If you have a white carpet you want to protect, the Little Green carpet cleaner should be stashed in your closet for emergency cleanups. This portable cleaner doesn’t replace regular carpet cleanings but is excellent for spot-cleaning carpets in the event of an accidental spill. The lightweight Little Green weighs only 13 pounds for easy traveling to rooms, staircases, or auto interiors to clean up a variety of messes, including pet stains, spilled food or drinks, and muddy footprints. In addition, the cleaner has a flexible vacuum hose and a long power cord that stretches to almost 15 feet long to provide ample reach along the stairs or in vehicles. The Little Green’s stain-removing action is superior to store-bought chemical cleaners as it lifts the stain up with its suction before it sets in; other cleaners require you to rub the stain with a cloth and push it farther down into the carpet. The cleaner uses a combination of Bissell’s special deep cleaning formula and hot tap water to pre-treat stains. The solution tank is easy to remove and fill and slides back onto the unit with no problems. A wide and strong spray path spreads the cleaning formula over the stain and, after a little scrubbing with the stain brush tool (which fits on the end of the cleaner’s hose), the cleaner suctions up the stain and dries the carpet in one step. Dirty water collects in the back of the Little Green in another tank that is equally as easy to remove and rinse clean. This compact multipurpose cleaner is safe on most carpets and upholstery and stores easily in a closet or under a sink until it’s required for a spill. The Little Green comes with an 8-ounce sample of Bissell’s Little Green deep-cleaning formula and is covered by Bissell under a limited one-year warranty. --Cristina Vaamonde