The Best Carpet Cleaners of 2026

The Hoover Smartwash is similar to other upright carpet cleaning machines, but its design automatically dispenses the cleaning solution based on how you move it. When you push it forward, it cleans; pull it back and it'll suck up water to dry the carpet. That's not a unique feature, but it does make the whole process more straightforward.

We’ve tested a previous version of this upright and we loved it. It does an exceptional job cleaning your carpet, and though it’s loud and takes up a lot of closet space, it’s a worthy addition to your cleaning routine, especially if you have messy kids or pets.

Use this premium, powerful hand tool to reach into anything from tiny cracks in your boat to an entire carpet in your living room. It has a three-gallon tank capacity and powerful dispenser, making it easy to remove difficult stains and dirt in your carpet.

To access those hard-to-reach spots, utilize the four-inch wide hand tool, as well as the 15-foot hose for cleaning the other side of the room. What's more, this carpet cleaner can heat up to 200 degrees to clean the deepest stains in your rug.

The Hoover PowerDash Pet is a compact carpet cleaner with an upright design, but a relatively narrow cleaning path. It’s more affordable than some of the other cleaners on our list, and it’s ideal if you want to clean spot stains and occasionally want to tackle large areas. It’ll take some time, but it can clean tough carpets and remove lots of pet stains and odors thanks to its cleaning power.

The main complaints from reviewers came down to the small size of the internal tanks. If you’re trying to clean anything other than a small area, you’re going to need to plan to refill and empty the internal tanks repeatedly.

The Bissell TurboClean PowerBrush is another lightweight, compact and upright carpet cleaner that is designed to tackle small area rugs, carpets, and spot stains. It has a dual clean water tank design so you’re not cleaning with dirty water, but the tanks are just over a half gallon so they tend to fill up quickly, as with other compact uprights.

Reviewers highly recommend this cleaner, with thousands of 5-star reviews that show just how clean this can get your carpet and upholstery. It may be small, but it’s still a powerful cleaner that can get the job done without weighing you down.