The 8 Best Carpet Cleaner Solutions for Pets in 2023

Best for Stains

Hoover Paws & Claws Carpet Cleaning Solution with Stainguard

5

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Even if you manage to get nasty smells out of your carpet, sometimes the stain remains—especially on lighter fabrics. Hoover Paws & Claws Carpet Cleaning Solution is a versatile and effective stain remover, which can be applied to all sorts of pet messes. Its enzymatic cleaning ingredients breaks down organics, making it perfect for animal messes, including urine, feces, and vomit.

Hoover Paws & Claws also won't stain your carpets, making it useful in high-traffic areas that may get stained often, such as entryways or living rooms. It also works with other Hoover cleaning products, including Bissell and Rug Doctor cleaners.

While Hoover Paws & Claws is formulated for pets, it works on a variety of other types of stain, including food spills. Rather than needing a separate pet cleaner, this pet cleaner may replace your everyday stain fighter. 

Paws & Claws has a light "cotton breeze" scent, but it's not overpowering or cloying. Plus, it's concentrated, allowing you to use very small amounts to get the job done.

Best for Odor

Nature's Miracle Deep Cleaning Pet Stain and Odor Carpet Shampoo

4.9

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When it comes to odor control and neutralizing smelly accidents, pet owners turn to Nature’s Miracle. Nature’s Miracle Capet Shampoo is designed to be used with any water-based carpet cleaning or steam cleaning machine, and it can keep your carpeting and upholstery looking new. This deep-cleaning solution uses a bio-enzymatic “odor-locking” formula to remove odors and prevent your four-legged friend from marking the same place again and again. This solution will even penetrate penetrates your carpet to break down stains that have been sitting for a long time.

Customers say this cleaner has successfully saved their carpets, but they do note that it can take a few hours to truly solve the issue. The enzymes in the formula eat away at the odor, which means they continue breaking it down after the initial application. If you're dealing with an animal that tends to mark the same spot over and over, Nature's Miracle might give you the results you're looking for.

Best Scent

The Spruce Stain & Odor Remover

4.8

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Keeping your carpet fresh and stain-free is no small feat—especially not with a pet or two thrown in the mix. While The Spruce has shared tips on how to keep your home in tip-top shape for years now, we decided to step it up a notch and release our own line of pet care products, including The Spruce Stain & Odor Remover! 

Our plant-based, enzyme-activated formula targets the organic proteins in urine, feces, and vomit stains in order to rid your carpet of unsightly spots and scents. At the same time, it also discourages your pet from using the area again in the future. The Spruce Stain & Odor Remover is available in our Fresh scent—a combination of neroli, apple, and orchid. While we suggest doing a spot test on an inconspicuous corner of carpet, after that, use is simple. Generously spray the formula on any affected areas, leave it up to 15 minutes depending on how bad the stain is, and then scrub clean with a cloth.

Best Multi-Surface

Rocco & Roxie Supply Co. Professional Strength Stain & Odor Eliminator

4.5

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Looking for a powerful carpet cleaner that doesn’t require a machine to get the job done? Rocco & Roxie Professional Strength Remover is strong enough to clean up even the toughest messes, and it can be sprayed directly on the stain or used in a carpet cleaner. The solution features enzymes that activate on contact, eliminating the odors left behind by feces, urine, or vomit. Simply spray with or without a machine, let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes, and blot dry. It’s chlorine-free and color-safe, so you don’t have to worry about it staining colored carpets.

Customers love Rocco & Roxie, saying it does an incredible job of eliminating even the oldest stains. For the price, it does a better job than many of its competitors and is a great product to have on hand, especially if you're dealing with a puppy that still has potty training accidents.

Best for Carpet Cleaning Machines

Hoover PetPlus Pet Stain & Odor Remover Solution Formula

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Hoover PetPlus Pet Stain & Odor Remover Solution Formula is a great solution for any carpet cleaner. This enzyme-enhanced solution removes and deodorizes stains on carpets, rugs, and upholstery, and works in any carpet cleaning machine. This concentrated formula lasts for many cleanings, so you don’t have to worry about running out for more after every accident. The best part? This formula works incredibly well on set-in stains and is effective against all types of messes, not just pet accidents, so it can easily be used as your go-to solution. 

Most reviewers give this Hoover product over four stars, saying it exceeds many of the other commercial pet cleaning solutions on the market. It’s a low-priced bargain when it comes to saving those expensive rugs and carpets in your home.

Best Natural

Puracy Natural Carpet & Upholstery Shampoo

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If you’re concerned about chemicals on your rugs and carpets, a natural cleaner, such as Puracy Natural Carpet Cleaner Detergent Shampoo, is a great alternative. Made with plant-based deodorizers and detergents, this formula is free of chemicals and additives that may irritate sensitive noses. It can be used either directly on your carpet or in a machine and is low-foam so it won't create a huge mess.

Reviewers love that Puracy Natural Carpet Detergent cleans up pet accidents with no danger of irritants or chemicals. It has a light, clean scent that smells fresh and works on nearly any material (though we always recommend doing a test area first). 

Best for Cats

Nature's Miracle Cat Urine Destroyer

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As any cat lover will tell you, cat pee is one of the hardest smells to get rid of in fabrics and carpets. Nature's Miracle Cat Urine Destroyer is formulated specifically for cats in mind and works to eliminate odors and stains with a bacteria-based formula with added enzymes. This product can be used directly on the mess or in a carpet cleaner, and it can be used on all kinds of surfaces from hardwood floors to carpeted areas.

The bottle claims that there's a "pleasing light, fresh scent" but several reviewers report that the scent can be too strong and they wish there were an unscented version of this product. Despite the smell, it has stopped repeat offenders from marking the same place. One customer even said that this product was the first product she tried that was able to remove lingering smells and residue.