While it’s possible to rent heavy-duty carpet cleaning machines from home improvement stores, in the long run it’s more convenient and economical to purchase your own and use it as needed. These are the best carpet cleaners we recommend, along with advice on how to pick the right model for your home and needs. We believe each carpet cleaner on this list fills a specific role or category better than other, similar models. For our latest update, we evaluated newer carpet cleaner models with upgraded features to give home users more versatility. Additionally, we drew on our own experience using a range of carpet cleaners in our busy (and often messy) homes.