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According to the American Pet Products Association, 90.5 million American households have a pet, which is about 70% of US households. But those who live with pets know that pets can be like babies – making a mess on your carpets and rugs by dropping food, urinating or walking on them with muddy paws are common things that can happen!
Having a carpet cleaner is an essential requirement for homes with pets as it helps to get rid of pet hairs, stains, dirt, and dust and helps restore the look of a carpet. A clean carpet also means no bacteria and allergens, and this can lead to reduced health risks and easier breathing. Carpet cleaners extend the life of a carpet and contribute to a healthy environment. A clean carpet doesn’t impede the airflow in the house.
In this article, we have compiled a list of five of the best carpet cleaners for cleaning pet hairs, litter, and messes made by pets from the carpet and rugs. Let’s get into it!
What Features Should You Consider in a Carpet Cleaner for Pets?
Type of filtration:
Filtration is a significant aspect when it comes to a carpet cleaner. Pets can shed flecks of their skin called pet dander, which can cause allergies in humans and cause us to develop breathing issues.
Carpet cleaners with HEPA filtration help remove pollutants from the air. HEPA filtration can remove 99.9% of particles that are very small in size, about 0.3 microns in size.
A non-HEPA filter also works fine in collecting dust, dirt, and pet hair from the carpet. They are low maintenance and reusable while being easy to clean. However, they don’t provide the same guarantees for particle removal and therefore should be considered inferior to HEPA. We have selected both HEPA and non-HEPA filters carpet cleaners in this article. You can choose a product that best suits your needs.
Weight:
A carpet cleaner should be light in weight so it is easier to lift when cleaning areas that require frequent cleaning. This is particularly important if you have stairs. We have reviewed some lightweight carpet cleaners so that your cleaning chores require a bit less energy on your part.
A lightweight and compact carpet cleaner makes it easier to get into far-flung corners of the house and those nooks and crannies where your pet might have gone but you couldn’t.
Dust/dirt capacity:
Another important factor to check before buying a carpet cleaner is the dirt cup capacity. Look for higher capacity as it will help you cover more area while cleaning before you need to empty the dirt cup.
Bagged/Bagless:
All vacuum cleaners have the same basic function: sucking off dirt and debris from a surface with the basic difference being in the method of dirt disposal.
A bagged vacuum cleaner comes with a disposable bag that holds all the dirt collected by the vacuum cleaner, while a bagless vacuum cleaner has a dirt cup that collects all the dirt sucked by the vacuum cleaner.
While looking for a vacuum cleaner for cleaning pet hairs off carpet and rugs, you should opt for a bagged vacuum cleaner as it is easy to dispose of the hair without making a mess.
Auto-dry feature:
After cleaning, carpets take a lot of time to dry and can become even dirtier than before if your pet walks on them with muddy paws. Look for carpet cleaners with an auto-dry feature, which helps in drying rugs and carpets quickly after cleaning.
Power:
One of the best ways to determine the efficiency of a carpet cleaner is by its motor power. For regular vacuum cleaners, it can be challenging to remove pet hairs from hard floors and carpets.
For homes with pets, having an 800+ watts motor is important for the carpet cleaner as it needs to clean tough and stubborn stains. However, for sucking hair from high pile carpets, it’s essential to use a cleaner that operates on high power, such as around 1200 Watts.
Cord Length:
Having a long cord is necessary if you don’t wish to unplug/plug your carpet cleaner multiple times while cleaning. A longer cord length allows you to reach a large area while plugging the cleaner in a single outlet. Look for a cord of at least 30ft in length.
Noise level:
Carpet cleaners effectively clean different types of carpets using their powerful motor. Thus, a carpet cleaner’s noise levels tend to be high as it needs to function at a higher rate.
The noise levels of carpet cleaners are usually high and range from 70-to 80 decibels. While choosing a carpet cleaner, keep in mind the fact that higher noise levels can cause pets to feel anxious.
Five of the Best Carpet Cleaners for Pet Owners
#1 – Hoover PowerDash Pet Compact Carpet Cleaner
This easy to assemble carpet cleaner is one of the most efficient products for cleaning pet stains and dander as it comes with 840 Watts of high suction power and fast-drying technology. It is an excellent product for quick cleaning when your pet has an “accident”.
The compact design of the carpet cleaner comes with a 15-inch wide base and 43-inch tall handle, making it very easy to store in the smallest of corners. It has a 20 feet long cord that lets you clean out the entire room without having to plug/unplug.
It comes with multiple adjustable accessories like a removable nozzle, Powerspin brush roll, and an easy-to-remove dirty water tank. The 0.50-gallon clean water tank does not require regular refilling.
Features:
- Weight: 12.5 pounds
- Tank capacity: 0.5 gallons
- Filter Type: Non- HEPA
- Cord length: 20 feet
- Brush System: Brush roll
- Drying technology: HeatForce
- Recommended Surfaces: Carpet and rugs
- Warranty: One year
Pros:
- The parts of the pet cleaner are easy to assemble and most of them are very durable.
- It comes with heat force which helps the carpet dry quicker.
- It comes with 2X higher cleaning power.
- It is lightweight which makes it suitable for frequently cleaning heavy traffic areas.
- Its compact design allows you to clean small and hard-to-reach areas with ease.
- It comes with a trial cleaning solution.
Cons:
- The carpet cleaner is louder as compared to some other cleaners.
- I had trouble finding replacement parts for it.
- 20ft cord could be a little short for very large rooms.
Video Review:
#2 – Shark S2 Navigator Lift-Away Professional Upright Vacuum
Cleaning pet hair and debris is not possible with carpet cleaners and for that you would require a vacuum cleaner. Also, it is recommended that first you vacuum clean a carpet before washing it using a carpet cleaner.
In all the products that we have reviewed, we have found Shark and Dyson vacuums to consistently come out on top. The Shark S2 Navigator is a good example and is one of the best vacuum cleaners for dog and cat hair.
It comes with a 30-foot cord length which allows me to move the vacuum easily even in a large space without having to worry about finding power outlets everywhere I am cleaning. The dust cup capacity is 2.2 warts, and you can easily press a button to lift the canister away and easily clean hard-to-reach areas.
The anti-allergen seal technology has a HEPA filter which can trap around 99.9 percent of allergens and dust inside the vacuum. Its pet power brush accessory works great on sucking all the pet hair and dander from the carpet and rugs making them and the environment clean and safe for breathing.
The carpet cleaner is portable, so you don’t need to worry about its transportation. The brush roll allows the cleaner to clean hard floors efficiently as well.
Features:
- Weight: 13.7 pounds
- Dust cup capacity: 2.2 quarts
- Filter type: HEPA
- Cord length: 30 feet
- Brush System: Brush roll
- Additional feature: Brush roll shutoff button
- Recommended Surfaces: Carpet and Hard flooring
- Warranty: Five years limited
Pros:
- It can clean pet hair, hard surfaces, bare floors, and carpet.
- It comes with an anti-allergen complete seal which traps 99.9% percent of allergen and dust.
- It is equipped with advanced swivel steering, which provides excellent control when maneuvering around furniture and other obstacles.
- It can easily be switched to hard floor mode for incredible multi-surface cleaning.
- Since the vacuum cleaner is lightweight you can use it to clean the stairs.
- The pet power brush picks up all the pet hairs.
- It is completely sealed and comes with a HEPA filter to trap dust and allergens.
- It comes with a five-year warranty.
- Budget friendly price – this is one of the best vacuums under $200
Cons:
- The vacuum is difficult to push on a low pile carpet.
- It is heavier on the top side while the bottom part is narrow which makes it tip quite often.
Video Review:
#3 – Hoover Smartwash Automatic Carpet Cleaner
This carpet cleaner is excellent for cleaning homes with pets and getting rid of debris, pet messes, and dirt deeply embedded in carpets and rugs. It comes with a two-in-one tool which works great for removing stubborn stains with targeted cleaning to keep your house spick and span.
The power brushes on this carpet cleaner offer a deep but gentle cleaning of your carpet which restores the look and shine of your carpet by removing tough pet stains. Its faster drying heat force technology works great for homes with pets as you don’t have to worry about your pets walking over wet carpets with dirty paws and making an even greater mess.
With its motion-sensing feature, I didn’t have to worry about accidentally washing the carpet, which would require drying. The forward motion washes the carpet and the backward motion dries the carpet.
Features:
- Weight: 18.49 pounds
- Tank capacity: 1 gallon
- Filter: Non- HEPA
- Cord length: 22 feet
- Brush System: Brush roll
- Drying technology: HeatForce
- Recommended Surfaces: Rugs, Upholstery and Carpet
- Warranty: Five year
Pros:
- The carpet cleaner precisely mixes and dispenses the carpet cleaning solution for optimal cleaning
- The flex force power brushes gently remove debris, deep dirt, and messes.
- The HeatForce drying technology helps dry the carpet quickly after washing.
- Its two-in-one tool removes stubborn stains from your upholstery.
- The carpet cleaner comes with amazing suction power for extracting water out of the carpet.
- It cleans the carpet in the push direction and dries in the pull direction with its motion-sensing technology.
- It has a five-year warranty.
Cons:
- Some buyers complained that the cleaner malfunctioned; however, I did not face any such problems with my unit.
- The bearings used in the rollers are not stainless steel and have the potential to fail.
Video Reviews:
#4 – Bissell TurboClean PowerBrush Pet Carpet Cleaner
Another great carpet cleaner for areas that require frequent cleaning due to mess made by pets is the Bissell TurboClean. Its lightweight design makes it easy to clean carpets and rugs laid across an entire house.
The sleek and lightweight design is heavy on messes, and it will help you get rid of the pet messes that may be strewn across your rugs and carpets.
Its power brush roll features four rows of bristles which penetrate deep within the carpet fibres to remove tough stains of urine and mud out of the carpet.
The two-tank feature is excellent as it helps store formula and clean water in one tank and the dirty water in a separate tank, which prevents you from accidentally cleaning with dirty water.
Features:
- Weight: 12 pounds
- Tank capacity: ⅝ gallon
- Cord length: 20 feet
- Brush System: Power brush roll
- Drying technology: None
- Recommended Surfaces: Carpet, rugs, heavy traffic area
- Warranty: One year limited
Pros:
- It comes with a four-row deep reach power brush roll.
- The two-tank feature keeps clean and dirty water separate.
- The tanks are easy to remove, empty and refill.
- The carpet cleaner effectively removes tough pet stains.
- The lightweight design allows frequent cleaning of heavy traffic areas without any trouble.
- The nozzle is removable, and you can easily maintain and clean the machine.
- It has excellent suction power.
Cons:
- The water tank capacity is less and if you need to clean a lar4ge carpet then it would require refilling.
- Since it doesn’t have drying technology, the rugs and carpets would take more time to dry.
Video Review:
#5 – Eureka NEU182A PowerSpeed Lightweight Bagless Upright Vacuum Cleaner
Another good vacuum cleaner for dog and cat hair and dander from rugs and carpets is the Eureka NEU182A PowerSpeed. It is lightweight and comes with an excellent cleaning capacity, with a powerful motor that can lift heavy dust particles with ease. With a large dust capacity with a 4.3 quarts dust cup of this vacuum cleaner, you don’t have to worry about emptying the dust cup often.
One best part about this carpet cleaner is that you can use it on different types of flooring which is essential for homes with pets. You can use this vacuum cleaner to lift pet hair from hardwood floors, tiles, carpets, and rugs. With its upholstery tool, I was able to lift pet hairs from my couch and bed with ease.
The vacuum cleaner is easy to assemble and comes with filters that you can clean, rinse, and reuse making it a relatively low-maintenance vacuum cleaner.
Features:
- Weight: 10 pounds
- Dust cup capacity: 4.3 quarts
- Filter type: Non-HEPA
- Cord length: 25 feet
- Brush System: Brush roll
- Drying technology: Not applicable
- Recommended Surfaces: Hard flooring, carpet and rugs
- Warranty: One year
Pros:
- It comes with an XL dust cup capacity with a 4.3 quarts dust cup so that you don’t need to empty it frequently.
- Switching between hardwood and carpet flooring is quick with easy level adjustment.
- One of the easiest to assemble vacuum cleaners.
- It comes with an automatic cord rewind.
- With a 12.6-inch wide cleaning path, it cleans areas more quickly.
- The lightweight design is easy to lift and clean higher surfaces.
- It comes with a 5-floor setting dial, which can be adjusted to suit cleaning hardwood floors, tiles, carpets, and area rugs.
- The wheels on the bottom offer smooth operation on hardwood without making scratches.
- The filter can be rinsed and reused with no maintenance cost.
- It provides above-floor stretch cleaning of ceilings, curtains, and other hard-to-reach areas.
Cons:
- The sound made by the cleaner can be too much for people sensitive to noise.
- Moving this machine on carpets and rugs takes some effort, which makes it unsuitable for elders or people with no upper body strength.
Video Review:
Final Thoughts
Pet hairs and other messes are common to find in carpets and rugs in homes with pets. Pet hairs and messes can lead to certain health issues, especially for people who are allergic to them. Using a carpet cleaner becomes essential if you wish to keep your home clean and fresh when living with pets.
In this article, we have reviewed the five best carpet and vacuum cleaners, their features, as well as their pros and cons to help you decide on the best carpet cleaning product for your home and your pet.
Last update on 2024-10-08 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API