Carpet and hard-floor cleaners · Comparison
Lightweight carpet cleaners: machine weight vs tank size
A light carpet cleaner carries less water. What does each one weigh once it is full, and how small a tank can you accept?
Quick picks who each one fits
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BISSELL Little Green ProHeat (2513E), portable
Lowest stated weight here: 8.5 lb
- Weight: 8.5 lb
- Tank: 37 oz
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Hoover CleanSlate XL (FH15000V), portable
Most water per pound here: 96 oz* on 11 lb*
- Weight: 11.0 lb*
- Tank: 96 oz*
- Cord: 22 ft*
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BISSELL Little Green HydroSteam (3618), portable
Portable with steam named: 13 lb, 64 oz tank
- Weight: 13.0 lb
- Tank: 64 oz
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Hoover PowerScrub XL Pet (FH68050BX), upright
Upright; check the weight first (see below)
- Weight: 12.2 lb
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Hoover PowerDash Pet Advanced Compact (FH55050PC), upright
Compact upright, 16.2 lb in its listing
- Weight: 16.2 lb
Figures are as stated in each product's current Amazon listing; * from the maker's own spec page (see Sources). Yes or No: whether the listing or maker names the feature.
On this page
What we compared and why
- Stated weight, empty. This is the figure a listing shows. It is the weight you lift out of a closet. Listing weights can include packaging, so we treat small gaps as ties.
- Clean-water tank. A larger tank means fewer trips to the sink, and more weight in your hands between those trips. Where neither the listing nor the maker's page for that exact model states it, the cell says so.
- Weight when full. Water adds about 8.34 lb per US gallon. Add it to the empty weight and you have the number that matters on stairs.
- Carry or roll. An upright rolls across the floor, so its weight matters mainly on stairs and when you lift it out of storage. A portable is carried by hand to each mess.
The models compared
| Model | Weight | Tank | Cord | Amazon link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BISSELL Little Green ProHeat (2513E), portable | 8.5 lb | 37 oz | Not stated in listing | See on Amazon |
| Hoover CleanSlate XL (FH15000V), portable | 11.0 lb* | 96 oz* | 22 ft* | See on Amazon |
| BISSELL Little Green HydroSteam (3618), portable | 13.0 lb | 64 oz | Not stated in listing | See on Amazon |
| Hoover PowerScrub XL Pet (FH68050BX), upright | 12.2 lb | Not stated in listing | Not stated in listing | See on Amazon |
| BISSELL TurboClean Pet (3948), upright | 14.0 lb | Not stated in listing | Not stated in listing | See on Amazon |
| Shark CarpetForce (EX501BRN), upright | 15.2 lb | Not stated in listing | Not stated in listing | See on Amazon |
| Hoover PowerDash Pet Advanced Compact (FH55050PC), upright | 16.2 lb | Not stated in listing | Not stated in listing | See on Amazon |
Read at this page's build and converted to one unit by us; sources as in the key above. "Not stated in listing": the listing does not give it. "Listing gives two values": it states two, so we show neither.
BISSELL Little Green ProHeat (2513E), portable
Who it fits: Spots and small areas when the lowest weight here matters most; the listing gives 8.5 lb and a 37 oz tank, with removable water tanks.
Skip it if: You wash whole rooms; at 37 oz it holds well under half of the CleanSlate XL's tank per fill.
Hoover CleanSlate XL (FH15000V), portable
Who it fits: You want a large tank in a portable you can still lift empty; Hoover states 11 lb and 96 oz, the most water per pound in this table.
Skip it if: You must carry it full up stairs; with the tank full it comes to about 17 lb, the same as the heavier HydroSteam.
BISSELL Little Green HydroSteam (3618), portable
Who it fits: Portable use where hot water and steam, named in its listing, matter more to you than the lightest possible body; 13 lb and a 64 oz clean tank.
Skip it if: Weight per fill is your deciding figure; the CleanSlate XL holds more water at about the same full weight.
Hoover PowerScrub XL Pet (FH68050BX), upright
Who it fits: You want an upright with a recovery tank Hoover promotes for fewer stops, and you can confirm the weight on the box before you rely on it.
Skip it if: You are choosing on weight alone; the listing's 12.2 lb sits far from the 19.15 lb Hoover states for a different model number under the same name, the FH68002V.
BISSELL TurboClean Pet (3948), upright
Who it fits: Whole rooms from an upright with the lowest stated upright weight we could rely on here, 14 lb, plus a hose named in its listing.
Skip it if: You need a tank size to plan with; this listing does not state one, and we did not borrow a figure.
Shark CarpetForce (EX501BRN), upright
Who it fits: Carpets and area rugs from an upright sold as lightweight, with a 15.2 lb listing weight and a removable wand.
Skip it if: You need a tank size to plan with; neither the listing nor a Shark US page we could find states one for this model.
Hoover PowerDash Pet Advanced Compact (FH55050PC), upright
Who it fits: A compact upright for small rooms, with hand cleaning above the floor named in its title.
Skip it if: You expect the 13 lb that Hoover's FAQ gives for PowerDash; the FAQ names no model, and this listing states more.
What a lightweight machine gives up
Every listing leads with the empty machine. You rarely carry it empty. Water weighs about 8.34 lb per US gallon (USGS), which comes to about 0.065 lb for each fluid ounce, so a large tank can add more than a quarter of the machine's own weight again. This page is research-based, from current listings and makers' pages; we have not lifted or used these machines.
The arithmetic: empty, full, and water per pound
Three models here state both figures. The full weight below is the stated weight plus a full clean tank; it leaves out formula and any dirty water already recovered.
| Machine | Stated weight | Clean tank | Weight when full (our sum) | Tank ounces per pound of machine |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BISSELL Little Green ProHeat 2513E | 8.51 lb | 37 oz | About 10.9 lb | 4.3 |
| BISSELL Little Green HydroSteam 3618 | 13 lb | 64 oz | About 17.2 lb | 4.9 |
| Hoover CleanSlate XL FH15000V | 11 lb | 96 oz | About 17.3 lb | 8.7 |
Two things stand out. The CleanSlate XL and the HydroSteam are 2 lb apart empty and about the same when full, yet the CleanSlate holds half as much water again (96 oz against 64 oz). And the ProHeat is about 6 lb lighter than either when full, in exchange for more trips to the sink: one CleanSlate tank equals about 2.6 ProHeat tanks.
You can run this on any machine: multiply the tank in ounces by 0.065 and add the stated weight.
When the full weight matters, and when it does not
- You carry the machine to the mess. Use the full weight. That is every portable, and any upright that goes up or down stairs filled.
- You roll an upright on one floor. The empty figure matters when you lift it out of the closet; after that the wheels carry the weight.
- You fill at the sink. A tank that comes off is lighter to carry than the whole machine: 64 oz is about 4.2 lb. The ProHeat's listing names removable water tanks. Check for this on any machine you are considering.
If lifting is the concern, whatever the reason, we cannot tell you what weight suits you.
"Lightweight" on a listing is not a measurement
The word appears in the titles of the Shark CarpetForce and the Hoover PowerDash models, and those two state 15.2 lb and 16.2 lb. The BISSELL HydroSteam, whose title does not use the word, states 13 lb. Compare the numbers instead of the adjective.
Three listing and maker figures here deserve a second look:
- Hoover PowerScrub XL Pet. The listing for the FH68050BX gives 12.2 lb. Hoover's page for the FH68002V, a different model number under the same name, gives 19.15 lb and a 1-gallon clean tank. Those figures are not for this model, and we could not confirm how the two machines differ, so the table shows only this listing's weight and no tank. Treat that weight as unconfirmed, and check the box before you rely on it.
- Hoover PowerDash. Hoover's FAQ says PowerDash weighs 13 lb without naming a model. The FH55050PC listing says more.
- Uprights without a tank figure. The TurboClean Pet and CarpetForce listings state no tank size, so they stay out of the arithmetic. We would rather leave a cell blank than borrow a figure from a sibling.
Which one if...
- Small messes, carried by hand, lowest weight first: BISSELL Little Green ProHeat 2513E.
- A portable you can fill once and keep working: Hoover CleanSlate XL FH15000V, if you can manage about 17 lb when full or can fill it where you will use it.
- Whole rooms on one floor: one of the uprights, starting from the stated weight you are comfortable lifting out of storage.
- Not sure you need a full-size machine at all? See spot cleaner or carpet cleaner. For heavier uprights by tank and hose, see full-size carpet cleaners compared. Stairs are covered in carpet cleaners for stairs and upholstery.
Reading the table
Figures with a mark come from Hoover's page for the FH15000V, linked under Sources. Other cells come from the current listing, and "Not stated in listing" means the listing gives no figure. The weight, tank and full-weight rows in the arithmetic table use the same sources; the sums and ratios are ours.
What this page does not tell you
We have not used these machines, and we do not rank them. We say nothing about how clean a carpet gets, how long it takes to dry, or whether any machine suits a particular person's strength or health. For handling and filling instructions, follow the maker's manual.