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Whether you need to clean up your pooch’s spill or vacuum where the kids snacked in front of the TV, a vacuum cleaner that is portable is a valuable investment. With so many high-quality portable carpet cleaners to choose from, which is suitable for your unique needs?
Let’s take a look at the top 5 portable carpet cleaning machines on the market, so you can get the best cleaner to vacuum your carpets without the whole process sucking!
Spoiler Alert! If you are in the market for an all-star machine with powerful suction capacity, long battery charge, good run time, and a 2-year warranty, our favorite is the BLACK+DECKER Dustbuster Handheld Vacuum. This handheld vacuum machine is the market leader, and it offers a cleaning process you’ll be satisfied with every time.
Review Of The 5 Best Portable Carpet Cleaners
| Product | Features | Rating |
|---|---|---|
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Best Overall
  |
BLACK+DECKER Dustbuster Handheld Vacuum
|
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Best Battery Life
  |
SOWTECH Cordless Vacuum Cleaner
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Good All-Rounder
  |
BISSELL, Pet Stain Eraser Cordless Portable Carpet Cleaner
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Best For Stains
  |
Hoover ONEPWR Spotless GO Cordless Carpet and Upholstery Spot Cleaner
|
|
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Great For Tough-To-Reach Areas
  |
DEERMA Cordless Vacuum Cleaner
|
|
Best Overall: BLACK+DECKER Dustbuster Handheld Vacuum
A surprisingly useful and powerful handheld carpet cleaner is the BLACK+DECKER Dustbuster Handheld Vacuum. Receiving mostly 5-star reviews on Amazon, this machine is well worth considering.
The lithium-ion batteries hold a charge for up to 18 months and provide effective runtime. They are energy efficient with 50% less power usage while charging. The batteries also require only 4 hours to reach a full charge.
Consumer confidence in this carpet vacuum ranks high in the product’s service and support history.
Key Features
- Long-lasting lithium-ion rechargeable batteries
- Cyclonic action to maintain filter health and optimize cleaning
- 2-year limited warranty
- Weighs 2.6 lbs
- Washable filter and dirt bowl
- Recommended for use on carpets
Consumers love this machine, and since it can be left on the charging base without overcharging, it is always ready when you need it. No bags are needed for the bagless filter chamber, cutting costs and ensuring no accessory problems for you after you’ve purchased the product.
While the batteries are high-quality and won’t require replacement in the near-term, the battery pack is not removable, and thus requires a full service of the machine.
Pros
- Cyclone action ensures the filter remains unobstructed for continued suction power
- Charging station prevents overcharging
- Bagless dirt bowl can be rinsed, ensuring good hygiene
Cons
- Lithium-ion battery pack is not removable, but they are long-lasting
- Brush attachments are not 100% effective with pet hair on carpeting, but great on hard floors
- Length of extension tube is limited, although the machine is fully portable
Reliable and powerful, this compact carpet cleaner is effective and well-priced. It has mostly satisfactory customer reviews. With a company that is renowned for quality and effective products, this is the best handheld carpet cleaner on the market. As a result, it is also the #1 handheld vacuum machine available on Amazon.
Best Battery Life: SOWTECH Cordless Vacuum Cleaner, Rechargeable Cyclonic Suction Stick Handheld Vacuum Cleaner 6 In 1 Multifunctional Stick Handheld Vacuum
For home hygiene, this portable carpet cleaner is all the rage. With an elegant design, this machine can convert from an upright stick to a hand-held in seconds, making cleaning a breeze.
Key Features
- Yields a pro-cyclonic suction of 7kPa
- Promotes an impressive 30 minutes run-time
- Life-long-use stainless steel filter
Well priced, this may be one of the best handheld carpet cleaner machines. With low noise production, this machine is unlikely to disturb the neighbors, family, or pets, making it very user-friendly.
Pros
- Longer battery life and runtime make this a real winner
- Superior suction power is quite impressive
- Stainless steel filter is a plus– it never needs replacing
Cons
- Extension device is suitable for most people
- Some disassembly needed to empty the dirt tank
- Does not remove all pet hair from carpet on first pass
This product does perform fairly well overall. With its multifunctional design, it is a winner for the home; however, the battery life is not always the full 30 minutes, and with heavier use, the design may not suit everyone. With a reasonable amount of disassembly needed to clean the machine, this may be somewhat inconvenient if using the machine daily.
Good All-Rounder: BISSELL Pet Stain Eraser Cordless Portable Carpet Cleaner
This nifty machine comes highly recommended, and even if you don’t have pets, it is definitely a machine to consider for cleaning up spills in your home. It is capable of cleaning pet messes, juice, coffee, tea, cola, and food-based spills.
Key Features
- Suitable for quick fixes of spills and spots
- Ready-to-use formula is pre-loaded in the tank for quick clean-up
- Cleans a range of stains & allows wet/dry vacuum action
- Cordless & uses lithium-ion batteries
- Weighs 4.6 lbs
- Includes a trial-size professional spot & stain + oxy formula
The spray feature on this machine applies a cleaning solution to the area of your carpet you would like to clean, and then you simply suction it up into the tank with minimal scrubbing. A stationary Spot and Stain Brush helps you out in pinches with harder-to-remove stains. Ideal for upholstery, you can quickly freshen and clean sofas and drapery.
Pros
- Lightweight and easy to use
- No mixing required of the cleaning solution
- Samples of cleaning fluid are sufficient to fill the tank twice
Cons
- Limited runtime on batteries & requires recharging frequently
- Tank may leak if not properly handled or stored flat
- Limited suction, so best used on smaller areas
While this is a handy portable carpet cleaner and can be used successfully in treating stains, it is not recommended for whole house cleaning due to its limited runtime.
This appliance will, however, help improve your quality of life when it comes to dealing with spots and stains. When used as soon as the stain occurs, it is effective in cleaning up and preventing stains forming.
Best For Stains: Hoover ONEPWR Spotless GO Cordless Carpet And Upholstery Spot Cleaner
Hoover is a name synonymous with quality home appliances, and this new addition to their collection of portable carpet-cleaning machines lives up to the brand’s reputation. While more pricey than some of the competition (and other products listed in this review), it offers advanced features and does the job well.
The wide range of functions, such as spot and vehicle cleanup, make this cleaner ideal for most households. Wet/dry action is facilitated by the twin tank system that drains used fluids into the recovery tank and allows for a fresh top-up with the reservoir tank.
The battery provides a short but powerful runtime.
Key Features
- Suitable for quick cleaning
- Dual tank system allows wet/dry vacuum action
- Battery powered, fully cordless
- 7.3 lbs in weight
- Can be used with the full range of Hoover stain removal products
This compact carpet cleaner is easily moved from storage to action, and while it has a short hose, it is lightweight enough to be moved closer to any spills you are treating. It’s great for spot treatments, but it lacks sufficient runtime to clean up large spots or stains. The dual-tank system allows for stains to be cleaned and rinsed effectively and in one step.
Pros
- Fully portable and lightweight
- Dual tank allows for thorough rinsing and easy emptying of tanks
- Sufficient suction for short clean-ups
Cons
- Short battery life
- Short hose makes vacuuming out of-the-way areas more complicated
- Tank needs to be refilled frequently due to size limitations
While this portable carpet cleaning machine is a great help with cleaning up after pets and kids, it doesn’t have the full suction and operating power of its larger brothers and sisters in the Hoover range. Still, the sheer convenience of grabbing this machine and treating a spill instantly is a huge plus.
Great For Tough-To-Reach Areas: DEERMA Cordless Vacuum Cleaner
This innovative handheld carpet cleaner is cordless, and with a USB-style charger, it is a vacuum machine for the modern age. Elegantly designed, this eco-friendly vacuum machine is lightweight and great for those with arthritis or other chronic pain. It is easy to use and can reach into quirky nooks and crannies.
Key Features
- Two suction modes
- USB Type-C recharge port enables charging anywhere
- 3-stage filtration system improves air quality through a stainless steel filter
A great machine that won the Red Dot Design Award in 2020. It has many plusses and great consumer reviews. Most customers report being quite happy with the service and quality of the motor and suctioning power. Power lasts for 30 minutes in standard mode and 15 minutes in high-suction mode.
Pros
- Turbo setting helps for tough-to-vacuum areas
- Regular setting preserves battery life
- Great replacement for a regular broom with increased hygiene and air filtration
- Ideal for cleaning up spills in the car or on carpeting
Cons
- Replacement stainless steel filters can be hard to find
- Battery doesn’t hold charge for long
- Supplied wall hanger is not strong enough to hold the machine
A lightweight machine that successfully cleans up most spills, the DEERMA cordless has enough power to suction crumbs and other messes out of carpets. It is great for anyone who struggles with lifting heavier machines, and the vac is quiet enough for use in apartments where noise is a problem.
Buyers Guide For Best Portable Carpet Cleaner
When deciding on the best portable carpet cleaner, you should keep certain considerations in mind. These will help you decide whether the model or make you are looking at is going to offer reliable and satisfactory service.
While one option may be the best handheld carpet cleaner, another may counter that with an excellent design that minimizes the need to bend over when vacuuming carpets. Functionality needs to be balanced with ease of use and user-friendliness.
Potential buyers for a portable carpet cleaning machine will want to know they are getting value for money, great service, and above all, convenience.
Suction Power
Many advertisements show a vacuum cleaner sucking pet kibbles off a hardwood floor, which may appear quite impressive. The real test of suction power is the vacuum cleaner’s ability to suck dirt, hair, and spills out of carpeting.
When looking for a great carpet vacuum, you want to be sure the model you opt for has it all. Key features include brush fittings, motor strength, air filtration, etc.
The DEERMA Cordless Vacuum Cleaner has a triple filtration system, and it offers a powerful suction power of 8.5 kPa (which is pretty impressive for the market). The BLACK+DECKER Dustbuster Handheld Vacuum also weighs in with impressive suction power and can be kept on charge when in storage so you never have to wait for the batteries to charge.
Battery Life
With a portable vacuum cleaner, one of the most important considerations (and often shortfalls) is how long it can run on a single charge. This will mean the difference between finishing a whole carpet in one session or having to come back later to try and finish the job.
This is balanced with the amount of time it takes to charge sufficiently. Some models charge overnight, while others can charge to full in a mere three hours like the DEERMA Cordless Vacuum Cleaner.
While most models of handheld carpet cleaners offer a runtime of only 10 to 20 minutes, the SOWTECH boasts a remarkable 30 minutes runtime, and the BLACK+DECKER has no-fade battery technology.
Affordability
If you are going to pay hundreds of dollars, you may as well buy a corded carpet vacuum cleaner that has more suction power; however, you don’t want to pay an arm and a leg.
With affordable portable carpet cleaners, you can tidy up in no time at all without damaging your carpeting or bank balance. We know these motors are not intended to last 20+ years, but these machines shouldn’t cost a fortune and only last till the end of the warranty, either.
Of the portable carpet cleaning machines compared here, the BLACK+DECKER is the most affordable with a 2-year warranty, followed closely by the DEERMA.
Filters & Parts
A portable or handheld carpet cleaners require parts such as filters, new hoses, nozzles, and brushes. Keep in mind that these should be reasonably easy to order and purchase.
If a filter is supposedly washable, it should last for most of the machine’s lifespan, rather than requiring replacement as soon as the warranty lapses. Machines with a stainless steel filter offer remarkable lifespans, and the DEERMA as well as the SOWTECH feature these filter designs.
Convenience
Nobody likes to spend the entire day vacuuming, no matter how stylish or sexy your new vacuum cleaner is. You want convenience and speed.
If the battery only lasts for 20 minutes between charges, then you want to be sure you can vacuum the room you are in within that 20 minutes. Lightweight machines should still suction as powerfully as heavier machines.
If you are using a machine with a water tank system, you don’t want to be cleaning up spills or leakages in between cleaning. The BLACK+DECKER has a fully-rinsable cup that is easily removed and emptied.
FAQs About Best Portable Carpet Cleaning Machine
What Is The Best Portable Carpet Cleaner For Pet Stains?
While most handheld carpet cleaners will do the job, the BISSELL Pet Stain Eraser Cordless Portable Carpet Cleaner features the latest technology, brush attachments, and cleaning solution tanks to clean up pet stains effectively and easily.
Can You Use A Carpet Cleaner On A Couch?
Yes, most handheld carpet cleaners will be effective on upholstery too. In fact, some come with attachment brushes and nozzles to suction in between cushions and under baseboards.
What Is The Best Handheld Carpet Cleaner?
According to reviews, the BLACK+DECKER Dustbuster Handheld Vacuum is the best and most highly-rated handheld carpet cleaner.
What’s The Best Small Carpet Cleaner?
The lightest carpet cleaner on the market is the SOWTECH Cordless Vacuum Cleaner, weighing in at a mere 2.31 lbs.
So, Final Verdict On The Best Sucker?
Jokes aside, your considerations when choosing the best portable carpet cleaner should include its suction power, battery life, affordability, availability of parts and filters, and finally, its convenience. A vacuum cleaner should simplify your life. After all, nobody wishes they could spend more time vacuuming.
So, the best portable carpet cleaner has to be the BLACK+DECKER Dustbuster Handheld Vacuum, with its combination of a great battery life, excellent runtime, powerful suction, lightweight design, and long-lasting parts.
Which portable carpet cleaning machine will you choose? Let us know in the comments section or leave an image and opinion of your new purchase on our social media.
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