Spot Cleaners

Spot cleaners and portable carpet cleaners

Small carpet cleaners as a group are not evaluated in the professional reviews we consulted, and few models are widely recommended at opinion websites. However, one small spot cleaner gets more recommendations than the rest: the Bissell SpotBot (*Est. $120). It should be noted that the Bissell SpotBot is a small machine with a big price tag (higher than some of the upright models discussed above). But don't let its small stature fool you: At 19 pounds, it weighs as much as some upright carpet cleaners and it isn't cordless. Its chief selling point is its hands-free cleaning cycle, which allows the user to set the spot cleaner down over a stain and walk away while it automatically sprays and scrubs. A beep alerts the user when cleaning is complete. There is also a manual mode that can be used for stairs, upholstery and car interiors.

The SpotBot receives rave reviews from users. We found nearly 750 comments about it at Amazon.com, Target.com, Sears.com, Epinions.com and Lowes.com, with average ratings between 4 and 4.5 stars out of 5. Owners say the SpotBot cleans deep-set stains handily and it is incredibly easy to use. The main complaint about the SpotBot actually is an indicator of just how well it works: If the rest of your carpet is dirty, the SpotBot can leave "crop circles" of clean carpet after use. However, we did find some other negatives about the SpotBot. Some users report that the carpet is left too wet after cleaning - although others say that the manual wand can be used to remove the excess water – and that it is difficult to get the pump to work, saying it requires priming when first used. The cost of Bissell's cleaning solution is another sore point. Still, owners love this spot cleaner and say it does what it says: removes stains quickly and easily.

Bissell also makes a small spot cleaner especially for pet stains, the SpotBot Pet (*Est. $130). The main difference between it and the original SpotBot is its "Deep Reach Technology," which is supposed to inject the cleaning solution deeper into the carpet to reach deep-set stains. It also comes with a different variety of cleaning solution. User reviews of the SpotBot Pet on Amazon.com are similar to those we found for the regular SpotBot.

The Bissell Little Green 14007 also gets good overall reviews from users, and at $70, it's a lot cheaper. This spot cleaner weighs about 12 pounds, and like the SpotBot, it's not cordless. The main difference between the two spot cleaners is that you can't park the Little Green on a stain and walk away. Instead, the Little Green has a wand and 3-inch nozzle that users pass over the carpet. As its name suggests, one of the cleaner's selling points is its sustainable design. The tanks are made of PVC-free plastic, and other plastic parts contain a minimum of 50 percent recycled material. Even the cardboard container it comes in is mostly recycled, and the cleaning solutions sold with the Little Green are free of earth-unfriendly chemicals such as phosphates and heavy metals.

ConsumerReports.org does not include the Little Green spot cleaner in its ratings, but the editors offer an assessment of its performance on one of the subscription-free areas of the site. They report that its cleaning performance doesn't measure up to a full-size carpet cleaner, saying it "left our off-white carpet a medium gray" and "did little on our tough stains." Still, of the 350-plus reviews we found on user sites, most were enthusiastic. Users say it works well on small stains and is easy to assemble and use. The most common complaint about this carpet cleaner is that the hand tool sprays too wide an area, wetting the carpet all around the brush but not right under it. One user at Walmart.com says easing off on the spray button can relieve this problem, while another circumvented it by applying the cleaner with a separate spray bottle. Some users say the suction on this machine is weak, leaving the carpet too wet. A few also find it difficult to clean. Overall, though, this model gets good scores, and it is rapidly amassing a fan base to rival that of the SpotBot. Bissell also makes a version of the Little Green with an internal heater, the Little Green ProHeat 1425 (*Est. $100). However, reviews of this model were not as favorable as those for the basic Little Green machine.