Carpets can be really hard to clean, which is why carpet cleaners were invented. However, cleaning carpets on stairs is whole different ball game, because those steps can make it really hard to maneuver with most normal carpet shampooers.
Today we are here to help you find the best carpet cleaner for stairs. We’ve got a great buyer’s guide to help you figure out what the most important features and purchasing factors are, plus we have reviewed some of the best possible stair carpet cleaning units out there too.
Carpet Cleaner for Stairs – Buying Guide & FAQ
Considerations to Make when Buying a Carpet Cleaner for Stairs
Before you go out and buy any carpet cleaner for stairs, there are some major considerations that you need to keep in mind first.
Weight & Size
Something that you should look out for when purchasing a carpet stain remover for steps is how large and heavy the unit in question is. Simply put, you can’t use a large full size carpet cleaner designed for flat surfaces on stairs. The unit in question needs to be small and lightweight enough to maneuver up and down stairs with relative ease.
Tank Size
Something else to keep an eye on when purchasing a stair cleaning machine is how large the water tank or cleaning solution tank is. Simply put, the larger the water tank is, the more you can clean without having to refill it.
Keep in mind that a good stair cleaner needs a tank for the clean water or cleaning solution, as well as for the dirty water it needs to suck up after the carpet is clean. On a side note, finding a unit that is easy to fill and to empty is a bonus.
Steam and/or Shampoo
Yet another purchasing factor to look out for is how the unit in question actually cleans carpets. Does it use only steam or hot water? Does it allow for some sort of detergent or cleaning solution to be used? Or does it maybe allow for both?
For the toughest and deepest carpets, and for the most serious of stains, finding a unit that can do both is a big deal. Generally speaking, the hotter the water can be heated up to, the more effective it will be at removing tough stains.
The Brush Roll
The next factor to look out for when purchasing a steam and carpet cleaner is what kind of brush roll it features. This is an important component, because the quality of the brush roll will determine how deep of stains the unit in question can remove from carpets, and how well overall it cleans the carpet.
A good brush roll will have plenty of rows of brushes, it will move fast, and be stiff enough to penetrate deep into carpets.
Vacuum Power
Any carpet shampooer and cleaner worth its money should also come with very strong suction power. Once the cleaning solution, hot water, and the brush roll have loosened dirt and removed stains from a carpet, that dirty dark water then needs to be sucked back up.
Therefore, any model you get needs to have suction power strong enough to remove as much water and dirt from any given area as possible.
Carpet Drying
A select few carpet cleaners will also come with a drying function to help dry carpets quickly, so you can get back to walking on them. Some may not come with heated drying, but all models should work to suck away as much water as possible, thus allowing for quick drying.
Full Size vs Handheld
The other thing to consider here is whether you want a handheld or full size unit. Full size units, ones that are not too large, can be used for large areas and stairs alike, although some may be too large for stairs.
On the other hand, handheld units are much smaller and way better for maneuvering stairs, but you won’t be cleaning full size carpets with them, at least not very efficiently.
How long after carpet cleaning can you walk on it?
Most professional services will recommend that you wait at least 6 hours for the carpet to dry before walking on it.
What do carpet shampooers do?
Carpet shampooers or carpet cleaners are designed to spray a hot cleaning solution onto a carpet, loosen stains and dirt with a brush roll, and then suck up the dirty water via vacuum suction.
Will all carpet cleaners work for pet hair?
Generally speaking no, if you want to suck up lots of pet hair, you will need a brush roll specially designed for such. Pet hair will usually cause tangles with normal brush rolls.
Should I vacuum before steam cleaning?
It does help to vacuum carpets first, just to remove as much loose dirt as possible before moving on to using a steam or shampoo cleaner.
The Best Carpet Cleaner for Stairs
Here is a selection of the best steam cleaners for stairs, and yes, they come in all sorts of shapes and sizes.
The top best product
- 1 Considerations to Make when Buying a Carpet Cleaner for Stairs
- 2 Weight & Size
- 3 Tank Size
- 4 Steam and/or Shampoo
- 5 The Brush Roll
- 6 Vacuum Power
- 7 Carpet Drying
- 8 Full Size vs Handheld
- 9 How long after carpet cleaning can you walk on it?
- 10 What do carpet shampooers do?
- 11 Will all carpet cleaners work for pet hair?
- 12 Should I vacuum before steam cleaning?
- 13 BISSELL PowerBrush Full Sized Carpet Steamer
- 14 Hoover PowerDash Pet Compact Carpet Cleaner
- 15 BISSELL SpotClean Pet Pro Portable Carpet Cleaner
- 16 Bissell SpotClean ProHeat Portable Spot Cleaner
- 17 Rug Doctor Deep Carpet Cleaner
- 18 Hoover PowerDash Pet Compact Carpet Cleaner
BISSELL PowerBrush Full Sized Carpet Steamer
Now it’s not the smallest or most compact carpet steamer in the world, as it is called a full sized carpet steamer, therefore making it ideal for fairly large areas. However, it does feature a design fairly ideal for steaming and cleaning stairs too.
It’s not overly heavy, so most should be able to lift it up and down stairs without issue. The BISSELL PowerBrush Full Sized Carpet Steamer allows you to both steam and shampoo your carpets, and it even has a very large tank capacity too, plus the tank is a 2 in 1 model as well.
This particular model comes with a 5 row rotating dirt lifting brush, a 3 inch tough stain tool, a 2 in 1 crevice spraying tool, and a special tool for bare floors as well.
Steaming and shampooing with 2 in 1 tank
Many accessories for various jobs
Excellent at removing carpet stains
For carpets and bare floors
Lightweight enough to maneuver stairs
Hoover PowerDash Pet Compact Carpet Cleaner
This unit is ideal for high traffic areas, as it comes complete with a high quality and high speed brush roll that can lift grime and grit out of carpets very well.
Moreover, as the name of the product implies, it is specially designed to deal with pet hair, something which not many other models can do. It’s got a whole lot of power behind it.
Moreover, the Hoover PowerDash Pet Compact Carpet Cleaner also comes with so called HeatForce power, or in other words, it dries your carpets as it cleans. Overall it’s quite a high quality unit in every way.
Ideal for high traffic areas
Can deal with dirt, pet hair, and everything in between
Very compact and lightweight
Ideal for maneuvering stairs
Dries carpets fast
Not ideal for fragile carpets
BISSELL SpotClean Pet Pro Portable Carpet Cleaner
You could easily carry it with one hand while using the nozzle to clean the carpet with the other. It can easily be maneuvered up and down stairs due to its special design.
What does need to be said is that this is a spot cleaner designed for eliminating tough spots, specifically stains from pets and other liquids that create stubborn stains. This unit comes complete with a tough stain tool as well as a pet trapper tool for pet hair.
The BISSELL SpotClean Pet Pro Portable Carpet Cleaner comes with a small brush head, strong suction power, and the ability to shampoo carpets as well. The long hose allows you to get to hard to reach places.
Perfect for stairs and small areas
Great for pet stains and pet hair
Allows for shampooing and vacuuming
Long hose for long reach
Bissell SpotClean ProHeat Portable Spot Cleaner
The Bissell SpotClean ProHeat Portable Spot Cleaner does come with a fairly large water tank considering its small size, and yes, the water gets heated up to a very hot temperature to combat stains, specifically pet stains in this case. This cleaner comes with a 3 inch tough stain tools that sprays the cleaning formula into carpets, scrubs it around, and then lifts the dirt and grime out, and it even works for pet hair too.
Easy to store and maneuver
Great for small spots and stairs
Water gets very hot
Power cleaning tool for stains and pet hair
Very easy to use
Vacuum is slightly weak
Rug Doctor Deep Carpet Cleaner
It comes with high powered suction, a super powered brush roll, and the ability to infuse carpets with a mix of hot water and cleaning solution. It appears to do a tremendous job at lifting heavy stains out of carpets, even deep and thick carpets. The suction here is quite high powered, which also helps to suck the water out of the cleaned carpet, thus allowing it to dry much quicker.
Small enough for stairs
Great brush roll for deep cleaning
Hot water with cleaning solution
Works for the thickest of carpets
Quite durable
Water tank may spill
Conclusion
The bottom line is that if you expect to get carpets clean, especially ones on stairs, you need a unit designed specifically for the task at hand. A small and portable unit that can douse the carpet in hot water and cleaning solution, remove stuck on stains and dirt with a high powered brush roll, and then suck up all the dirty water is what you need. We would highly recommend checking out any of the carpet cleaners and shampooers which we have reviewed today.
