Consumer Reports' 6 favorite carpet cleaners under $500

Carpet cleaners promise to lift stains that vacuums and spot treatments leave behind. The wrong model can leave a carpet soaked for days, inviting mold and odors.

Consumer Reports tested dozens of carpet cleaners for cleaning power, drying speed, and convenience so shoppers can find one worth the investment.

Credit: Bissell

The Bissell ProHeat 2x Revolution Pet Pro Plus 3588F, priced at $240, edged out every other model Consumer Reports tested in this category. CR rated its drying performance excellent and both its cleaning and convenience very good, scoring well across every category it measured. A separate tank keeps clean water away from dirty water, and a nearly 7-foot hose reaches stairs and furniture without dragging the whole machine along. It ships with a stain tool, a 2-in-1 attachment for pet messes on upholstery, and an odor-fighting cleaning formula, though CR rated its noise only good, a step below the top scores for quiet operation.

Credit: Shark

At $250, the Shark CarpetXpert EX201 lands just behind the two Bissell machines above in Consumer Reports' ratings for this category. CR still rated its drying excellent and its cleaning and convenience very good, keeping it close to the top performers despite the lower rank. Its 5-foot hose is shorter than the Bissell models' reach, and its tank covers about 24 square feet per fill, a smaller footprint suited to compact homes or apartments. Empty, it weighs 18 pounds, and full it comes in around 23, lighter than the machines ranked above it, and its attachments include a reversible bristle brush, a crevice nozzle, a tool for pet hair and two formulas of cleaning solution.

Credit: Bissell

Consumer Reports found the Bissell Revolution HydroSteam Pet 3432 nearly as capable as its cheaper stablemates, though the $400 price makes it a harder sell. CR rated its cleaning and drying performance very good and its convenience very good as well, with noise on par with the machines above it. Empty it tips the scale at 22 pounds, and full it reaches 31, making it heavier than any other machine here and a bit tougher to push around furniture. It ships with a pet-focused upholstery attachment and a narrow stain wand, along with two cleaning solutions, extras that don't fully make up for costing $50 to $100 above the better-scoring Bissell models above.

Credit: Tineco

Few machines on this list cost as much as the $490 Tineco Carpet One Cruiser, but Consumer Reports found few clean and dry as well either. CR rated its cleaning very good and its drying excellent, and testers called the machine simple to fill, empty and operate. Built-in sensors adjust cleaning speed across three levels depending on carpet type, and the rollers include a self-cleaning, self-drying feature that keeps upkeep low. Unlike every other model recommended here, it relies on a single tank instead of separate compartments for clean and dirty water, and it weighs 22 pounds empty and 30 pounds full.

Credit: Hoover

Shoppers who don't want to haul a heavy machine up the stairs should consider the Hoover PowerDash Pet Advanced FH55000, which costs $175. Consumer Reports rated its cleaning and drying performance very good, on par with pricier machines on this list despite the lower price. At 14 pounds empty and 19 pounds full, it weighs less than every other machine on this list, though its tank covers only about 7 square feet per fill, far less than the rest. CR rated its noise only fair, louder than every other machine recommended, and its cleaning head pairs a bristle strip with a rubber nib attachment made for pet messes.

Credit: Shark

Noise is the tradeoff with the $250 Shark CarpetXpert EX151, which Consumer Reports found excelled at nearly every other test. CR rated its cleaning very good and its drying excellent, calling it more than capable of lifting stains without leaving carpet soggy. It skips the separate clean and dirty water tanks found on some other models here, relying on a single tank instead, and it weighs 15 pounds empty and 21 pounds full. The attachment set covers stain removal, a narrow nozzle for gaps such as those between sofa cushions, and a wide head built for pet hair and stains across bigger surfaces.