Spray, agitate, extract
Spray extraction sprays detergent solution into a fabric and pulls it back out with it. The machines differ far less in how they spray than in how much they recover — and water left in a carpet is what makes it smell a week later. We compare recovery, tank separation, hand tools for stairs and car seats, and drying time.
400 W · two tanks · self-cleaning · 30 ml starter solution
The cheapest two-tank spray extraction machine here, with a self-cleaning cycle and a sample of solution.
Best for: A first spot-cleaning machine for accidents on a sofa or a car seat
≈ 50 €
12 kPa · 450 W · 1.4 m hose · 5 m cable
The cheapest way into spray extraction here — and the reach figures explain the price.
Best for: Occasional spills in a flat, where the machine is bought for one specific accident
≈ 60 €
20 kPa · 600 W motor + 800 W boiler · twin 1.75 l tanks · 10 s heat-up
Twenty kilopascals and two 1.75-litre tanks — the best-specified machine in this family, in three countries.
Best for: Sofas, mattresses and car seats in Germany, Italy and Spain — the markets where it is actually sold
≈ 110 €
15 000 Pa · 500 W · spray control trigger
Spray control on the handle: you decide how wet the fabric gets, which is the mistake this category invites.
Best for: Quick response to spills on sofas and car seats, where control matters more than power
≈ 130 €
Spray extraction · 6.3 m working radius · upholstery and car interiors
A spot machine, not a carpet machine — and the six-metre radius is what makes it a car tool.
Best for: Households with children, pets or a car interior that sees food
≈ 115 €
4-in-1 · 60 °C hot water · 116 °C steam · 1 800 W
Cold water, hot water, steam wash and dry steam in one machine — four modes, and a real temperature for each.
Best for: Households with pets and mixed surfaces — fabric, mattresses, tiles and grout
≈ 100 €
On a fresh stain, what counts is recovering the liquid before it sinks into the foam. It is the suction that decides, not the amount of product.
Over a large textile area you need a motor that lasts the distance without fading between the first pass and the last.
For two or three accidents a year, a small machine is enough — provided it is to hand at the moment it happens.
Only if it is described as low-foaming and machine-compatible. An ordinary household shampoo foams in the recovery tank and the foam can reach the motor — that is a repair, not an inconvenience.
From a few hours to two days depending on the foam and the ventilation. The deciding factor is not the product but the number of dry passes made after rinsing.
Yes. A spot cleaner works on dissolved dirt; dry hair and crumbs saturate the filter and stick in the hose.
Yes, but the damp lingers more on a surface that cannot be lifted. Work in small zones and insist on recovery.
That is wicking: liquid that sank into the foam rises again as it dries and brings the soiling back. It comes from insufficient recovery, almost never from a bad product.
With a great deal of restraint. A mattress dries very slowly and residual damp breeds mould in it. Prefer a surface treatment and forced drying.
A pass with clean water removes the detergent residue that would otherwise hold dust and make it dirty faster. The step most often skipped.
A six-square-metre rug needs around four litres, rinse included. Below two litres you refill twice, and the warm solution cools in between.
A spot cleaner is judged on what it recovers, not on what it sprays. Two separate tanks, decent suction and the discipline of dry passes do more for the result than any specific product.
A figure has to be published by four machines in five to earn its column. Below that, we would be comparing empty cells.
| Model | Price | Amazon reference |
|---|---|---|
| Akitas X5 | 50 € | B0GFF7C519 |
| Mamowla Upholstery Cleaner | 60 € | B0GX69FBWN |
| Lehmann SteamWash 1800 | 100 € | B0H3LCDNGF |
| Lubluelu 1400 W Extractor | 110 € | B0H1C2WPJK |
| Kärcher SE 2 Spot Care | 115 € | B0FPGHCD96 |
| Heimkraft Spray Extractor | 130 € | B0GTRY5LR3 |
Specifications: manufacturer sheets for cleaning machines and the matching Amazon product pages. Prices and availability: Keepa. Every figure in this table names its source.
Most recent revision in this category: August 16, 2026.
Prices quoted in these summaries are dated readings. The live price is shown next to each product.
