13 best spot cleaners and washers for tackling stubborn stains

Score: 98/100

All hail the Bissell SpotClean Pet Pro for its incredible stain removing abilities. It aced every cleaning test in the lab, removing dried in mud, wine, tea and coffee stains from all surfaces we tried it on. It also did a stand-out job at lifting the carpet pile, leaving the areas it tackled refreshed and only slightly damp.

Our testers loved how simple the machine was to use. The clear controls were well placed, and it was easy to manoeuvre, gliding around small or awkward spots without a fuss. In fact, their only complaint was that it’s quite noisy when switched on, but considering how efficiently it removes stains, we suspect you won’t have it turned on too long!

Score: 95/100

Leaving our carpet pile well restored with no matting, this Vax cleaner impressed on test. It made particularly light work of dried stains on all floor types. Its immediate stain removal was also effective, especially on hard floors and upholstery, but it was trickier to lift all traces on carpet.

It's user-friendly, thanks to easily accessible controls and thorough instructions, and its crevice tool would make it a great choice for tackling car interiors. The tools can’t be stored on board, but that’s a minor niggle for a machine that practically worked miracles on our floors.

Score: 95/100

This lightweight, simple Vax was a hit with our testers. All the controls are clear and easy to understand, and we didn't have to refer back to the instructions once, making cleaning straightforward throughout. It’s cordless, so you don't need to worry about stray wires or limited plug sockets, and the 25-minute battery life should be ample to tackle the odd spill.

Cleaning immediate and set-in stains from hard floors was a breeze. Mud, tea and coffee disappeared easily from carpet and upholstery too; it struggled a little with red wine, leaving faint discolouration behind, but the stains were much less noticeable after they'd been treated.

Score: 95/100

Yes, another Vax – it's a market-leader for a reason – and our panel loved this more affordable model. On hard floors, it didn’t scrimp on cleaning power either, which meant minimal scrubbing was needed. Testers also liked how evenly it sprayed the cleaning solution across the floor and the fact that surfaces were almost dry afterwards.

Wine and mud proved stubborn to remove on carpet, while coffee lingered on our upholstery. Ultimately though, only traces remained, so if that happens at home, another few passes with the cleaner should shift the remnants. Overall, our experts were pleased with the appearance of our carpet after cleaning – the colour and pile looked pristine, with no water marks left behind.

Score: 94/100

Yet another Vax model well worth considering is the SpotWash Max Duo. The cleaner comes with clear instructions and even has a handy QR code that takes you to more information online if you need extra assistance. Testers found the design pleasingly portable and compact, making it easy to store too.

Stains including tea and coffee lifted easily from all surfaces on test, and even red wine faded so it was barely visible – with the help of some extra scrubbing. Mud wasn’t too troublesome either, but the cleaner needed a helping hand to loosen (and subsequently clear) larger clumps from our carpets.

You also need to leave time for your carpets to dry as they were slightly damp afterwards, but spot cleaners generally only tackle small areas, so this shouldn’t impact you going about your day too much.

Score: 94/100

The cordless design of this spot cleaner ticked all our boxes; it’s lightweight, easy to carry and simple to store away. Our experts praised the ergonomic design of the handle and trigger too, which made it possible to tackle multiple tasks in one go without getting sore hands.

It excelled on our upholstery test, removing both immediate stains and set-in spills. Testers didn’t need to scrub, and the hose attachment meant they could get right into crevices and awkward spots. On carpets (it’s not suitable for hard flooring), the spot cleaner struggled a little with fresh wine, mud and coffee stains but another pass would do the job. And when it tackled dirt that had been left to dry, it cleaned up everything without a trace – even red wine.

Score: 93/100

Vax offers two models designed for pet owners and this is the cheaper of the two (the other, larger model, had the same score on test and is immediately below). As you’d expect of the brand, it boasts excellent cleaning credentials. But it was the accompanying attachments that stole the show for our testers – an extra wide cleaning attachment ups the space you can cover in one sweep while the ‘Messy tool’ makes hard floor scrubbing a lot easier.

For pet owners, it's the ‘Spin scrub’ hand tool you should pay attention to if you’re tackling carpet stains. It has automatic rotating bristles, doing even more of the hard work for you than usual and removing ingrained dust and dirt effectively. Just note that the tool can be fiddly to detach and there isn't enough space for them all on board.

Score: 93/100

Just like the Vax above, this is a powerful cleaner that’s made for removing stubborn pet messes and everyday household stains. It has a larger tank, so you can clean bigger areas in your home without the need to empty the tank midway through.

It aced our upholstery and hard floor tests thanks to an array of attachments that let you tailor its cleaning to suit the task at hand. It fared well on carpet too, but dried-in wine stains were stubborn on all surfaces, requiring extra treatment. That's not too unusual though, and overall, our floors and carpets emerged in relatively good shape – dry with no lingering watermarks.

Score: 92/100

Easy to set up and fill, Bissell’s SpotClean Cordless model got off on the right foot in testing. It tackled both immediate and 24-hour stains with impressive results – the carpet was well-lifted, vibrant in colour and fairly dry. Getting rid of red wine stains took some scrubbing, but that’s a given really.

For cleaning upholstery, testers followed the manufacturer’s recommendations, switching to Eco Mode. Don’t be fooled by the name though, as this slightly lighter setting still put in an effortless performance – it just left our car seats slightly damp.

In fact, there wasn’t much to dislike about this cleaner. It’s portable, easy to store, and comes with a bottle of cleaning solution, so you can start tackling stains right away!

Score: 91/100

Our testers were impressed by this spot cleaner's ability to remove all kinds of stains from upholstery. Whether a recent or dried-in stain, the cleaner lifted dirt well with no scrubbing needed, thanks to the range of attachments.

It cleaned well on carpets too, removing all traces of immediate stains and restoring the carpet pile. Only dried-in mud and red wine caused issues, leaving slight outlines where the stain had been. As long as you deal with spills and footprints quickly, this effective and affordable cleaner should do the job.

Score: 89/100

If pet hair and mud are a common problem in your household, then this spot cleaner should be a handy cleaning companion. It combines Shark’s powerful suction with anti-clogging, anti-clumping and anti-tangle technology, plus four handheld attachments, to ensure your carpets are left mess-free.

On test, we used a bit of scrubbing to help the solution penetrate deeper into the carpet (as requested in the instructions) – doing this helped lift both immediate and set-in stains with little extra work needed. The only struggle was with coffee, where a slight dark ring remained.

Our upholstery was left sparkling too, with no traces of stains left behind – impressive. The surfaces were left a little too damp for our liking but that’s something we think we could cope with in exchange for its cleaning power.

Score: 88/100

Beldray’s Spot Buster Pro excelled on carpet, barely dropping any marks on test. The built-in spray system distributed cleaning solution with ease and the scrubbing head helped to agitate and lift stains from the pile. The extendable hose also came in handy when tackling stairs and hard to reach areas.

While less effective on laminate, it still only dropped two marks for this test, struggling when faced with tricky red wine stains. The appliance is a little heavy to carry but if you’re on a budget it’s a great buy, particularly if your home is mainly carpeted throughout.

Score: 87/100

This deep cleaner uses steam technology to tackle dirt with little scrubbing needed, meaning cleaning mud was a fuss-free task. Extra elbow grease was needed to eradicate red wine and coffee spills from our carpets, but the wine was easier to clean when it had been left to dry as opposed to when treated straightaway. However, our expert would recommend avoiding letting coffee set in as this didn’t fully disappear.

One nice feature was that its steam mode was ready quickly, so you can get cleaning in a flash. Our testers also appreciated the detachable wheels, which let you pull the machine around easily, particularly as it's fairly weighty. This easy-to-use model is a reliable buy for refreshing your floors.