The 10 Best Carpet Spray Cleaners for Removing Dirt, Pet Stains, and Wine Spills, According to Our Tests

Best Overall

OxiClean Carpet & Area Rug Stain Remover

5

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Accidental spills can come in all sizes, colors, and smells, so it’s important to have a versatile carpet spray cleaner on hand for tackling messes as they happen. Our testers found that the Oxi-Clean Carpet Stain Remover was powerful at removing a wide variety of stains, making it our top pick for the best carpet spray cleaners.

Our testers sprayed the Oxi-Clean on four different carpet stains—including red wine, barbecue sauce, and even animal urine—to see how well the product removes odors and discoloration. According to the manufacturer, it takes 10 minutes for the solution to settle in and do its job, which our tester noted was not long compared to other cleaners we tested. While they were waiting for the 10 minutes to be up, testers found that you could actually start to see the stains lift from the carpet fibers.

It only took a little bit of scrubbing to get rid of all four stain types, and we found that the urine odor was also removed when using the Oxi-Clean Carpet Stain Remover. When removing the red wine stain, our testers noted that the spray seemed to be more effective when the wine had dried. For this reason, we recommend letting wine stains dry before applying this carpet stain remover instead of spraying it on fresh spills.

It also took out the barbecue sauce, dirt, and urine stains very well, making it the most versatile carpet spray cleaner from our tests and a great all-purpose product to have on hand. There is a slight scent to this Oxi-Clean that’s reminiscent of laundry detergent, though our tester said it’s not too overpowering.

Price at time of publish: $17

Product Details:

Amount: 24 ounces | Best for: Pet stains, food and drink stains, dirt, and odors | Less-effective on: N/A | Wait time: 10 minutes | Not intended for: Not listed

Best Budget

Shout +Oxy Carpet Stain & Odor Remover Spray

4.4

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If you’ve got children or pets, or are just plain clumsy, you’ll want to keep this budget-friendly cleaner on hand. During testing, most of the stains came right out with just one application of the Shout Carpet Stain Remover and Odor Eliminator Spray.

This powerful cleaner removed all traces of both the fresh and set-in red wine stains, making it great for cleaning up accidental drink spills. The mud and barbecue sauce spills needed more scrubbing to remove from light-colored carpet, and though the stains were still partially there at the end of the test, they significantly faded. We also found that the Shout spray was effective at getting rid of the urine smell from carpet, which is a great feature if you have pets.

Though the instructions on the bottle were easy to follow, testers found the spray bottle itself to be the issue—it “took forever, and a ton of sprays” to saturate the stained carpet as suggested. However, since the wait time before scrubbing is just five minutes, you won’t have to stand around for very long in between steps. We also found that this carpet spray cleaner had no odor, meaning your home won’t smell like chemicals once you’re done scrubbing.

Given its lower price, our tester concluded that the Shout Carpet Stain Remover and Odor Eliminator Spray is an excellent alternative to some of the pricier products on our best carpet spray cleaners list. It’ll certainly come in clutch if you’re house training a new pet since it removes odors from your carpet and rugs, but it’s also inexpensive enough to keep in multiple closets for any “oops” moments in your house.

Price at time of publish: $8

Product Details:

Amount: 12.4 ounces | Best for: Pet stains, food and drink stains, dirt, and odors | Less-effective on: N/A | Wait time: Three to five minutes | Less-effective on: Not listed

Best Natural

The Spruce Stain & Odor Remover

4.8

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A lot of carpet spray cleaners use harsh chemicals to get stains out of floors and upholstery, but they could ruin your carpet, and they’re not so great to inhale. However, buying a natural-based spray doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice on cleaning power—our tester gave The Spruce Pet Stain and Odor Remover high marks for its effectiveness on stains and smells alike.

It’s easy to use, too—just spray, let it soak, and blot with a rag or sponge. As the name suggests, this is a carpet stain remover for pet stains and odors, and according to our experts, it lives up to its name. After spraying it on carpet with animal urine on it, the cleaner removed all discoloration and foul smells and left behind a pleasant scent.

While it took a couple applications to get rid of the red wine stain, ultimately the cleaner pulled up all discoloration from the carpet fibers. The tester also noted that The Spruce Stain and Odor Remover spray worked best when they blotted the stain with a damp cloth first.

However, this natural spray cleaner simply wasn’t up to the task of removing stains like barbecue sauce and mud. We found that it partially removed these stains, but there was still a faint mark on both the carpet and the upholstery we tested it on.

We recommend this product to pet owners who want a more natural solution to pet-related stains and smells in your home. If the most common stains in your home are food stains, though, we suggest shopping a different product on our list of the best carpet spray cleaners.

Price at time of publish: $12

Product Details:

Amount: 17 ounces | Wait time: 10 to 15 minutes | Best for: Pet stains and odors | Less effective on: Food and drink stains and dirt

Best for Pet Stains

Kids 'N' Pets All-Purpose Stain + Odor Remover

4.6

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Sharing a house with pets can make it difficult to keep your carpet, rugs, and upholstery looking clean. Whether you’re house-training a new puppy or your pets constantly track dirt in from outdoors, the best carpet spray cleaners help you combat smells, stains, and spills as they happen.

When testing out the Kids ‘N’ Pets Instant Stain and Odor Remover in the lab, one of our experts noted it was one of the best she’d seen at removing pet urine from rugs. In just one treatment, the cleaner caused urine odors and stains to vanish from the carpet. Though it took two spray treatments to remove smells from the upholstery, these stains disappeared, too. Plus, the cleaner’s scent is gentle and not at all overpowering, even with double applications, so your home won’t smell like chemicals once you’re done.

In testing, we found that this spray cleaner also worked on red wine, barbecue sauce, and dirt, making it a great all-around carpet spray cleaner. However, we had to apply the cleaner twice to get them fully removed, and since you’ll need to let the spray soak in for 10 minutes each time before scrubbing, it quickly becomes a time-consuming process.

Price at time of publish: $19

Product Details:

Amount: 27 ounces | Wait time: At least 10 minutes | Best for: Pet stains, dirt, and odors | Less effective on: N/A

Best for Deep Cleaning

Carbona Oxy Powered 2-in-1 Carpet Cleaner

4.7

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Whether you’re dealing with a spill left overnight or a stain on high-pile carpet that won’t come out with normal cleaners, heavy-duty messes aren’t for the faint of heart. That’s why our testers loved the Carbona Two-in-One Oxy-Powered No-Scent Carpet Cleaner, which comes with a cleaner brush attached to the lid. The stiff bristles help you dig debris out of rugs, carpet, and upholstery to better remove stains. And according to our experts, it’s a combo that works really well.

When treating fresh wine spills, dirt stains, and urine, our tester found that fresh stains came out with no trouble at all. Dried wine and urine, which we left to soak on light-colored rugs for 12 hours before treating, came out just fine, which is good news for messes you discover hours later. Dried-on barbecue and mud came out after two applications, though there was still a faint mark.

In general, we recommend dealing with stains as quickly as possible for the best results, but we were pleasantly surprised by how well this spray cleaner worked on old wine and urine stains. Keep that brush handy to work the product into your floors or upholstery, and avoid replacing your rug or couch when spills occur. Just keep in mind that you’ll need to clean out the brush attachment after every use, which is an added step that most other sprays don’t require.

Price at time of publish: $15

Product Details:

Amount: 27.5 ounces | Wait time: 30 minutes; 60 minutes or longer for set-in stains | Best for: Fresh stains, set-in wine, and urine stains | Less effective on: Set-in dirt and food stains

Best for Red Wine Stains

Emergency Stain Rescue Chateau Spill Red Wine Stain Remover

4.8

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Cheers! You don’t have to get rid of your favorite area rug at the first sign of a wine spill. Our testers described this spray wine stain cleaner as “outstanding” after it effectively removed fresh red wine spills, dry stains, and even wine stains that had been left to soak overnight.

The Chateau Spill Wine Stain Remover comes in a miniature spray bottle that’s easy to store or take with you on the go, and we found that it’s incredible at completely erasing wine stains from rugs, carpet, and upholstery. Our experts recommend that, if the wine stain has already dried, spray the mark with water first so the cleaner can work better. Once our testers pre-treated the stain, they found the cleaner to be excellent at taking out wine stains with little to no blotting necessary.

While effective at removing wine stains from all the surfaces we tested, we found that it worked the best on upholstery. Our tester noted that the spray bottle required a little more dexterity to spritz than other cleaners on our list, but after a few sprays, it was easier to use. We also loved that it has a color-safe formula, so it won’t remove the vibrant hues from your clothes or flooring.

It’s important to note that this spray cleaner is specifically designed to remove wine stains, not necessarily other messes. While the Chateau cleaner did okay at removing barbecue sauce during our tests, it didn’t do so well with soil. And as far as odors, it wasn’t able to remove the smell of urine from any surfaces.

If a dropped wine glass ever threatens to ruin happy hour, you’ll want this on hand. Use it only for wine stains, and it’s an incredible product. And since it comes in a three-pack on Amazon, you’ll be defended against countless spilled glasses.

Price at time of publish: $22

Product Details:

Amount: Three-pack of 4-ounce bottles | Wait time: None | Best for: Wine stains | Less effective on: Dirt, food stains, and urine

Best for Upholstery

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

4.5

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If you’re worried about dirt, food spills, or other messes damaging your beloved couch, the Rocco and Roxie Stain and Odor Eliminator may help set your mind at ease. During our tests, we found that the formula lifted stains lifted easily from upholstery, and it outperformed all of the other spray cleaners on our list in this category.

Our testers were shocked to find that wine stains “literally disappeared with no blotting needed” after applying the spray cleaner. We also found that the spray effectively removed ground-in dirt stains and fresh soil spills, though it was most-effective on stains that had been there for a while. We don’t recommend using this cleaner to get rid of food stains, since the barbecue sauce spill was still slightly visible on the couch.

When it came to urine stains and smells, the Rocco and Roxie Stain and Odor Eliminator was equally effective at removing both. Testers said it left behind a “clean scent”—not too overpowering or chemical-y.

This carpet spray cleaner is easy to use, but the drawback is that you do have to wait 30 minutes for it to settle in—and that’s if you caught the mess soon after it was made. For set-in stains, the instructions say to wait at least 60 minutes or even overnight, so patience is a virtue when you’re using this carpet spray. Still, our testers found the results to be worth the wait.

Price at time of publish: $20

Product Details:

Amount: 32 ounces | Wait time: 30 to 60 minutes | Best for: Wine stains, dirt, and pet stains | Less effective on: Food stains

Best for Old Stains

Rocco & Roxie Supply Co. Oxy Stain Remover

4.9

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When you find a mysterious mark on your once-spotless rug, the best carpet spray cleaners will be able to remove the stain no matter how many hours it’s been sitting there. Based on testing results, we chose the Rocco and Roxie Stain Remover as the best choice for old stains.

Our tester found that this oxy-powered stain remover was effective and simple to use with very little wait time. Fresh stains—that includes wine, dirt, and even urine—came out with just one application. However, this product truly shone when it came to removing stains that had been sitting for 12 hours or longer. Testers reported that the Rocco and Roxie stain remover tackled old stains effortlessly, removing all discoloration without a trace. The only mess it failed to completely remove was the barbecue sauce stain; after two applications, there was still a faint stain on the carpet.

Some carpet spray cleaners leave behind a weird chemical smell even after you’ve thoroughly scrubbed your rug or upholstery. Our testers raved over the Rocco and Roxie Oxy Stain Remover’s scent, saying they’d “never smelled a cleaner that smelled this good.” However, if you’re looking for an odorless product, you may not like the mint scent it leaves behind.

If you have pets, this product is great at removing the smell of urine from carpet and upholstery, decreasing the likelihood that your pet will continue to use that spot to relieve themselves. When you consider that this could save you from having to replace a carpet or couch, it’s well worth the price tag.

Price at time of publish: $20

Product Details:

Amount: 32 ounces | Wait time: A few minutes | Best for: Fresh and set-in wine stains, pet messes, and dirt | Less effective on: Food stains

Best for Spot Cleaning

Scotchgard OXY Pet Spot & Stain Remover Carpet & Fabric

4.4

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When small spills happen on large surfaces like a couch cushion or an area rug, it’s a good idea to have a trustworthy spot-cleaner on hand to help deal with problems as they arise. Our tester found the Scotchgard Oxy spray bottle easy to use, and they especially liked that it only takes five minutes for the cleaner to work its magic—meaning you don’t have to spend an hour waiting to scrub out stains.

The spray cleaner successfully removed fresh dirt stains, wine spills, and animal urine, though it was unable to fully remove barbecue sauce from rugs and upholstery. Since almost all carpet spray cleaners struggled with this stain, this didn’t surprise us too much. The Scotchgard Oxy cleaner also removed stains that had been sitting overnight, meaning you don’t have to worry about spots and spills you find a few hours after they’ve happened.

Though it’s advertised as a pet stain remover, note that it won’t remove odors. Our testers detected a light urine odor that lingered on rugs and upholstery after scrubbing. On the plus side, this spray doesn’t have an overpowering chemical scent, which is ideal for cleaning up less-smelly messes.

Price at time of publish: $13

Product Details:

Amount: 26 ounces | Wait time: Not listed | Best for: Dirt stains, wine stains, pet messes | Less effective on: Odors