Last week, I came home to a very unpleasant surprise waiting on my carpet. Apparently, our 4-month old Labrador who was still being house trained had a little accident on my favorite carpet. Having spent quite a bit on our rug, I didn't really want to stretch my budget getting a new one or hiring one of those cleaners. Since our puppy still had a long way to go before becoming fully housebroken, I figured that I'd need a long-term solution to my little dilemma.

I got the Bissell carpet shampooer based on a friend's recommendation and I'm glad to say that this is the best investment I've ever made. Here are a few reasons how it saved me a nice chunk of cash:

#1: It's Feature-Packed

As a fellow pet owner, my friend told me that he spent hundreds of dollars having their carpet cleaned so out of frustration, he looked online for a better option. I ordered one for myself as well, and immediately did a test run.

First of all, I like that the whole package was less than about 20 pounds. I had always imagined carpet cleaners to be clunky and cumbersome to use - not with the Bissell carpet shampooer.

It was easy to tote around and the compact design meant I could store it just about anywhere in the house.

As for the other features, I found out that this cleaner had different modes which allows users to take on different kinds of messes they'll encounter. For example, the set-in stain cycle works best on stains that have already taken some time to settle into the carpet fibers.

Of course, this is harder to remove, but the Bissell carpet shampooer has no problem removing this from your rug. The heavy duty brush and suction nozzles do a very thorough job of removing dirt particles from the bottom up. The manufacturer calls this Deep Reach Technology.

There's even a manual mode if you prefer getting hands-on with removing the stain. The Bissell carpet shampooer is easily convertible so you can use it as a conventional cleaner. However, I personally prefer the automatic mode because all I have to do is set it down on the stain and let it work its magic.

#2: Newbie-Friendly

As someone who's never cleaned a carpet before, I was impressed by how easy it is to use the Bissell carpet shampooer. The cleaning process is a no-brainier with the automatic mode which I'm particularly fond of.

After I loaded the cleaning solution into the unit, I simply selected the cleaning cycle I wanted and it did the rest. Soon enough, all traces of my puppy's mess was completely gone. In fact, it's as if I just bought the carpet yesterday.

#3: Easy Maintenance

The problem with conventional cleaners is that it's hard to dump the waste they have collected after using it. The Bissell carpet shampooer does away with all of this by making it simple to dump the dirty water. I just remove the detachable dirty tank from the unit and discarded the water so I could rinse it for the next use.

Also, the cleaning tools which attach to the hose are just as easily removable and you can rinse them with water. That's all there is to maintaining this user-friendly cleaning wonder!

#4: Excellent Value For Your Money

Other bulkier carpet cleaners cost way more, and the great thing about the Bissell brand is that you get the same power for a fraction of the cost. Bigger isn't always better; this powerful little piece of equipment gives you the best bang for your buck.

After its initial run, I don't have to worry about my puppy's house training progress because my Bissell carpet shampooer will be there to clean up any future accidents.