Whether the carpet shampooer is a retail model you buy outright or a hire model.

We recommend carpet shampooers with a CHOICE Expert Rating of 70% or more.

The CHOICE Expert Rating consists of 70% performance and 30% ease of use.

Performance consists of carpet cleaning (80%), stain cleaning (10%) and residual wetness (10%).

Ease of use makes up 30% of the total score and consists of ease of filling emptying/tanks, mobility, controls and head movement.

Carpet cleaning makes up 80% of the performance score. We replicate ground-in dirt using a combination of sand, clay and oil.

We stain carpets with red wine, gravy and coffee, let it dry, and assess how much stain is removed. Not all carpet shampooers claim to be suitable for removing these types of stains, and the solutions we use are targeted towards general dirt build-up, so this only makes up 10% of the performance score.

We assess how much residual wetness there is on the carpet after a number of hours. This makes up 10% of the performance score.

Shop Ethical rates the environmental and social impact of the company (not the product) using independent sources. This rating is not included in our total score. N/A means there is no rating for that company.

The stated manufacturer warranty. A three-year warranty for these products is reasonable, while a one-year warranty is poor.

'Tested model' refers to carpet shampooers that are currently available in shops and online. 'Discontinued model' refers to carpet shampooers that are either out of stock, or actually a discontinued line from the manufacturer.

We test carpet shampooers you can hire or buy outright. For hire models, we list the typical hire cost for 48 hours (though 24-hour hires are available). The cost listed does not include cleaning solutions or additional upholstery tools that may not be supplied with the unit.

The year tested indicates which test batch the products were part of. As some conditions change, 2022 results are not comparable with earlier ones.

Whether the carpet shampooer is suitable for upholstery such as lounges. In some cases you may need to buy additional tools.

The solution we used for the carpet shampoo test. Many manufacturers claim you should use compatible solution or risk voiding your warranty. Most manufacturers sell a wide range of cleaning solutions; we use what we think is indicative of a general use solution. Note that manufacturers may change formulas for the shampoo from time to time which may affect performance scores.

Weight does not include the weight of the tank when it's full.

Whether cleaning solution is supplied with the carpet shampooer. Most of the time only a small 'sample' solution is supplied. For rental machines, you'll need to buy solution at the point of hire.