We’ve spent enough time using carpet cleaners of all shapes and sizes to develop our favorites for both personal and professional use. Here we’ll list the best carpet cleaners we’ve had the pleasure of using and reviewing. To make things easier, we’ve divided this page into our favorite professional (commercial) cleaners vs. our favorite professional (domestic) cleaners.
Favorite professional carpet cleaner: The Heated EDIC Galaxy 2000.
If you clean carpets for a living, you’ve probably heard of (or at least dreamed of) the EDIC Galaxy 2000. This is hands-down our favorite choice for any job that demands we cover a lot of ground and leave no traces. It’s overkill for personal use unless you’ve got an exceptionally dirty or large amount of property, but if you’re counting on your cleaner to work for decades while keeping a roof over your head, this is what we’d count on.
You can buy the heated EDIC Galaxy 2000 here on Amazon. If you don’t need the heater, buy it here. Our review of it is here.
Favorite semi-professional carpet cleaner: Bissell 86T3 Big Green.
If you don’t need your carpet cleaner to pay the bills (or at least don’t need it to do so on a daily basis), but still want one that’s going to last for years instead of break down every year or two, you’ll want to look into the Bissell 86T3 Big Green. It’s built well enough to keep going long after most of the machines you’ll find in department stores while remaining affordable enough to justify even if you don’t run a carpet-cleaning business.
You can buy the Bissell 86T3 Big Green here on Amazon. Our review of it is here. Our comparison between it and the Rug Doctor is here.
2nd place: The Rug Doctor X3. It’s a great alternative to the Bissell and has a dedicated following.
Favorite full-sized carpet cleaner under $200: Hoover Power Scrub FH50150.
The Power Scrub is a fantastic deal for the money, and is one of the three best carpet cleaners you can buy for less than $200. It won’t clean as thoroughly as a Big Green, but it’ll do a better job than almost anything that doesn’t cost twice as much. We love the built-in heating system that reduces the time necessary for carpets to dry, a feature virtually unknown to this price range.
You can buy the Hoover Power Scrub here on Amazon. Our review of it (and comparison to other great full-sized cleaners at the sub-$200 price point) is here.
2nd place: The Hoover Max Extract 60. It’s a strong competitor to the Power Scrub and has plenty of happy users.
If your budget is capped at $100, the best carpet cleaner on the market is the PowerLifter. It won’t equal the Power Scrub above, but it will surpass anything else at this price point with ease. It comes with a 1-year warranty and is surprisingly handy at cleaning a range of human- and animal-produced stains. Most importantly, it won’t break down a few months after buying it, unlike much of the competition.
You can buy the Bissell PowerLifter here on Amazon. Our review of it (and comparison to another great full-sized cleaner at the sub-$100 price point) is here.
2nd place: The Hoover Carpet Cleaner SteamVac. It does almost as well as the Bissell when it comes to stain removal; it’s just not quite as reliable.
If you find our research on PMC helpful, you can support our efforts to keep maniacally reviewing home cleaning tools by shopping through this Amazon link. Canadians can use this link. We promise to keep fighting the good fight against every horror children, animals, and grown, yet messy humans can inflict upon a clean home.