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Whether you’re mopping up after pets or kids, or just want to be prepared for spillages, here are our favourite upright and standalone carpet cleaners for tackling grubby floors at home
• The best steam cleaners and mops for a sparkling home
I’ve tested a few carpet cleaners in my time, but I have to admit I learned new things putting these eight models through a series of punishing tests. My main takeaway is this: if you have light-coloured carpet, don’t eat curry over it. If you do, and the worst happens, clean it up as quickly as you can, because every second counts.
I also learned that no carpet cleaner in this group comes with a magic wand you can wave over a mess to make it disappear. I doubt there’s a machine on earth that can make a single pass over a dollop of tikka masala paste and leave no trace of it behind.