10 Best Carpet Cleaner for Pets in 2022 — Reviews & Top Picks

Most experts recommend cleaning your carpet every 12 to 18 months. There are many brands of carpet shampoo available, but most of them contain harsh chemicals. If you have pets, you’ll need to worry about them walking on the carpet and picking up those chemicals on their paws.

We’ve chosen 10 easy-to-find brands of carpet cleaner safe for pets to review for you so you can get a better idea of which ones work and which ones don’t. We’ve also included a short buyer’s guide where we take a look at what makes a good carpet shampoo that’s safe for pets.

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A Quick Comparison of Our Favorites (Updated 2022)

The 10 Best Carpet Cleaners for Pets:

1. Bissell Pet Stain Upright Carpet Cleaning Formula — Best Overall

The Bissell Pet Stain Upright Carpet Cleaning Formula is our pick for the best overall carpet cleaners for pets. This complete kit contains three distinct products that help you clean your carpet and upholstery. A pet stain pretreat is intended as a spot cleaner and pretreat for larger jobs. It uses enzymes to help eliminate the stains or break them down so the other products can complete the job. The Deepclean bottle is the heart of the kit and intended for use in a Bissell deep cleaning machine. The Powershot Oxy spray is another spot cleaner spray for small stains.

We enjoyed reviewing the Bissell Upright Carpet Cleaning Formula and thought it did a great job removing stains from our carpet and furniture. The only thing we could say negative about this product is that the Powershot Oxy didn’t work as well on old stains as well as on new ones

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2. Arm & Hammer Carpet Odor Eliminator — Best Value

Arm & Hammer Carpet Odor Eliminator is our pick for the best carpet cleaner for pets for the money. This brand is extremely inexpensive n comparison to the other brands on this list, and it’s from a company almost synonymous with odor removal. It’s easy to use, and like most baking soda products, you only need to sprinkle it over the affected area and allow it to sit for at least 30 minutes before vacuuming it up. Besides pet odors, this product will also eliminate odors from smoke, mold, and mildew.

Unfortunately, Arm & Hammer Carpet Odor Eliminator will not remove any stains. It’s strictly for odor removal, so you will need another product if you have bad stains. It has a strong odor that might bother some people, and the fresh scent it leaves behind only lasts about twenty-four hours.

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3. NaturVet Odokleen Deodorizing Cleaner — Premium Choice

NaturVet Odokleen Deodorizing Cleaner is our premium choice carpet cleaner for pets. This product is for use on any washable surface, and it won’t cause discoloration. It’s highly concentrated and only requires one tablespoon of the solution to make one gallon of cleaner. It’s also safe to use around pets, and it does not produce a strong odor.

Our only problem with NaturVet Odokleen was that it required a lot of product to get an area clean. It could have been that we diluted it too much, but it was more than likely the instructions that determined out measurements resulting in a diluted product.

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4. Nature’s Miracle Deep Cleaning Carpet Shampoo

Nature’s Miracle Deep Cleaning Carpet Shampoo is a product that you can use as a stand-alone cleaner, or you can add it to any carpet cleaning machine for professional-grade results. It penetrates deep into carpet fibers to help lift difficult to remove stains, but its low foaming technology helps keep it easy to manage and in the intended area. It also features bio-enzymatic odor-locking technology, which traps existing orders in and blocks out new ones.

We found that Nature’s Miracle Deep Cleaning Carpet Shampoo didn’t get rid of odors as well as described on the package, but it did do a good job removing stains. Not only did the odors remain, but the smell of the cleaner also made it worse.

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5. Skout’s Honor Carpet Machine Solution

Skout’s Honor Carpet Machine Solution dissolves and lifts stains at the molecular level for maximum cleaning effectiveness. It’s environmentally friendly and non-toxic to humans or your pets. It’s safe to you on all rugs, carpets, and upholstery and shouldn’t bleach or remove the color. It also works in any brand of carpet cleaning machine and requires no special additives.

The biggest problem we experienced with the Skout’s Honor Solution is that it left a film behind no matter how many times we tried to rinse it. This residue changed the look and feel of the carpet, and while it is a relive to know its non-toxic, it did feel strange on our feet and also left a bad odor that persisted for several days.

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6. OdoBan 3-in-1 Odor Eliminating Carpet Cleaner

OdoBan 3-in-1 Odor Eliminating Carpet Cleaner features detergent free technology that helps suspend dirt particles before they get trapped you the carpet fibers. Since the dirt is easier to remove, cleaning will cause less wear and tear on your carpet, helping it look newer longer. This product meets EPA Safer Product standards, and it works in all carpet cleaners. It’s three products in one. It can be a pre-treatment, a spot cleaner, or a deep cleaner, and it dries an average of 75% faster than other brands.

What we didn’t like about OdoBan 3-in-1 is that it has a very bad smell that rivals any smell we are trying to remove. It also requires a lot of product to remove the stains, so we used it up quite quickly. We also found that it doesn’t remove odors very well.

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7. Resolve Pet Expert Moist Powder Carpet Cleaner

Resolve Pet Expert Moist Powder Carpet Cleaner is a lightly scented damp powder like a baking soda that you sprinkle over the carpet and vacuum when dry. It’d quick-drying formula will the job complete in less than a half-hour in most cases, and it features odor-stop technology, which helps create a barrier between your carpet fibers and odor-causing bacteria.

The biggest downside to Resolve Pet Expert is that it doesn’t do much to remove stains and is primarily for the reduction of odor. As an odor remover, it works well, but it does not stop the dogs from revisiting the spot and soiling it again, so it must not remove the smells completely.

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8. Hoover Paws & Claws Deep Cleaning Carpet Shampoo

The Hoover Paws & Claws Deep Cleaning Carpet Shampoo works with full-size cleaning machines and uses enzymes instead of detergents to do the cleaning. Enzymes work great to remove organic stains like those created by your pet.

We like enzyme-based carpet cleaners, but Hoover Paws & Claws didn’t make much of a change in our carpet. Another problem with this brand is that there’s no fragrance, which means you’re stuck with the wet carpet smell. The older your carpet is, the more likely it’s not going to smell very good when wet.

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9. Capture Carpet Dry Cleaner Powder

Capture Carpet Dry Cleaner Powder is another sprinkle it on and vacuum it up cleaner that works well to remove odors without adding moisture to the carpet. The absorbent powder can penetrate deep within the carpet fibers. It’s safe for all types of carpet and is non-toxic to children and pets.

The downside to Capture Carpet is that instructions Want you to use a pre-mister that you will need to purchase separately. If you were not aware of it beforehand, you’d need to take a trip to the store or order it online. Another problem is that if you use this product too quickly on a urine stain or other stain that adds moisture, the powder may cling to the carpet fibers and be impossible to remove.

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10. Puracy Professional Carpet Cleaner

Puracy Professional Carpet Cleaner Is an environmentally friendly carpet cleaner that derives its detergents and deodorizer’s from natural sources. It contains no harsh chemicals or synthetic fragrances and is completely safe for children and pets. The formula is certified cruelty free, and you can use it with the machine or by hand.

We found Puracy extremely foamy, almost to the point of comedy when used with the machine despite its low foam claims. It’s only good for light-duty and won’t remove any set stains. It also needs you will also need to rinse it several times, which makes for quite a bit of work, and the extremely concentrated nature of the formula means it’s easy to measure incorrectly.

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Buyer’s Guide: Selecting the Best Carpet Cleaner Solution for Pets

Let’s look at some of the most important things to consider before you purchase a carpet cleaner for pets.

Wet or Dry

One of the first things you’ll need to decide is whether you’ll use a wet or dry cleaner on your carpet and upholstery.

Dry Carpet Cleaner

A dry carpet cleaner is usually a powder very similar to a baking soda but with some added fragrance and chemicals to help it clean the carpet even better than baking soda alone. The advantage of a powdered cleaner is that it’s simple to use. It doesn’t require any special carpet cleaning machines. You only need to sprinkle it on your carpet and wait a short amount of time before vacuuming it up. This type of cleaner doesn’t add any moisture to your carpet, so there’s no drying time, but it usually only works well for removing odors and doesn’t do much to remove stains. Powdered cleaners also work well to remove fleas because they dehydrate the insects and their eggs, reducing the population dramatically.

Wet Carpet Cleaner

Wet carpet cleaners are the type typically used in a deep cleaning machine. However, several brands don’t require a machine, and instead, you will use a brush and scrub by hand. This type of cleaner generally has much stronger chemicals or enzymes that help break up and lift tough stains resulting in a thorough cleaning that leaves your carpet noticeably brighter. The downside of their harsh nature is that it can be difficult to find a brand that’s safe for pets. It can also remove the coloring from your carpet or upholstery, so you will need to check it before using it for colorfastness. Wet cleaners usually require you to purchase or rent a machine that can be heavy and difficult to use. It also gets your carpet quite wet, which can take considerable time to dry.

Detergents or Enzymes

Wet carpet cleaners use either detergents or enzymes to remove stains. Both works well but enzymes are usually safer for pets than detergents and chemicals, and cleaning continues after you finished while the enzymes still live. However, enzyme-based cleaners typically don’t contain a lot of fragrance, which could leave you with a wet smelling carpet that is rather unpleasant. Older carpets smell worse, and since we’re talking about carpet cleaners for pets, your rug will likely smell like a wet dog. Therefore, an enzyme cleaner may only be preferable to someone with a new rug, or someone who has allergies to the fragrances or chemicals used.

Rinsing and Residue

Another thing to consider before purchasing a wet carpet cleaner for pets is what type of residue it will leave behind. Some brands will leave a sticky residue or film behind, which will require you to take one or more rinse passes over the carpet. A rinse cycle requires just as much work as a wash cycle, so some brands will take more work to clean up then they did to remove a stain. We tried to list any brands in our reviews that left a film and required extra cleanup.

Conclusion

For the overall best cleaning experience, we recommend our choice for the best overall. The Bissell Pet Stain Upright Carpet Cleaning Formula is not just one product; it’s a three-step kit that’s safe for your pet and removes stains extremely well. It also provides a gentle fragrance to cover the smell of an old carpet without becoming too powerful itself. Arm & Hammer Carpet Odor Eliminator is our best budget brand, and it is a perfect example of a powerful powder cleaner. This brand doesn’t get rid of stains very well, but it does remove odors from pets, smoke, and other sources.

We hope you have enjoyed reading over these reviews and found the perfect carpet cleaner for your pets. If we have helped you achieve a cleaner carpet that smells is great, please share these pet-safe carpet cleaners on Facebook and Twitter.

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