Investing in one of the best vacuum cleaners is a great way to keep your floors spotless. But for targeted cleaning and treating stains on carpeted and upholstered surfaces, you need something a little more powerful. Cue: The best carpet shampoos that allow you to get a deep clean with minimal effort on your end. Our top choice is the Bissell Febreze With Gain Oxy for its powerful cleaning capacity and fresh scent, but there are several other great options worth considering.
“Using a carpet shampoo can be highly beneficial for various individuals and situations,” says John Larson, Miami-based cleaning expert. “Homeowners who want to maintain a clean and hygienic living environment can definitely benefit. Our carpets are prone to collecting dirt, dust, allergens, and even stains from everyday activities. Regular foot traffic and accidental spills are inevitable, and that’s where carpet shampooing comes in.” Parents, pet owners, and new home owners can also benefit from carpet shampoos, he adds.
When looking for a carpet shampoo, it’s best to search for products with an established history of producing quality cleaning products, says Karina Toner, operations manager at Spekless Cleaning in Washington, D.C. You’ll also want to ensure that the carpet cleaner works for your needs. “Check if the shampoo is suitable for your specific carpet type,” she says. Some shampoos might be better for certain materials or fibers.” It’s also important to find a scent you’ll like since the fragrance can linger, Toner says, along with a product that’s easy to rinse out.
Below, you’ll find the best carpet shampoos to suit every household and cleaning need, based on meticulous research and our editorial team’s years of home expertise.
- Best Carpet Shampoo Overall: Bissell Febreze With Gain Oxy
- Best Carpet Shampoo On Amazon: Nature’s Miracle Carpet Shampoo
- Best Smelling Carpet Shampoo: Hoover Everyday Solution Deep Cleaning Carpet Shampoo
- Best Carpet Shampoo for Pet Stains: Bissell Multi-Surface Pet Formula
- Best Carpet Shampoo For Machines: OxiClean Large Area Carpet Cleaner
- Best Carpet Shampoo For High-Traffic Areas: Zep High-Traffic Carpet Cleaner
- Best Carpet Shampoo For Fleas: Enforcer Flea Killer for Carpet
Best Carpet Shampoo Overall
A Powerful Cleaner With A Fresh Scent
- BISSELL Febreze with Gain Oxy
Type: Liquid | Amount: 60 ounces | Scent: Gain | Application method: Machine, spot treatment
Bissell is a giant in the carpet-cleaning world, and the brand also delivers quality shampoos. The Bissell Febreeze with Gain Oxy cleaner uses a proprietary oxygen-infused formulation to quickly mobilize, lift, and penetrate stains and gunk lurking in your carpet. The shampoo also works to eliminate odors in the process. The shampoo’s Gain scent, as in the popular laundry detergent, is fresh and light, making your home feel cleaner without an overwhelming smell. This shampoo is free of heavy metals, phosphates, and dyes, so you can focus on your clean floors—and not a lurking residue.
Best Carpet Shampoo On Amazon
An Affordable Formula That Traps Odors
- REMOVES OLD AND NEW STAINS & ODORS: Penetrates deep into carpet and upholstery fibers.
- BIO-ENZYMATIC ODOR-LOCKING TECHNOLOGY: For permanent and superior odor remover.
- PROFESSIONAL STRENGTH FORMULA: Low-foaming formula can be used with any water-based steam or carpet cleaner.
Type: Liquid | Amount: 64 ounces | Scent: Tropical blossom | Application method: Machine
Nature’s Miracle carpet shampoo is a fan-favorite at Amazon, with an impressive 11,400 perfect reviews. The formula can be used with any water-based carpet cleaning machine or steam cleaner, and it’s low-foaming to reduce the risk of residue. This shampoo features bio-enzymatic odor-locking technology to help trap and lift away bad smells, leaving a fresh tropical blossom scent in its wake. The formula is designed to dig deep into your carpet fibers to pull out even the most stubborn stains and odors.
Best Smelling Carpet Shampoo
A Light And Fresh Scent Users Rave About
- CLEAN EVERYDAY DIRT & GRIME: Revitalizes carpets by removing everyday dirt and grime, new or old
- PAIR WITH HOOVER: Designed for best performance when paired with Hoover products
- EVERDAY USE: Use on carpet, upholstery, car interiors, stairs and more
Type: Liquid | Amount: 64 ounces | Scent: Fresh meadows | Application method: Machine, spot treatment
Carpet shampoos often leave a lingering scent, making it important to choose wisely. Hoover’s Everyday Solution carpet cleaner features a “fresh meadows” scent that shoppers rave about. Many note that the smell is fresh but light, meaning it won’t overpower your room. This carpet shampoo goes to work on old and new dirt, and can be used on a range of surfaces, including carpet, upholstery, car interiors, and stairs. It’s also free of phosphates, phthalates, and parabens to give you peace of mind.
Best Carpet Shampoo for Pet Stains
Use This Shampoo On Rugs And Hard Floors
- Every Purchase Saves Pets. BISSELL proudly supports BISSELL Pet Foundation and its mission to help save homeless pets.
- Removes tough pet messes and eliminates odors.
- Leaves a virtually streak-free clean.
Type: Liquid | Amount: 80 ounces | Scent: Febreeze | Application method: Machine, spot treatment
Bissell has a big focus on pets (the company has its own pet foundation that aims to save homeless pets), so it’s hardly a surprise that Bissell would create a quality cleaner that’s specially formulated to tackle pet messes. Since pets rarely stick to a designated location, this formula works on hard floors and carpets alike to tackle accidents, vomit, mud, dirt, and whatever else your pet dishes out. The formula contains Febreze for a gentle scent and is free of heavy metals, phosphates, and dyes.
Best Carpet Shampoo For Machines
Use This Cleaner With Everything
- One 64 fl oz refill of OxiClean Large Carpet Cleaner is a carpet cleaner liquid that can be used in any carpet cleaning …
- This carpet shampoo is a cleaning solution that uses the power of oxygen to deep clean carpet fibers, remove dirt, and l…
- For best results, pre-treat tough stains with OxiClean Carpet and Rug Stain Remover Spray before using this carpet clean…
Type: Liquid | Amount: 64 ounces | Scent: Proprietary| Application method: Machine, spot treatment
As the name implies, OxiClean’s Large Area Carpet Cleaner is intended to be used across broad swaths of carpet, as well as spaces that get plenty of action. The shampoo uses oxygen to get deep into your carpet fibers, lifting up dirt and stains in the process. This shampoo can be used in any carpet cleaning machine and tackles old and new stains. Use this to tackle wine, food, coffee, and dirt stains, or just to freshen up your flooring.
Best Carpet Shampoo For High-Traffic Areas
A Spray That Can Tackle Caked-On Messes
- Lifts food and dirt stains
- Enzyme action eliminates odors
- For high-traffic areas; revives matted, old and soiled patches
Type: Liquid | Amount: 128 ounces | Scent: Proprietary | Application method: Spray
High traffic areas are more prone to wear, tear, and dirt build-up than carpeted surfaces with less foot traffic. This carpet shampoo from Zep is designed to target those areas, using a special enzyme action to eliminate odors while lifting away food and dirt stains. It can even revive matted and soiled patches that have been hanging out for a while, as well as set-in stains. There’s no need for a machine with this cleaner: Just spray it on your carpet, blot, and vacuum.
Best Carpet Shampoo For Fleas
A Solution For Killing Pests Lurking In Your Flooring
- PEST CONTROL – Quick-acting formula kills fleas, ticks, lice, ants, silverfish and roaches and breaks the flea life cycl…
- MULTISURFACE USE – Works great on multiple surfaces including floors, carpets, upholstered furniture and more.
- ODOR ELIMINATOR – Eliminates household odors, leaving a fresh and clean scent of ocean breeze.
Type: Powder | Amount: 20 ounces | Scent: Ocean | Application method: Sprinkle
Most carpet shampoos will kill fleas but may not take out their eggs, leaving you to continue to deal with an infestation issue. Enforcer’s flea killer is a powder you sprinkle onto your carpet that acts within 30 minutes to kill fleas, ticks, lice, ants, silverfish, and roaches that may be lurking on and in your floors. Just sprinkle the powder evenly across your carpet, wait half an hour, and vacuum it up. (If you’re dealing with ticks, the brand suggests waiting two hours before pulling out your vacuum.) There’s also a nice ocean scent left behind.
Best Dry Carpet Shampoo
A Solution That You Can Just Sprinkle, Vacuum, And Go
- Large area carpet cleaner powder that cleans, freshens & softens.
- 3X more dirt removal than vacuuming alone!
- Removes odors and freshens.
Type: Powder | Amount: 18 ounces | Scent: Citrus| Application method: Sprinkle
Not everyone has easy access to a carpet cleaning machine or wants to spend money to rent one. That’s where a dry shampoo comes in. Resolve’s carpet cleaning powder digs into your carpet fibers to help lift away dirt, soil, and stains, leaving a fresh, citrusy scent in its wake. Worth noting: It also can help remove pet odors. While this is unlikely to clean as well as a wet shampoo, the brand points out that it can lead to three times more dirt removal than vacuuming alone. If your carpets need perking up, this is definitely worth your time.
How We Chose The Best Carpet Shampoos
To choose the best carpet shampoos, we consulted with three home cleaning experts for their input on what to look for in these important home cleaning aids. From there, we tracked down the most popular carpet shampoos on the market and narrowed the field based on elements like ingredients, ease of use, scent, and value. Reviews from real users were factored in to ensure we only recommended products that delivered great results for a variety of households.
What Do Pros Use To Clean Carpets?
It depends. “We all use a variety of equipment and cleaning solutions to effectively clean carpets,” Toner says. Still, she says there are some types that are used more than others. Those include detergent-based solutions, enzyme-based solutions, and specialized stain removers. “Detergent-based solutions contain detergents and surfactants that help break down dirt and stains, making them easier to lift from the carpet fibers,” she says. “They are effective for general cleaning.” Enzyme-based solutions target specific types of stains, like pet messes, food spills, and organic matter. “They break down the molecules causing the stain and the associated odor,” Toner explains. “For tough stains, professionals might use specialized stain removers that are tailored to specific types of stains like red wine, ink, or oil.”
What Is The Best Carpet Shampoo For Odors?
It depends on what kind of odors you’re dealing with. “You’ve got to consider a few things—the type of smell you’re dealing with, how strong it is, and what kind of carpet you have,” Larson says. However, he says that enzyme cleaners can be handy for breaking down urine, vomit, and other pet messes. “Enzymatic carpet shampoos are like secret weapons for knocking out odors that regular cleaners can’t handle,” Larson says. Oxygen bleach can also be helpful. “Unlike harsh chlorine bleach, this stuff is gentle on your carpets while still being a champ at getting rid of stains and smells,” Larson says.
What Is The Difference Between A Carpet Shampoo And Cleaner?
The two terms are often used interchangeably, but they’re actually different. “Carpet cleaners are formulated to penetrate deep into the carpet fibers, breaking down tough dirt, grime, and stubborn stains. They don’t usually create a lot of foam, but they’re excellent at digging out the hidden gunk that’s been lurking in your carpets,” Toner says. “Carpet shampoos are basically the lighter, more affordable option. They’re great for giving your carpets a refresh and tackling lighter dirt and stains.” A carpet shampooer “may be better suited for a more affordable or easily accessible option at-home option,” says Donna Dougherty, founder and CEO of Go Green Cleaning Experts, a cleaning service that caters to the Greater Philadelphia area. Worth noting, per Doherty: “You generally will find professionals use a carpet cleaner over a carpet shampooer.”