Bissell Little Green Portable Carpet Cleaner 1400B

The Little Green is the machine that comes out when the dog does something unspeakable to the carpet. It sprays cleaning solution, scrubs, and then suctions the whole mess into a separate dirty-water tank you get to inspect afterward, which is both disgusting and deeply satisfying. The clean and dirty tanks lift out for filling and rinsing, and the hose reaches the places an upright never will: stairs, car seats, the couch cushion crime scene.

It has one job, it does that job well, and it stows on a closet shelf at a fraction of the cost of a full-size carpet machine. This 1400B version comes with a tough stain tool, a crevice tool, and a starter bottle of Bissell's OXY spot formula. For new puppy owners, or anyone who owns cream-colored anything, it's less a gift than an insurance policy they'll thank you for at 6am.