Spot Cleaners

Spot cleaners and portable carpet cleaners

Small carpet cleaners as a group get mixed reviews from owners posting comments to opinion websites. But we did identify one that gets better scores than the rest: the Bissell SpotBot (*Est. $130). It should be noted, however, that the Bissell SpotBot is a lot more expensive than competing models (which fare poorly by comparison in reviews). Although small and lightweight, it's not cordless.

Owners say the SpotBot cleans deep-set stains handily and does all the scrubbing itself, and it receives rave reviews on retail websites. There is also a manual mode that can be used for stairs, upholstery and car interiors. In contrast to the iffy reviews we read for the cheaper Bissell Spot Lifter, owner ratings are very positive for the SpotBot. Almost 500 reviewers on Amazon.com say the SpotBot removes stains well, and owners love that it runs by itself. The SpotBot wins praise from users on other websites, too, including Target.com, where it's earned dozens of five-star ratings.

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 area newly cleaned by the SpotBot (it has a 7.5-inch diameter brush head) might look like crop circles in your carpet. We did find other negatives about the SpotBot. Some report that the carpet is left too wet after cleaning, and that Bissell's cleaning solution is expensive. Others reported difficulty in getting the pump to work, requiring priming during first uses. Still, owners love this machine and say it does what it says: removes pet stains quickly and easily. Bissell has also released a SpotBot Pet 1200-A (*Est. $130), but the only differences between the Pet model and the original SpotBot appear to be the type of solution that comes with the machine, and the color of the exterior.

Although it doesn't get the same raves as the Bissell SpotBot, the Bissell Little Green (*Est. $80) costs less. Like the SpotBot, the Little Green is not cordless. The difference between this model and the SpotBot is that you can't park the Little Green on a stain and walk away. Rather, the Little Green has a wand and 4-inch nozzle that users pass over the carpet. This machine weighs about 10 pounds. Most users say it works well on small pet stains -- the main reason many people purchased it. As with many other cleaners, we found sporadic reports of leaking and residue collecting inside the tanks. Overall, though, this model gets good average scores, but it hasn't yet amassed the same fan base as the SpotBot.

The Hoover SteamVac Spot F5505 (*Est. $120) is much larger than Bissell's spot cleaners, but according to user reviews, bigger isn't necessarily better. The 24-pound Hoover can be used like an upright carpet cleaner or with a wand attachment like the Bissell Little Green. It receives a few dozen reviews at HSN.com, where about half say it does a great job and the other half complain that it is unreliable, has poor suction, leaks and is difficult to push in the upright position. At Amazon.com, more than half of the dozen or so reviews are scathing accounts of breakdowns and poor performance in general.