Spring cleaning? Consumer Reports ranks best, worst carpet cleaners on the market

If you're taking your spring cleaning a step further, cleaning your home’s carpeting could make a big difference.

Carpeting gets a lot of action and mess, so a carpet cleaner may be an essential if you have a lot of it on your floors.

“We make it really difficult so that we can see how well these machines are removing embedded dirt from the carpets themselves,” Consumer Reports editor Haniya Rae said.

After drying overnight, then a quick vacuum, the different machines passed through the same mess eight times on both wet and dry messes.

“At home, you can run it over your carpets as many times as you like, and it’s not a big deal,” Rae said. “But in terms of understanding how well a machine is working, we have very controlled tests so that we can see that a machine is doing its job.”

Testers also factored in how well each machine dried the carpet samples.

“You don’t want a wet carpet left for potential mildew or mold growth,” Rae said.

The Bissel Big Green Machine Professional 86T3, which costs $470, delivered excellent cleaning performance, but its drying, convenience and noise levels pushed it lower in the ratings.

Ultimately, Consumer Reports’ recommendation went to the Bissel Pro-Heat 2X Lift Off Pet Carpet Cleaner 15651, which costs $260. It helped get rid of dirt and stains without leaving a soggy stretch of carpet behind.

If doing it yourself seems overwhelming, Consumer Reports said consider hiring a pro for a deep clean and investing in a top-scoring regular vacuum.