Updated: 20th November 2020
BISSELL SpotBot Pet vs. Rug Doctor Pet Portable vs. Hoover Spotless – this is a comparison review post about three portable carpet cleaners that people often compare before buying.
SpotBot Pet (2117A) functions in an automated mode to weed out fresh and old spot stains, Rug Doctor Pet Portable (93390) tackles all types of stubborn stains with its powerful suction, and Hoover Spotless (FH11300PC) is the right balance of performance, versatility, and portability.
Check out whether these portable carpet shampooers practice what they preach, and are they capable of eliminating pet messes, surface stains, and set-in stains.
Without further ado, let’s begin.
NOTE: Since BISSELL SpotBot Pet and Hoover Spotless are no longer available on the marketplace, we’ve linked to BISSELL Little Green Pro and Hoover CleanSlate Pet Plus, the closest associates respectively.
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Last update: November 14, 2024
- Features Comparison: BISSELL SpotBot Pet vs. Rug Doctor Pet Portable vs. Hoover Spotless
- Detailed Comparison: BISSELL SpotBot Pet vs. Rug Doctor Pet Portable vs. Hoover Spotless
- Final Overview: BISSELL SpotBot Pet vs. Rug Doctor Pet Portable vs. Hoover Spotless
- BISSELL SpotBot Pet vs. Rug Doctor Pet Portable vs. Hoover Spotless: Which one is the Best?
Features Comparison: BISSELL SpotBot Pet vs. Rug Doctor Pet Portable vs. Hoover Spotless
| Specifications | BISSELL SpotBot Pet (2117A) | Rug Doctor Pet Portable (93390) | Hoover Spotless (FH11300PC) |
| Dimensions (D x W x H) | 9 x 17 x 13.50 inches | 12.50 × 17.25 × 17.25 inches | 9.72 x 13.94 x 15.04 inches |
| Weight | 12.50 lbs | 15.50 lbs | <9 lbs |
| Power source | Corded | Corded | Corded |
| Power rating | 3 amps | 12 amps | 3.5 amps |
| Cord length | 16 feet | 15 feet | 14 feet |
| Hose length | 5 feet | 5 feet | 5 feet |
| Tank capacity | 30.6 oz for clean tank 29.2 oz for dirty tank | 64 oz each | 51 oz for clean tank 36 oz for dirty tank |
| Cleaning technology | Quick Clean & Deep Clean | No | No |
| Heating technology | No | No | No |
| Drying technology | No | No | No |
| Tools | 3-inch tough stain tool | Dual-action pet tool with rubberized brush | Antimicrobial rubber nub tool |
| Surface type | Carpet, upholstery, auto, stairs, rugs | Carpet, upholstery, auto, stairs, rugs | Carpet, upholstery, auto, stairs, rugs |
| Stains type | All spot stains like pet messes, tea, coffee, wine, and mud | All spot stains like pet messes, tea, coffee, wine, and mud | All spot stains like pet messes, tea, coffee, wine, and mud |
| Cleaning formula | Pet Stain & Odor formula, Pet Oxy Boost formula | Pet Stain & Odor cleaning solution with pro-enzymatic formula | Cleaning solution, Pretreat gel |
| Warranty | 2 years | 2 years | 2 years |
| Price | Check on Amazon | Check on Amazon | Check on Amazon |
Detailed Comparison: BISSELL SpotBot Pet vs. Rug Doctor Pet Portable vs. Hoover Spotless
Here I’ll elaborate upon various aspects related to these spot carpet cleaners, such as performance, ease of use, ease of maintenance, portability, versatility, customer reviews, and pros and cons. At last, a final overview comparison of all these aspects will help you decide the winner.
Performance
BISSELL SpotBot Pet is driven by a 3 amps (~360 Watts) motor, providing powerful suction that enables SpotBot to eliminate fresh as well as set-in stains. You get three modes here – deep clean for tough stains, fresh clean for surface-level fresh stains, and hose/tool if you want to use the 3-inch tough stain tool (or any other tool).
Rug Doctor Pet Portable is a beast amongst spot cleaners. A 12 amps (~1200 Watts) motor drives the appliance, delivering superior suction that eradicates the toughest stains of all types, especially pet stains. However, it makes a lot of noise. The 4-5-inch dual-action pet tool with a rubberized brush does a great job of agitating stains.
Hoover Spotless lies in between SpotBot and Rug Doctor in terms of performance. Powered by a 3.5 amps (~420 Watts) motor, Spotless works well for all types of stains, whether new or old. The antimicrobial rubber nub tool loosens up the filth quite nicely and also prevents the accumulation of bacteria, mold, and fungus.
My Verdict: BISSELL SpotBot Pet wins.
Ease of Use
The main purpose of the BISSELL SpotBot Pet is to make the spot cleaning process as easy as it can be. Just place the machine with the spiral brushes right on top of the spot, choose either fresh clean or deep clean mode, and let the automatic process of spraying, scrubbing, and suction take care of the task. And if you want better reach and hold, use the 3-inch tough stain tool in the hose/tool mode. There’s only one constraint – low tank capacities.
Rug Doctor Pet Portable works just like another ordinary portable spot cleaner. Fill the tank with water and cleaning solution, uncoil the hose and the cord, and finally, use the tool to spray, scrub, and remove spot stains of all types. The dual action pet tool with rubberized bristles makes it easier to scrub the surface. Emptying, rinsing, and filling tanks can be a little inconvenient as the tank design is not perfect.
Hoover Spotless is also easy to use; it follows the same process of spraying, scrubbing, and suction. The antibacterial rubber nub tool allows you to scrub conveniently, besides preventing microbial buildup. It’s compact and light, therefore easy to handle as well. The clean water tank holds a sufficient amount of solution but the dirty water tank has low capacity.
My Verdict: BISSELL SpotBot Pet wins for its automatic spot cleaning.
Ease of Maintenance
You need to put in the effort to maintain SpotBot Pet. To clean spiral brushes, you can dip them in a vessel containing a warm detergent solution. Or you can use a screwdriver to remove them completely for a thorough cleaning (not advisable, though). The detachable tool facilitates ease of cleaning the hose. Further, it’s convenient to clean the dirty water tank as well. BISSELL offers a 2-year warranty on SpotBot Pet.
Rug Doctor Pet Portable is also easy to maintain, given it only features a hand tool to clean pet messes and other stains. The dual action rubberized brush is immune to dirt and filth and, therefore, doesn’t need a thorough cleaning. However, it’s a little difficult to clean the dirty water tank. And since the tool picks up a lot of filth (because of 2X suction), the tank requires thorough cleaning. Rug Doctor provides a 2-year warranty on the product.
Hoover Spotless, according to me, is the easiest to clean and maintain. Owing to Self-Clean Technology, you can clean the hose in a few seconds. You just need to insert the hose end in the self-cleaning slot embedded in the machine. Further, the ergonomically-designed tanks facilitate convenient handling. However, the 14-feet cord is a constraint. Hoover offers a 2-year warranty on the product, too.
My Verdict: Hoover Spotless wins.
Portability
SpotBot Pet is a compact portable carpet cleaner, weighing just 12.50 pounds, easy to pick-and-carry wherever you want – upstairs, downstairs, across the room, in your car, and to your office. Due to its compact size (because of low-capacity tanks), it fits comfortably into cramped spaces.
Rug Doctor Pet Portable is slightly on the heavier side (due to the high-rated motor), weighing around 15.50 pounds. And it’s not so compact; thus making it hard to find sufficient storage space to accommodate the appliance. However, Rug Doctor provides a retractable handle and wheels in the machine so that you can move it like a trolley bag, instead of lifting it.
Hoover Spotless is the lightest – and even one of the lightest in the portable carpet cleaner segment – amongst the three, weighing less than 7 pounds. Anyone, including the elderly, can lift it comfortably from the handle and carry it anywhere. Also, the compact size facilitates easy storage.
My Verdict: Hoover Spotless wins because of its compact size and lightweight.
Versatility
As the name suggests, SpotBot Pet specifically caters to pet stains, both old and new. So if you have pets making frequent passes here and there, you can use this portable spot cleaner to get rid of stains. The 3-inch tough stain tool specifically caters to set-in stains. The tool also sucks up residual solution that’s left behind during automated cleaning (yes, the suction is average in the automatic modes).
Rug Doctor Pet Portable has been designed to tackle pet stains like a pro, be it pet poop, vomit, blood, drool, urine, paw marks, hair, etc. The dual-action pet tool with rubberized brush attracts pet hair and the nozzle deposits them into the dirty water tank. It’s also capable of eradicating odors and deep set-in stains (like on pet beds), if you use the right cleaning formula.
Hoover Spotless caters to stains of all types, whether it’s pet messes or other types like food and beverage spills, grass stains, oil and grease stains, etc. Use it on carpets, rugs, upholstery, stairs, hallways, auto interiors, pet beds, and anywhere applicable, it cleans up really well. Just clean up the hose after a couple of sessions (self-clean technology, remember?) if you want the suction to be top-notch every time.
My Verdict: Hoover Spotless wins.
Customer Reviews
Users praise BISSELL SpotBot Pet because it renders sheer convenience as they can set the machine in automatic mode and carry on with other tasks. Besides, they like the fact that they also get the hose and tool to clean, if they want better control. However, some users say the automated cleaning is not that much efficient as it creates stain circles and leaves behind a lot of residual solution.
Rug Doctor Pet Portable is applauded for its powerful suction, sturdy build, and ease of maneuvering due to the presence of wheels and collapsible handle. But some users are not satisfied with the tanks. They complain about leaks and the inability to clean tanks.
Hoover Spotless is a favorite of many users. They love it for its decent suction, ease of use, ease of maintenance, and portability. Since it works for all types of stains, a lot of buyers favor it. However, some complain about its ineffectiveness to deep clean carpets and rugs. I think using suitable cleaning formulas will help in eliminating particular types of stains.
My Verdict: It’s a tie.
Pros & Cons
| BISSELL SpotBot Pet | Rug Doctor Pet Portable | Hoover Spotless | |
| Pros | -Fully automated cleaning -Easy to use and maintain -Compact and lightweight | -Powerful suction & performance -Solid build quality -Retractable handle and wheels | -Versatile and powerful performance -Self-Clean technology -Compact and lightweight |
| Cons | -Too expensive -Hands-free cleaning not always effective | -Heavy and large -Too loud | -Brush prone to early wear and tear -Regular hose cleaning required |
| Buy on Amazon | Buy on Amazon | Buy on Amazon |
Final Overview: BISSELL SpotBot Pet vs. Rug Doctor Pet Portable vs. Hoover Spotless
| BISSELL SpotBot Pet (2117A) | Rug Doctor Pet Portable (93390) | Hoover Spotless (FH11300PC) | |
| Performance | Wins | ||
| Ease of Use | Wins | ||
| Ease of Maintenance | Wins | ||
| Portability | Wins | ||
| Versatility | Wins | ||
| Customer Reviews | Tie | Tie | Tie |
| Price | Check on Amazon | Check on Amazon | Check on Amazon |
BISSELL SpotBot Pet vs. Rug Doctor Pet Portable vs. Hoover Spotless: Which one is the Best?
That’s all from my side – a detailed comparison review of BISSELL SpotBot Pet vs. Rug Doctor Pet Portable vs. Hoover Spotless.
Go for BISSELL SpotBot Pet if you are looking for convenience and effective cleaning. A little expensive from the rest, but gives you what you are seeking – comfort!
Opt for Rug Doctor Pet Portable if you cannot compromise with the performance at all when it comes to pet messes. It’ll last longer and will get help you get rid of the toughest stains.
Simply purchase Hoover Spotless if are looking for an affordable all-rounder capable of tackling stains of all types, whether pet messes or others. It’s compact, light, and easy to maintain.
Must Read
- BISSELL SpotBot vs SpotBot Pet [33N8A vs. 2117A vs. 2114 vs. 2117]
- Hoover vs. BISSELL Carpet Cleaner Guide
- Hoover CleanSlate Pet Plus vs. Spotless vs. BISSELL Little Green
- BISSELL SpotClean Pro vs. Pet Pro vs. ProHeat
- BISSELL Pet Stain Eraser vs. Hoover ONEPWR Spotless GO Cordless
- BISSELL Little Green vs. Rug Doctor Pet Portable
- BISSELL SpotClean Pro vs. SpotBot Pet vs. Little Green
- BISSELL Pet Stain Eraser vs. SpotClean Pro
- BISSELL SpotClean Pro vs. Hoover Spotless
- BISSELL SpotClean Pro vs. Rug Doctor Pet Portable
- Best Portable Carpet Cleaner in 2021
Now tell me if you have questions regarding any of these portable carpet cleaners. Drop them in the comments.
And share this post with someone who’s looking to buy a spot cleaner but is too confused to decide.
The Editorial Team
After countless hours of research and scribbles, Clean Homez’ content creators bring to you the original, finest, detailed, and well-formatted content. The creators are experts in their domains and have profound knowledge of house cleaning & related chores.