while the wand is in use, and a Spot Chaser wand that is battery powered and delivers a weak trickle. Solution also foams heavily, which lengthens the rinse pass. None of these are deal breakers, but they are reasons to choose the PowerScrub Deluxe instead if you want brush and hose control.
6. BISSELL Little Green Max Pet 3860: Best for Immediate Response to Accidents
BISSELL Little Green Max Pet Portable Carpet Cleaner, 3860
Very light portable
Two tank technology
Self-cleaning tool
Pros
- Light and compact so accidents get cleaned immediately rather than later
- Strong suction for a portable unit
- Self-cleaning Tough Stain Tool flushes residue with one touch
- Longer hose and cord reach stairs and car interiors
- Two tank technology keeps clean and dirty water separate
Cons
- Suction head clogs on dried stains with loose pet hair
- Suction head leaks slightly when the motor is off
- Somewhat top heavy with a stiff coiled hose
- Small tanks need refilling every few minutes on bigger jobs
- Not a substitute for a full-size machine on large areas
Owners with new puppies and multiple cats describe this as the tool that makes rapid response realistic, and that is exactly the right framing. Bissell rates the suction 30 percent more powerful than the competitive portable deep cleaner, and in a portable unit where tank size and footprint are the constraints, the suction is the spec that decides whether the machine lifts the mess or just wets it.
The self-cleaning Tough Stain Tool is the feature that gets repeated most in reviews. One touch flushes residue and debris out of the tool and hose, which sounds minor and is not. A spot cleaner that clogs after two uses becomes a machine in a closet, and the clogged-tool complaint is the most common negative we see across the portable class. A tool you can clear in one motion stays in rotation.
The 8 oz sample of Triple Action PET PRO OXY Spot and Stain formula with Urine Eliminator is singled out by owners for cutting through stains that had previously been missed. That is worth saying plainly: the formula is doing real work in those reviews, and the machine is delivering it. Owners also praise the self-cleaning nozzle and the pet hair removal tool, and the longer hose and cord reach for a car interior or a stairwell where an accident happened.
Two tank technology means clean and dirty water stay separated, so you are not re-spraying water that has already been through a soiled carpet. For a pet household that matters more than the spec sheet suggests, because the recirculated-soil pattern is part of why a naive clean leaves a mark behind. The machine is also compact enough that it lives in a closet rather than being the reason you buy more storage.
What it beats a full-size machine at
Response time. A portable that is already assembled gets used in the moment, and in the first hour after an accident you are working with something that has not soaked into the padding yet. That window is the difference between a fifteen-minute job and a weekend project, and it is the difference between a stain that disappears and a stain you keep thinking about for a year.
It also beats bigger machines on reach, because the hose and cord are longer relative to its size. A small machine in the hallway of an apartment can clean a doorway, a stair tread and a bathroom mat without being wheeled anywhere, and it fits in a car trunk for taking care of pet hair and messes in the vehicle.
Where it gets frustrating
The suction head clogs, especially on dried stains with loose pet hair in them, and it leaks slightly when the vacuum motor is switched off. Both are complaints owners repeat. The unit is also somewhat top heavy and the coiled hose is stiff to stretch, which is the opposite of what you want when you are working over a puddle at an angle.
The small tanks mean refilling roughly every three minutes on a bigger job, so this is not the machine for a living room deep clean. If your problem is one repeated spot, this wins. If your problem is a carpet that has not been properly cleaned in two years, buy an upright and save yourself the frustration.
7. BISSELL ProHeat 2X Revolution Pet Pro Plus 3588F: Best for Set-In Old Stains
BISSELL ProHeat 2X Revolution Pet Pro Plus Carpet Cleaner, 3588F
Heated water plus dual brushes
3.79 liter tanks
Express Clean Mode
Pros
- Dual DirtLifter PowerBrushes and heated water give strong scrubbing and extraction
- CleanShot Pretreater with OXY targets persistent pet stains and odors
- Express Clean Mode returns carpet to dry in roughly 30 minutes
- Removable one-piece brush roll cover simplifies post-use cleaning
- FreshStart odor protection with antimicrobial brush rolls
Cons
- Bulky and awkward to move
- Very heavy with the water tank full
- Frequent emptying on larger jobs
- No separate solution reservoir
- Weak on high-traffic areas unless pre-treated and unsuitable for shag or flockati rugs
Heated water is the headline here, and it is the reason this machine handles old marks better than its 4.3 star average might suggest. Warm water carries solution further into the pile and loosens dried residue that cold water slides past, so for a urine stain that has been sitting for months, the chemistry is meaningfully better rather than just the marketing copy. Reviewers report strong results on old pet stains and muddy paw prints, describing the heated system and dual brushes as performing like smaller commercial units.
The CleanShot Pretreater with OXY is the tool that makes the set-in claim work. It is a handheld pretreater that puts concentrated solution directly on the mark before the machine runs over it, and StainProtect Technology is what the brand credits for stains that stay removed. Plenty of reviewers push back on complaints about cleaning difficulty here, noting that the front cover and tanks come apart easily, so the cleanup story is better than the spec sheet suggests.
Express Clean Mode is the drying feature and it is aimed at impatience. The brand claims the carpet is dry in about 30 minutes in that mode, and MAX Clean Mode is the slower deep setting for a real clean. Having both is genuinely useful: one mode for a Tuesday night spot, the other for a Saturday project. The FreshStart Dirt Tank and antimicrobial brush rolls are aimed at keeping the machine itself from becoming a source of odor, which is a real failure mode for machines that sit between uses.
The kit is well thought out. You get a two-in-one pet upholstery tool, a three-inch tough stain tool, an 8-foot hose and two cleaning formulas. The 3-inch tool is the right size for a small accident and small enough that you are not wetting a foot of carpet around it.
What set-in means and why it needs heat
Fresh urine is mostly water and salts, and any decent machine with a decent pre-treat handles it. Set-in urine is different: the water has evaporated, the salts have crystallized in the pile, and the odor molecules have bonded into the padding. Crystals do not dissolve in cold water easily, and a strong smell in a room with no visible mark is almost always the padding rather than the surface. Heated water and an oxygen-based pretreater are the two tools that make progress on that layer.
That is also why the CleanShot pretreater matters more here than on any other machine in the roundup. Give the solution time to work on the mark before you agitate, and you are chemically ahead of the machine. Rushing the pre-treat is the most common way people conclude a machine does not work.
Where this machine frustrates owners
It is bulky and awkward to maneuver, and it is very heavy with the water tank full, so stairs and tight turns are harder than the specification suggests. Tanks must be emptied and refilled frequently during larger jobs. There is no separate solution reservoir, so you add cleaner directly to the water tank, which means your dilution consistency depends on your own measuring.
Reviewers also report the main brush roll keeps spinning while the handheld attachment is in use, which is inefficient and slightly risky around upholstery. It is weak on high-traffic lanes unless you pre-treat, and it is not the right machine for shag or flockati rugs. If your priority is old stains and you have the storage space, this is the pick.
8. Hoover PowerDash Pet FH50700: Best for Area Rugs, Apartments and RVs
Hoover PowerDash Pet Compact Carpet Cleaner Machine, Lightweight Design
12.5 pounds
0.5 gallon tanks
Antimicrobial PowerSpin roll
Pros
- Lightweight at 12.5 pounds and about the size of a standard vacuum
- Strong suction pulls out deep pet hair and embedded dirt
- Assembles in under five minutes with no tools
- HeatForce leaves carpet nearly dry when finished
- Dual tanks that are easy to fill and rinse
Cons
- Tanks give less than 10 minutes of spraying before refills
- Narrow brush head means more passes to cover the same floor
- Cord attaches at the base with no clip to keep it clear
- Brush head cover is not easily removable
- Written instructions lag behind the current tank design
This machine has the largest review count in the roundup at more than 82,000, and owners treat it as the ideal lightweight option for area rugs, pet accidents and spot cleaning rather than whole-home deep cleaning. At 12.5 pounds and 43.5 inches tall, it is roughly the size of a stick vacuum, which is why it works in an RV, a condo or a small apartment where a full-size upright will not fit.
Pet owners report that it eliminates cat urine odor for more than a day after a pass and that it pulls out surprising amounts of embedded pet hair after regular vacuuming. The Antimicrobial PowerSpin Pet brush roll is designed to keep the machine itself from retaining pet odor between uses, and HeatForce means the carpet is close to dry when you finish rather than dripping for the next three hours.
The trade-off everyone names is the tank. With 0.5 gallon tanks you get less than ten minutes of spraying before a refill, and owners cleaning large rooms describe constant refilling. The narrow brush head means you cover the same floor area in more passes, which is a real time cost in a large carpeted room. The upside is speed on small jobs, and for the way most people actually use a carpet cleaner in a small home, that trade works.
It also assembles in under five minutes with no tools, which matters more than it sounds. A machine you have to build before every use is a machine that gets used twice a year. The dual tanks are simple to fill, empty and rinse, and that ease of rinsing is the difference between a machine in regular rotation and one at the back of a closet.
When the narrow path is the right trade
Area rugs, stair treads, hallway runs and small bedrooms. Any job where you want to carry the machine to the mess rather than plug something in. Reviewers specifically recommend it for area rugs, apartments and RVs, and the light weight means you can take it upstairs or out to a second floor without a second person helping.
It is also the most honest entry point in this roundup for a household that has never owned a carpet cleaner. The review volume means a decade of feedback, the price tier is low, and the learning curve is nearly zero. If you buy this and use it properly, and you find yourself wanting whole-room capability, you will know a machine is worth the floor space and you can upgrade with intent rather than frustration.
What to plan around
Plan on refills. Less than ten minutes of spraying per tank is the number that shows up in nearly every review of this machine, so a large room means a bucket strategy, emptying into a utility sink rather than a toilet, and accepting that you will stop several times. The narrow brush head compounds this, so a big room takes meaningfully longer than the headline cleaning path suggests.
The brush head cover is not easy to remove, which makes pet hair removal from the machine itself tedious, and the cord attaches at the base with no clip to keep it out of the work area. If you are cleaning pet hair from the machine as often as from the carpet, that maintenance detail will annoy you sooner or later.
9. Kenmore Pet Portable KW4010: Best for Long Reach and Large Tanks on a Budget
Kenmore Pet Portable Carpet Cleaner Machine with High Cleaning Power
3.2L clean tank
25 ft cord
19 lb portable
Pros
- 25 ft cord so one outlet can cover a whole floor
- Dual powered brush rolls lift embedded dirt and pet accidents
- Removable cover gives direct access under the brush roll
- Low side-by-side design keeps weight near the floor
- 3.2L clean tank cuts refills for a portable
Cons
- Lowest average rating in the roundup at 4.2 stars with an 11 percent one-star share
- 19 lb weight is heavy for a portable
- Still needs emptying and refilling on larger jobs
- Smaller review base and far lower category sales rank than Hoover and BISSELL
The 25-foot cord is the reason this machine is worth knowing about. Many corded machines in this roundup keep you within one or two rooms, and cord management is a genuine problem in a large carpeted area because a wet machine sitting on wet carpet while you chase an outlet is how you re-soak a clean section. Twenty-five feet of cord means one outlet can cover a whole floor of an open-plan house.
The 3.2 liter clean tank is the second reason. It is also a generous clean tank for a machine positioned as a portable, and tank size is the complaint we hear about most across this whole category. Fewer refills means fewer interruptions, which means people finish the job they started. Dual powered brush rolls handle the agitation and the easy-clean removable cover gives direct access underneath the brush roll, which is where pet hair and dried residue collect.
The low side-by-side design is worth a mention for a practical reason. Keeping the weight near the floor makes the push and pull easier, and a machine that is easy to move is a machine you do not abandon halfway through a room. It also includes a trial size bottle of cleaning formula and a nozzle cleaning tool, which are small things that tell you the manufacturer expects you to maintain it.
Pet owners report good pickup on everyday accidents, mud and wine as well as pet messes. It is also a capable machine that covers the same ground as other portables people pick on price, with a meaningful tank and cord advantage over most of them.
Why the rating spread is the story
This machine has the lowest average in the roundup at 4.2 stars and the widest spread between delighted and disappointed buyers, with 11 percent one-star reviews. When a feature list looks generous and the ratings still spread wide, the usual reason is execution rather than design. The tanks, cord and brush rolls are all as advertised; something about the experience between them is not landing for a fifth of buyers.
That matters for how we recommend it. We would not put this at the top of anyone’s list, but we would not talk you out of it either if the tank size and cord length solve a specific problem in your house. Buy it expecting to test it on one room and decide from there, rather than committing your whole flooring plan on the spec sheet.
Where the weight catches you
At 19 pounds it is heavier than the Hoovers and the Bissell portables on this list, which undercuts the portability that is the reason to buy a portable at all. That weight is manageable on carpet and genuinely awkward on stairs or in a narrow hallway. If your home has carpet from the ground floor only, it is a non-issue.
It still needs emptying and refilling on larger jobs, so a large clean tank delays the problem rather than removing it. The brand also ranks far below Hoover and BISSELL in category sales, so parts and long-term support are less certain. If you want the same tank advantage with a stronger review record, the Bissell Little Green Max Pet is the comparison to make.
10. Uwant Y100 18Kpa Carpet Cleaner: Budget Pick for Upholstery, Car Interiors and Pet Beds
Uwant Carpet Cleaner Machine 18Kpa Portable Carpet Cleaner for Cars Couch, 2in1 Water Tank Upholstery Cleaner, Spot Cleaner with Cleaning Tools, 2.4 Liter Set of 1
18Kpa suction
2.4 liter 2-in-1 tank
8 lb portable
Pros
- 18Kpa suction that owners rate above pricier compact units
- Removes years-old stains from car seats and upholstery in a few passes
- 2-in-1 water tank empties and refills one-handed
- Several interchangeable brush heads for carpet furniture and pet beds
- Compact enough to store in a kitchen cabinet
Cons
- Loud during operation with some users recommending ear protection
- Small 2.4 liter tank means frequent refills
- No powered rotating brush so set-in marks need manual scrubbing
The 18Kpa suction figure is the headline, and the brand states it improves cleaning efficiency by 50 percent over 15Kpa machines. Scaled to real use, owners report pulling years-old stains out of car seats and upholstery in a few passes, and several note it outperformed compact cleaners they had previously owned and paid more for. For a pet owner whose messes are more often in the car and on the couch than in a whole carpeted room, that is the relevant category.
The 2-in-1 water tank is the design detail that makes it usable one-handed. Clean and dirty water live in the same assembly, so you empty and refill without juggling two containers, which is a real time saving when you are working over a car seat in a driveway. The interchangeable brush heads cover high-density bristle, silicone, velvet and a self-cleaning head, and a pet bed is exactly the surface the silicone and velvet options suit.
At 8 pounds and 13 by 8 by 11 inches it stores in a kitchen cabinet or a sideboard, and at that weight you can carry it up a flight of stairs in one hand. Owners commonly praise the long hose, the compact size and the one-handed tank. For an apartment, a rental or a first carpet cleaner purchase, its storage footprint is as attractive as anything else on this list.
There is no powered rotating brush, and this is the significant limitation. Everything happens through manual scrubbing with the head you are holding, so removing a set-in pet stain takes more physical effort than with a machine that has a motorized brush roll. It is a deliberate trade for size and cost, and it is the right trade if your messes are small and scattered rather than one deep stain.
Where this budget pick is genuinely enough
Car interiors, which is the strongest case. Dog seat covers and carpeted trunks hold hair, mud and urine smell, and none of it is in a room you need to dry overnight. Small upholstery jobs, a pet bed, a mattress edge, a sofa cushion. And spot work around the house, because a machine that lives in a cabinet is a machine you will actually reach for at 9pm.
It is also a reasonable second machine. A household might own an upright for whole rooms and keep this for the car and the furniture, which is a division of labour that makes sense because the two formats do not compete with each other at all.
What you give up for the price
Noise is the first thing owners mention, loud enough that some users recommend ear protection, and that is worth thinking about in an apartment with thin walls or a baby sleeping next door. The manual scrubbing requirement is the second, and on a dried set-in stain it will test your patience.
The 2.4 liter tank means refills on upholstery jobs, and with 463 reviews the long-term owner record here is the thinnest in the roundup alongside the Shark CarpetXpert. Treat it as a capable tool with a shorter track record, and check that warranty support is reachable where you live before committing to it as your only machine.
How We Tested and Picked These Machines
We did not lab-test these machines with a colorimeter. What we did is combine the measured specifications and lab results published by independent testing outlets with a large volume of verified buyer reviews, and we weighted our criteria toward pet stains rather than toward general carpet appearance. Being clear about that is more useful than borrowing credibility we have not earned.
The criteria, in order of how much they mattered for pet stains. Extraction lift came first, because a machine that sprays without pulling water back out is the single most common reason owners conclude carpet cleaners do not work. The r/CarpetCleaning poster who threw out an old upright because it barely lifted anything is describing this exact failure, and forum consensus treats lift as the make-or-break spec. Drying time came second, since a carpet left soaking breeds odor and gets tracked through the house. Third was tank capacity, because refills are where a cleaning session dies. Fourth was odor chemistry, meaning whether the machine and its included solution actually treat urine odor or just the visible mark.
Rounding out the criteria: maintenance and rinsing, because a machine that traps residue in its hose becomes the machine nobody uses, noise and weight for homes where the machine lives upstairs, and storage footprint. Where review counts are enormous, we treated the pattern across reviews as more reliable than any single specification.
What Actually Matters When You Buy a Carpet Cleaner for Pet Stains
Suction and extraction are the spec to trust, not brush count or wattage. A machine’s job is to put water in and take dirty water out, and the number that predicts this is suction measured as inches of water lift. A strong-looking brush with weak extraction leaves a wet carpet with the soil loosened but still in it, and loose soil plus soap is exactly what re-soils within days. If a listing does not tell you about extraction, assume the machine is on the weak side.
Tank capacity decides whether you finish. Every compact machine here gives you between a few minutes and about ten minutes of spraying per fill, and the difference between a job you complete and a job you abandon halfway is usually a stopwatch. If you have a large carpeted area, buy the biggest tank you can live with. The second tank to consider is the hose, and hose length determines whether you are cleaning a room or carrying a machine between puddles.
Drying profile is under-rated by every roundup we studied, including the ones with expensive laboratory testing. Nobody scores it, and it decides whether the machine is used weekly or abandoned. Look for a dry-only mode, heated air, a spray path that penetrates rather than floods, and a tank-to-surface ratio that does not leave a room visibly darker with water. The Hoover SmartWash Pet, the Shark CarpetXpert and the Hoover PowerScrub all handle this better than most.
Maintenance tells you whether the machine will still be used in year three. Hoses trap residue, and residue in a hose is a bacterial and odor problem that makes the whole machine smell. Prefer a self-cleaning hose or tool, tanks that come fully apart for rinsing, and a brush roll you can reach without a screwdriver. The Bissell Little Green’s self-cleaning Tough Stain Tool and the removable brush roll covers on the Hoovers are all worth paying attention to for this reason.
Scope matters too. If the same household also has a driveway or patio that needs blasting rather than extracting, our pressure washer surface cleaner picks cover the hard-surface side of the job and pair well with a wet-vacuum style pickup for rinsate.
Enzyme Cleaner vs. Oxy Cleaner vs. Deodorizer
Enzyme cleaners break down the organic compound causing the odor, which is why long-time pet owners on the Golden Retriever and Poodle forums consistently reach for enzyme chemistry over anything fragranced. Experienced users treat enzyme concentration as a genuine quality signal when comparing urine removers, and that is reasonable, because a weak enzyme formula does less work per pass. Enzyme is the odor answer. It is slower than oxy and it needs time on the carpet to work.
Oxy and hydrogen peroxide products attack the visible mark, breaking down the discoloration faster and working almost immediately. They are the right pre-treat for the stain itself, which is why so many of the machines here ship with an oxy formula. One caution that comes up repeatedly from owners: oxy and bleach-type products can damage light-colored or near-white carpet and can bleach a spot you were trying to remove. Always test a hidden corner, and never apply a chlorine dioxide tablet or bleach product to a pale carpet without checking first. The same do-not-mix logic shows up in our oven cleaner picks, where the rule is always one product at a time and never a second formula sprayed over a wet one.
Deodorizers mask. Fragrance covers an odor for a while and does nothing about the compound producing it, and it is the reason a carpet can smell like lavender and still be soaked with urine. Use the machine to remove and a deodorizer only afterward, if you want one, and never as a substitute for an enzyme.
Why Pet Stains Come Back After Cleaning
Residue is the usual answer. Excess detergent that remains in the pile after a clean attracts dirt, holds odor compounds and re-soils within days, and the result is a carpet that looks clean and does not smell clean. Over-diluting or over-filling solution is the main cause, which is the argument for a machine with automatic metering like the Auto Mix systems on the Hoovers rather than measuring by eye.
Padding is the second answer, and it is the honest limit of every machine on this list. Urine that reaches the padding keeps soaking long after the surface dries, and consumer machines clean the pile. If your carpet smells in a room with no visible mark, the smell is in the padding, and the answer is a rental or a professional with hot water extraction and an enzyme rinse, not a bigger consumer machine.
Upright, Portable Spot Cleaner, or Rental?
Choose a portable spot cleaner when the problem is accidents. If a puppy has bad days twice a week, you need a machine that weighs under 10 pounds, lives in a closet and reaches the spot before it dries. Portable machines with a pet tool, like the Shark StainStriker and the Bissell Little Green Max Pet, exist for exactly this and they take less room to store. Our robot vacuum picks for pet hair follow the same logic, since the machine you can reach is the one that gets used.
Choose an upright when the problem is the whole carpet. If your hallway, bedroom and living room all have traffic wear, embedded hair and repeated marks, you need brush roll agitation, a real tank and enough suction to cover a room in a session. Portables will do it, but with constant refills and a small cleaning path, and most people quit before the room is done.
Rent when the carpet has not been deep cleaned in a long time and the odor is in the padding. A rental hot water extractor for a day is a modest cost and beats months of surface cleaning that cannot reach the layer that smells. Buy once the baseline is clean, and use your own machine for maintenance. Hire a professional when the padding odor is severe, when the carpet is wool or a natural fiber, when there is a risk of dye bleed, or when stairs or upholstery are involved and you do not want to rent a machine that cannot handle them.
How to Actually Get Pet Stains Out of Carpet
Step one, blot and do not scrub. Remove as much liquid as possible with white towels, pressing down and lifting, and never scrub, because scrubbing drives the urine further into the pile and the padding. Step two, remove solids with a spoon or a plastic card, then vacuum the area thoroughly with a hose attachment once the surface is dry enough, because vacuuming picks up the dried residue that water will spread around.
Step three, pre-treat while it is still within a few hours of the accident. Apply an enzyme or oxy pre-treatment directly to the mark and let it sit according to the label. This is the step that does more for pet stains than any machine on this list, and skipping it is the most common reason a rental or a loaner machine seems disappointing. Step four, extract while the carpet is still wet. Running a machine hours later means you are cleaning a dry mark that has already bonded to the fibers.
Step five, rinse the tool and the hose with clean water before you empty the dirty tank, and dry the carpet with airflow. Open windows, run a fan, and if you have to walk over the area, put down clean plastic or foil walkway rather than stepping on wet carpet. And for odor specifically, an enzyme soak that dries fully on the carpet, applied after the machine has run, is what stops the smell returning in three days.
When to Rent or Hire a Pro Instead of Buying a Machine
Be honest with yourself about these four cases. If the odor is strong in a room with no visible stain, the source is the padding. If the pet has been sick repeatedly in one area over months, the contamination is deeper than home extraction reaches. If the carpet is wool, silk blend or a hand-knotted rug, a consumer machine can distort the pile and cause dye bleed. And if you have more than one pet and a recurring accident rate, a professional with a hot water extractor and a proper enzyme rinse is often the smarter spend than the machines you would buy trying to fix it yourself.
Professional extraction works better for pet urine because it combines hot water, high suction at the pad level and an enzyme rinse that is flushed rather than drying on the surface. That is a genuinely different process, not a bigger version of what you do at home, and it is the honest answer to the question of when a consumer machine has done all it can.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you get pet stains out of a carpet?
Blot first with white towels and never scrub, because scrubbing pushes urine deeper. Vacuum the area once the surface dries, then pre-treat with an enzyme or oxy product and let it sit according to the label. Run the carpet cleaner while the carpet is still wet, rinse the tool and hose with clean water, and dry the area with airflow. Acting within the first few hours makes an enormous difference.
Is there a carpet cleaner that actually works?
Yes, but only if it extracts rather than just sprays. Look for strong suction, brushes that agitate the pile, and a tank large enough to finish the room. Pre-treating the stain and cleaning it while still wet matters more than the machine. And no consumer model fully removes urine from carpet padding, so severe odor needs a rental or professional extraction.
What is the best carpet cleaner machine for pet urine?
The BISSELL Big Green PET PRO rated 4.7 stars is the strongest overall choice, with an 8-row DirtLifter PowerBrush, a 9 inch hose with upholstery tools and a 48 oz bottle of Oxy Urine Eliminator included. For a single accident, the Shark StainStriker portable at under 9 pounds is faster and easier to reach.
What carpet cleaner can I use to remove dog urine stains?
For fresh dog urine, any machine with a pet tool and a strong spray path works if you pre-treat first, and the BISSELL Little Green Max Pet is the fastest to deploy. For older set-in marks, choose heated water and an oxygen-based pretreater, which is why the BISSELL ProHeat 2X Revolution Pet Pro Plus suits them. For odor in the padding, no home machine is a complete fix.
What type of professional carpet cleaning is best for pet urine?
Hot water extraction with an enzyme rinse is the right professional method, because it combines hot water, high suction at the pad level and an enzyme treatment that is flushed out rather than left in the pile. Enzyme chemistry breaks down the odor compound, while an oxygen pre-treatment handles the visible mark. Make sure the technician tests the carpet for dye bleed first.
Why do pet stains come back after carpet cleaning?
Two reasons dominate. First, soap residue remaining in the pile attracts dirt and holds odor, so stains re-soil within days. This happens when solution is over-diluted or over-applied, which is why machines with automatic metering are safer. Second, the smell may never have left the padding, because consumer machines clean the pile rather than the layer underneath.
The Best Carpet Cleaner for Pet Stains in 2026
The best carpet cleaner for pet stains depends on the shape of your problem, and the honest answer is that the two classes are not interchangeable. For whole rooms, old accidents and a household where urine keeps coming back, the BISSELL Big Green PET PRO is the pick: the highest average rating in this roundup at 4.7 stars across more than 16,000 reviews, an 8-row PowerBrush, and an Oxy Urine Eliminator bottle in the box so you are not solving an odor problem without chemistry.
For a single accident at 9pm, buy the Shark StainStriker portable. Under 9 pounds, four tools including a dedicated pet mess tool, and two formulas that fuse on contact. If your problem is old set-in marks, the BISSELL ProHeat 2X Revolution Pet Pro Plus earns its place with heated water and an oxy pretreater. If your problem is storage and drying in a small apartment, the Hoover SmartWash Pet does both.
Whichever one you choose, pre-treat the mark, act while it is wet, and rinse the tool and hose before you empty the tank. That sequence is worth more than any difference between these machines, and it is the part most people skip.
