One does whole rooms twice a year. The other lives in a cupboard and gets used in the ninety seconds after something goes wrong. Buying the wrong one is why extractors end up unused.
Everyone in this category says they tested twenty vacuums. We have not tested any, and we say so. What we do instead is read the manuals, compile the published specifications, and work out what each machine costs to run for three years — the method is written out in full.
We earn a commission if you buy through the links on this page, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what we recommend or the order we recommend it in. Full disclosure.
The verdict: if you have pets, buy the spot cleaner first. Accidents are unscheduled, and the thing that decides whether a stain comes out is how fast you get to it — a 9.4 lb portable you can carry to the mess in thirty seconds beats an 18.5 lb machine you have to fill, wheel out and empty. If your problem is instead that the whole carpet is dull, that is a full-size job and no portable will do it: published tanks here are 1.18 liters against 3.8, and the full-size machines run five counter-rotating brushes across a whole path.
The two machines are the same technology at different scales
Both are extractors: they spray a water-and-solution mix into the pile, agitate it, and vacuum the dirty liquid back out through a second tank. That is what separates them from a vacuum, which lifts dry soil only, and from a steam cleaner, which applies vapor and recovers nothing — the distinction carpet cleaner versus steam cleaner works through in full.
What differs is scale and, because of scale, the job each is actually used for. A full-size upright carries the tanks, the brush motor and the vacuum motor on wheels, which is why it publishes 16 to 20 pounds. A portable carries a hose and a hand tool instead, which is why it publishes 7 to 9.4 pounds and why it gets used.
The numbers, side by side
Every figure is the manufacturer's own published number for that model.
Published figure
Hoover PowerScrub Deluxe
Bissell TurboClean PET 3948
Hoover CleanSlate Plus
Bissell Little Green Pet Pro
Type
Full-size upright
Full-size upright
Portable spot
Portable spot
Tank
3.8 L dual
1 gallon
1.18 L dual, 40 oz clean
Extra-large clean and dirty, not stated in volume
Weight
18.5 lb
19.2 lb
9.4 lb
Not published on the listing
Brush system
5 counter-rotating SpinScrub brushes
4-Row DeepReach PowerBrush
Hand tool
Hand tool plus pet hair tool
Hose
8 ft, with upholstery, pet and crevice tools
7 ft
Hose with rinse tool
Self-cleaning hose tool
Drying aid
HeatForce
Not published
Not published
Not published
Warranty
2-year limited
Not published on the listing
Not published on the listing
Not published on the listing
Formula
Auto Mix meters the ratio
Bissell pet formula — ongoing
Trial oxy solution; ongoing purchase
8 oz Pet Pro Oxy included; ongoing
Two manufacturers do not publish a machine weight for their portables in a comparable form. Where a figure is absent we say so rather than estimating one.
What the full-size machine does that a portable cannot
A whole room, in one pass pattern. Five counter-rotating brushes across a full cleaning path is a different operation from dragging a 3-inch hand tool over 200 square feet. Nobody finishes a living room with a portable, and the people who try do it once.
Tank capacity that matches the job. 3.8 liters against 1.18. On a full room the portable's real limit is not suction, it is the number of trips to the sink — and a half-gallon tank on a big room is four trips, which is the ratio the budget roundup opens with.
Published drying help. Hoover publishes HeatForce on the PowerScrub Deluxe and Bissell publishes an Express Clean mode on the ProHeat 2X rated to leave carpets dry in about 30 minutes. No portable here publishes a drying claim at all, and a soaked spot that stays wet for a day is how a clean patch turns into a browner patch.
Solution metering. The PowerScrub Deluxe publishes Auto Mix, which meters the water-to-solution ratio for you. On a portable you mix it yourself, and over-concentrating is the most common way people leave a sticky patch that attracts soil faster than the stain did.
What the portable does that the full-size cannot
Get there in time. This is the whole argument. A pet accident that gets treated immediately behaves completely differently from one found in the morning, and the deciding factor is not the machine's specification — it is whether it is close enough to reach. 9.4 lb in a hall cupboard beats 18.5 lb in a garage every single time.
Stairs, upholstery, the car and the mattress. Both portables here publish hand tools designed for exactly that. A full-size upright can do it with its hose — 7 to 8 feet on the two here — but you are dragging twenty pounds of machine up the stairs to use a tool on the end of a hose.
Live in a small home at all. A portable stores like a large toolbox. A full-size extractor is a floor-standing appliance you need somewhere to put, and in an apartment that is a genuine constraint rather than a preference.
Cost far less to own. Smaller tanks use less solution per job, and a portable used on spots uses a fraction of what a whole-room clean does. The formula is the real running cost of any extractor — every machine on this page publishes an ongoing formula requirement.
#
Product
Best for
Score
Price
01
Hoover PowerScrub Deluxe Carpet CleanerFive counter-rotating brushes, dual tanks, an 8-foot hose and a two-year warranty — the most complete kit at this price.
Bissell TurboClean PET Upright Carpet & Upholstery Cleaner (3948)The 3952 plus a 7-foot hose and a self-cleanout tool — and the tool is what makes it usable on stairs and a sofa.
Bissell Little Green Pet Pro Portable Carpet Cleaner (3909)The Little Green with a bigger tank and Bissell's strongest published suction claim in the portable line.
Scores are ours, from the published rubric on the How We Pick page. They are editorial judgments about published specifications — not test results. We have not handled these machines.
01 · Most brushes for the money
Hoover PowerScrub Deluxe Carpet Cleaner
Five counter-rotating brushes, dual tanks, an 8-foot hose and a two-year warranty — the most complete kit at this price.
8 feet, with upholstery, pet and crevice tools and a storage bag
Mixing
Auto Mix — meters the water-to-solution ratio automatically
Warranty
2-year limited
Every figure above is the manufacturer's own published number. Where a manufacturer publishes nothing, the row says "Not published" rather than an estimate.
What the numbers say
+Five brushes attack pile from multiple angles rather than one
+Auto Mix removes the guesswork that wastes formula and leaves residue
+8-foot hose with three tools and a bag to keep them in
+2-year warranty
Where it stops
−18.5 lb and a wide 21.9-inch body — awkward on stairs and in a closet
−Five brushes means five things to clear hair out of
−Hoover formula is a permanent consumable, same as Bissell's
Who it is for
Whole-house carpet plus stairs and upholstery, where one machine has to do everything.
Skip it if
You want the lightest thing that works. This is the most machine on the page and the weight is the price of that.
Our score: 7.8 out of 10
Tank capacity8.5
Brush system9.5
Tools and reach9.0
Weight and handling5.0
Running cost7.0
Scored against the published rubric on How We Pick. These are judgments about spec sheets, not measurements.
02 · Best for pet messes
Bissell TurboClean PET Upright Carpet & Upholstery Cleaner (3948)
The 3952 plus a 7-foot hose and a self-cleanout tool — and the tool is what makes it usable on stairs and a sofa.
Every figure above is the manufacturer's own published number. Where a manufacturer publishes nothing, the row says "Not published" rather than an estimate.
What the numbers say
+The self-cleanout tool rinses itself in one press, which is the single most annoying job on any extractor
+7-foot hose reaches a full flight of stairs from the landing
+Same 1-gallon tank and 4-row brush as the cheaper 3952
Where it stops
−19.2 lb, nearly three pounds more than the 3952
−Still no heater
−Pet formula costs more per bottle than the standard version
Who it is for
Pet households where the messes are on stairs, sofas and pet beds as much as the floor.
Skip it if
You only ever clean flat open carpet. The hose and tools are the entire price difference and you would never unclip them.
Our score: 7.4 out of 10
Tank capacity8.5
Brush system7.5
Tools and reach8.5
Weight and handling6.0
Running cost6.5
Scored against the published rubric on How We Pick. These are judgments about spec sheets, not measurements.
03 · Biggest portable tank
Hoover CleanSlate Plus Portable Spot Cleaner
A 40-ounce clean tank in a 9.4 lb body — more than double the Little Green Mini's capacity for spot work.
Every figure above is the manufacturer's own published number. Where a manufacturer publishes nothing, the row says "Not published" rather than an estimate.
What the numbers say
+40 oz clean capacity — a 7" wide tool with the tank to actually feed it
+Two tool widths, so it covers a rug as well as a crevice
+Hose rinse, which is the same smell-prevention idea as Bissell's HydroRinse
Where it stops
−9.4 lb is heavier than the Bissell Little Green Mini for the same category of job
−No powered brush
−Bigger footprint than a Little Green in a cupboard
Who it is for
People who use a spot cleaner often enough to resent a 16-ounce tank.
Skip it if
You want the smallest possible thing that lives under a sink. The Little Green Mini is 2.4 lb lighter and physically smaller.
Our score: 6.7 out of 10
Tank capacity7.0
Brush system4.0
Tools and reach8.0
Weight and handling7.5
Running cost7.0
Scored against the published rubric on How We Pick. These are judgments about spec sheets, not measurements.
04 · Best portable for pet accidents
Bissell Little Green Pet Pro Portable Carpet Cleaner (3909)
The Little Green with a bigger tank and Bissell's strongest published suction claim in the portable line.
Extra-large clean and dirty tanks — 8 oz formula included
Suction claim
Manufacturer states the strongest suction in its class, versus the leading competition
Tools
Crevice tool, pet hair removal tool, self-cleaning hose tool
Formula
Designed around Triple Action Pet Pro Oxy Spot & Stain with urine eliminator and StainProtect
Power
Corded
Weight
Not published on the listing
Every figure above is the manufacturer's own published number. Where a manufacturer publishes nothing, the row says "Not published" rather than an estimate.
What the numbers say
+Bigger tanks than the Mini, so a full room of spots is one fill
+Pet-specific tools are in the box rather than sold on
+Self-cleaning hose tool carried over from the Mini
Where it stops
−Bissell does not publish a machine weight or an exact tank volume for this model
−The suction claim is Bissell's own against an unnamed competitor
−Pet formula is the priciest of the Bissell consumables
Who it is for
Homes with a puppy, an old dog, or a cat with opinions.
Skip it if
The messes are dry rather than wet. For tracked-in dirt a vacuum is the tool; extractors are for liquids and set stains.
Our score: 6.6 out of 10
Tank capacity5.5
Brush system4.0
Tools and reach8.5
Weight and handling8.5
Running cost6.5
Scored against the published rubric on How We Pick. These are judgments about spec sheets, not measurements.
Which to buy first
Pets, kids, or both? The portable, and it is not close. The accidents are the actual problem, they are unscheduled, and speed is the variable that decides the outcome. The carpet cleaners for pets page covers that side in detail.
Whole carpet looks tired, no pets? The full-size machine — or, honestly, a rental for one weekend a year. Rent versus buy prices that properly, and for one or two deep cleans a year renting usually wins.
Both problems? Buy the portable now and rent a full-size machine when the whole floor needs doing. That is the cheapest genuinely complete answer, and it is what the published figures support.
Want one machine that does both? The Shark CarpetXpert on this site publishes a full-size upright with a built-in handheld stain unit that extends from the machine. It is 17 lb, so it does not solve the reach-it-fast problem the way a 9.4 lb portable does — but it is the one design here that does not make you choose.
What we cannot tell you
How much soil any of these actually removes. One machine on this site names a test standard behind its cleaning claim — Shark's CarpetXpert cites ASTM F2828 using the included solution — and the rest publish comparative marketing language with no method attached. We have not used any of them. Our method page is explicit about where that leaves us.
Common questions
What is the difference between a carpet cleaner and a spot cleaner?+−
Scale, not technology — both spray a solution into the pile, agitate it and vacuum the dirty liquid back out. A full-size carpet cleaner publishes 3.8 liters of tank, up to five counter-rotating brushes and 18 to 19 pounds. A portable spot cleaner publishes around 1.18 liters, a hand tool, and 9.4 pounds or less.
Should I buy a portable spot cleaner or a full-size carpet cleaner?+−
If you have pets or small children, the portable first: accidents are unscheduled and speed decides whether the stain comes out. If the whole carpet looks tired, that is a full-size job — or a rental, which for one or two deep cleans a year usually costs less than owning one.
Can a spot cleaner clean a whole room?+−
Not practically. A 3-inch hand tool and roughly a liter of tank against 200 square feet is trips to the sink, not a cleaning session. Full-size machines publish four to five times the tank and a full cleaning path for exactly this reason.
Do portable carpet cleaners work on pet urine?+−
They are the machines built for it, provided you get there quickly. Both portables here publish pet-specific tooling — Bissell a pet hair tool and a self-cleaning hose tool with a Pet Pro Oxy urine formula, Hoover a hose rinse tool that flushes the system with fresh water after use. What no extractor can do is fix a stain that soaked in and dried weeks ago.
Which costs more to run?+−
The full-size machine, because it uses far more solution per job and formula is the real recurring cost of any extractor — every machine on this page publishes an ongoing formula requirement. A portable used on spots uses a fraction of what a whole-room clean does.
Is there a machine that does both?+−
The Shark CarpetXpert publishes a full-size upright with a built-in handheld stain cleaner that extends from the machine, and it is the only design on this site that does not make you choose. At 17 lb it does not solve the grab-it-in-thirty-seconds problem the way a true portable does.
Sources
Manufacturer-published specifications — Every runtime, wattage, capacity, weight, filtration and warranty figure quoted on this page is the manufacturer's own published number for that model, retrieved September 1, 2026. Where a manufacturer publishes no figure, the page says 'Not published' rather than estimating one.
Sweep & Suction — How We Pick — Our published method, including the scoring rubric, the three-year running-cost formula and an explicit statement of what published specifications cannot tell you.
