The Best Carpet Stain Removers, Tested and Reviewed

As I mentioned before, I had never purchased this in the past, as my need for carpet and upholstery stain removers was primarily in relation to pets (more on that later.) But boy, was I thrilled to have this on hand when I knocked over an entire container of takeout ketchup on a recent Saturday night. I luckily had already purchased this for the purposes of this test and immediately used it on the stain which hit my couch, area rug, and throw blanket. My area rug is light green (and new, ugh!), so I was concerned that I had ruined it forever. Just like magic, though, the Folex formula got everything out. No one will know the Ketchup Disaster of 2026 ever happened.

Still, I followed through with the independent test, too, in which Folex also passed with flying colors on both the fresh stains and the long-term ones. It left no residue or white cast behind, which can sometimes happen with other removers I’ve tried. If you’re looking for a jack-of-all-trades carpet stain remover, this is the one I’d keep close.

Senior editor Bree here, tapping in to share my favorite carpet stain remover for cats!

When we moved into our first two-story apartment a few years ago, it was a difficult adjustment for our cat, Blue. She started having messes for the first time ever, and it took a few weeks for her to finally feel comfortable and use the litter box routinely. A friend told me about this Rocco & Roxie stain and odor remover. I had tried everything at that point, and nothing was working, so I figured I didn’t have anything to lose. Little did I know, it would be the best thing I’d ever buy. Let me tell you: This works—better than anything I’ve ever tried for stains, discoloration, odor, you name it. That cat urine smell that was impossible to remove? Completely gone.

The smell of the cleaner is nice, too. It’s not overwhelming, but it leaves the area with a fresh, lemon-mint scent that’s light and pleasant. And it doesn’t mask the odor like some other cleaners do—you can tell it’s really eliminating the smell right at the source. It worked so well, I even started using it on stains that had nothing to do with pets: red wine, yellow curry, black coffee… And it’s worked like a dream every time. I can’t recommend this enough.

I have a horror story for you: A few years back, I purchased a lovely (and primarily white) rug. I had friends over one night, and both brought along a nice bottle of red wine. I think you can see where I’m going with this… And yes, one of my guests accidentally spilled her entire glass on the carpet. I’d never fault her for such things, but I wasn’t prepared in the moment to deal with the stain. Luckily, our other friend had experienced a similar issue and knew exactly what we needed! He introduced me to this magical little bottle and it worked beautifully. They also make specific formulas—the line is actually called Stain Devils—for other common household issues, like ink, marker, and crayon; blood, dairy, and ice cream; grass, dirt, and makeup; and more. Though I haven’t personally tested those yet, I am a fan of this specific formula. 

Campanelli was a new name for me, so I was excited to see how it performed in the independent test. While it worked beautifully on all the new spills, what I was especially impressed by was its ability to erase the set-in, old stains. We’re talking two-week old ketchup, gone in seconds.

The other standout of this product is it’s point-and-spray application that allows you to be very exact, versus a standard spray bottle that may accidentally impact a wider range of your carpet. (It doesn’t hurt that the packaging is more stylish than your average cleaning product, either.) Though the cost is a bit steeper on this one, it’s cleaning power holds up to the price.

As I mentioned earlier, my stain remover needs have mostly been regarding pets. I’ve had a cat and a dog through the years, so of course I’ve experienced an accident or two. The Resolve remover has worked wonders on rugs, couches, and even bedding, and has eliminated any hint of grossness that you might expect from a four-legged friend. The one note is that it can leave a temporary white cast on certain colors (I have a navy velvet couch, for example), but it has always gone away for me with a launder, water blot, or vacuum. If you follow the directions and always spot test first, you’ll be in good hands.