Our favorite carpet stain remover is the Rocco & Roxie Supply Co. Oxy Stain Remover. It excelled in our Lab testing by eliminating fresh and set-in wine stains, pet urine, and odor while leaving a fresh mint scent behind. Here are the best carpet stain removers for any household, backed by our thorough testing. Sometimes it’s hard to believe that a formula can be gentle enough for almost any home environment, yet also powerful enough to remove tough stains, but we can attest that the oxygenated formula is just that. In our lab testing, it removed dirt, urine, and pre-treated wine stains in one application. Our tester said the application process was straightforward and only took 12 minutes. It took two applications to get out our tougher, gooey barbecue and mud stains—and there was still a faint color left behind. However, our tester said that she would never realistically try to spray down either without wiping up the mess and vacuuming the area first. For these reasons, this stain remover scored 4.5 stars for effectiveness. For ease of use, value, and scent, this Rocco & Roxie Supply Co. cleaner scored a perfect 5-star rating, with our tester saying she had “never smelled a cleaner that smelled this good.” If scented products make you uneasy, she noted that the scent isn’t overwhelming. It’s just a pleasant and welcome surprise, especially compared to some of the more standard, chemical scents commonly associated with stain removers. Price at time of publishing: $20 Using this carpet stain remover is very straightforward. Shake the bottle, spray the cleaner on the stains, let it sit for 10 minutes, and blot away. For old stains or odors, completely saturate the messy area with the formula to penetrate the fibers, and then allow the carpet to air-dry. This process took about two hours in the Lab, so if you’re hoping to wipe up a set-in stain quickly, just know that it will take some time. Our tester noted that even though it took two applications to eliminate most of the fresh stains, this product is one they’d recommend to a friend or family member. It worked well and left a pleasant, gentle scent behind. Price at time of publishing: $11 Our tester also reported that the spray nozzle on this product is noteworthy. It’s sturdy and makes it so easy to target the stain, unlike some of the more flimsy, leaky options we’ve tested. However, different nozzles sometimes ship when placing second or third orders. Hold onto your first bottle and its sprayer if it feels durable or particularly sturdy, while you wait to receive your next delivery—just in case. It’s also worth noting that this enzymatic formula has never been tested on animals and is made in the U.S. Our tester also concluded that its lower price point makes it a good value, especially given its effectiveness. Price at time of publishing: $13 Our tester noted that the product worked best when excess liquid was blotted up from the stain before application. After that, it quickly removed the pet urine stain and didn’t leave any unpleasant odors behind. It took a couple applications to get up the red wine stain, and it struggled to remove gooey barbecue and mud stains. However, a pet parent will appreciate that its standout performance was elimination of the pet urine stain and related odor in only eight minutes, which will make sprucing up your rugs a lot easier. The ingredients are plant-derived, so it’s a particularly eco-friendly option as well.
Price at time of publishing: $12 After it cleaned the stains off of our upholstery fabric, our tester checked to see whether it also eliminated the urine odor. She was happy to report that the odor was gone and that only a light, clean scent was left behind—nothing that’s too overpowering or chemical-like. It’s not surprising that this product performed so well, since it’s similar to our Best Overall pick. This one has a slightly longer waiting period, and it doesn’t feature an oxygenated process that essentially lifts stains off your fabrics. Still, we’d trust it on any upholstery in our homes. Price at time of publishing: $20 OxiClean Carpet Stain Remover scored 5 stars in all testing categories. It was highly effective at lifting stains, but also eliminating odors from a pet urine stain. On top of that, it left a light, fresh, laundry-like scent behind, and is reasonably priced. With such a powerful stain remover on standby, you can use this with confidence in all of the high-traffic areas of your home—family rooms, hallways, bedrooms, and more. Just keep in mind: our tester noted that this spray lifted the dried wine stain more quickly than the fresh wine stain. If someone spills a wine glass at your next book club get-together, brush it off and tend to the stain after your guests leave. You’ll be a cool, calm, and collected host with a freshly revived carpet soon enough. Price at time of publishing: $17 Unlike some of the other cleaners we’ve tested, this one comes in an aerosol can and sprays out a stream of foam. Our tester didn’t love this application method and noted that it was hard to target a specific area. However, once the foam was applied, she waited 15 minutes as instructed and wiped away stains fairly easily. The Nature’s Miracle remover completely cleaned up fresh and set-in wine stains. And while it didn’t totally get up all of the barbecue sauce and mud stains, it eliminated the odors as promised. Price at time of publishing: $10 Our product tester was amazed at the quick results on both carpeting and upholstery stains, and she loved the built-in brush, but she noted that she did need to clean it often when removing the stickier stains (to prevent them from spreading around more). That takes away a little bit of the hands-free cleaning fun, but it’s still an extremely helpful tool. While this formula worked well on fresh stains, it struggled a bit on the tougher, set-in stains, so this is a better option for quick cleanups around the house. Price at time of publishing: $5 The concentrated formula is neatly packaged in a travel-size bottle, so you can easily stow it in a cabinet or throw it in your bag if you’re anticipating a particularly fun wine night in the near future. Our tester noted that the initial spray was a tad leaky, but after a few sprays, the product worked flawlessly. While this is an amazing red wine stain remover, it struggled on the tougher barbecue and mud stains and didn’t eliminate the pet urine odor, so this stain remover is truly formulated particularly for wine. It’s unscented, which is great for this specific cleaning purpose, since wine has its own scent that you likely don’t want to mix with an artificially scented cleaner. Price at time of publishing: $22 Woolite Advanced Stain & Stench Remover + Sanitize: This cleaner performed relatively well on both fresh and set-in stains, but it didn’t thoroughly remove any of them. Our tester loved the fresh scent and easy, quick application, but said that every stain left behind a bit of discoloring on the carpet. Bissell Professional Stain & Odor Remover: While this product effectively removed wine and urine stains, it failed to eliminate the pet urine odor. For a product marketed specifically for pet owners, we wish it performed better and delivered on this key factor. Shout Oxy Carpet Stain & Odor Remover: This affordable cleaner successfully removed stains and odors, but our tester had difficulty getting the spray bottle to operate correctly. In order to saturate the stain as instructed, it took a little too much effort. If you were to have a big spill on your hands, that would be a problem.

How We Tested the Carpet Stain Removers

We tested 27 carpet stain removers side-by-side in The Lab in Des Moines, Iowa. We started by creating both fresh and dried stains on carpeting and upholstery. We stained the carpets with a tablespoon of red wine, barbecue sauce, mud, and wolf urine, and then repeated the process on a large pillow. This allowed us to test the cleaning effectiveness on both carpet and upholstery, after applying each stain remover and seeing how well it lifted or eliminated the stains. Testers followed the instructions given by each manufacturer, which usually included blotting the stain and allowing the formula to sit for a set amount of time. They rated the ease of use of each stain remover, based on the application process and waiting period. If any stains remained after the initial cleanup, testers made a second attempt, following the same instructions. For any enzymatic cleaners, they noted whether the cleaner effectively eliminated the wolf urine smell. Since many household cleaners come with a chemical-type smell, we also took into consideration the scent of the stain remover, prioritizing those with unscented or light scents. When testing was complete, our testers rated the overall value of each product, based on its effectiveness, ease of use, and scent (or lack thereof). We boiled down all of these thorough testing insights to create our list of what we believe are the very best carpet stain removers.

What to Look for in a Carpet Stain Remover

Type

Most carpet stain removers are sold in liquid spray bottle form, but some on our list, such as Nature’s Miracle Advanced Stain and Odor Eliminator, are foaming aerosol sprays. When using a stain remover, it’s important to target the stain precisely to ensure that the product works efficiently and doesn’t go to waste. That’s why spray bottles are typically the easiest to use, while foaming sprays may not offer as much precision. You can also purchase stain removers in powder or liquid form. Some liquid or bulk-sized stain removers are compatible with carpet-cleaning machines, but check to make sure before adding a stain remover to your machine.

Suggested Waiting Period

Most stain removers instruct you to saturate the stain, let the solution sit for a set amount of time, and then blot it up. You’ll want to take note of the suggested waiting period, as that will greatly affect the convenience of the cleaner. If you’re looking for a five-minute quick wine cleanup, you might not choose the same stain remover as someone who’s willing to wait 30 minutes for a pet urine stain to thoroughly disappear.

Oxygenated or Enzymatic Formula

In our testing, stain removers containing an oxygenated formula outperformed non-oxygenated formulas by a long shot. Oxygenated formulas contain oxygen bleach, which causes a reaction at the source of the stain, effectively “lifting” it off of your carpet or upholstery. Several of our picks, including our best overall choice, Rocco & Roxie Supply Co.’s Oxy Stain Remover, have “oxy” in their titles for easy identification. If you’re familiar with OxiClean products, you’ve likely encountered oxygen cleaning technology before, too. In contrast, enzymatic formulas work by breaking down the source of the stain and odor. This type of cleaner is a favorite among pet owners, since eliminating pet urine smells helps reduce repeat accidents and eliminate unpleasant odors from the home.

Why Trust The Spruce?

This article was written by Erin Johnson, a commerce editor at The Spruce who focuses on appliances, cleaning, and organization. Erin has hands-on experience testing upright, cordless, and handheld vacuums, mops, and carpet cleaners. She has also developed and led tests in The Lab. For this roundup, Erin boiled down testing insights and brought our experience with products like carpet cleaners and stain removers to life. You can also find her work on Real Simple, Better Homes and Gardens, Apartment Therapy, and Southern Living. Personally, Erin has been a loyal fan of Nature’s Miracle cleaning products for over a decade, since her dog is prone to having accidents out of spite.

What Is Spruce Approved?

Here at The Spruce, we want to ensure that we fully stand behind every product we recommend, and that when we say something is the best, we mean it. You might have noticed The Spruce Approved badge next to the products on this list. Every product with this badge has been rigorously tested in person and carefully selected by our expert team of lab testers and editors. In most cases, we buy all of these products ourselves, though occasionally we get samples provided to us directly by companies. No matter how we procure products, they all go through the same tests and must meet the same strict criteria to make the best-of cut. We also pride ourselves on transparency and will always let you know if we received a product for free.