There are several different types of carpet stain remover. The most common is spray, then foam spray, which exits the bottle as foam but dries to a powder and needs to be vacuumed. There are also a couple that have their own applicator brush, and then powder which is sprinkled over carpet and vacuumed up.

We recommend carpet stain removers with a CHOICE Expert Rating of at least 70%.

To determine the CHOICE Expert Rating, our overall score, we soil carpet with red wine, coffee, sauce, oil/dirt and foundation. Reflectance readings are taken of the soiled carpet stains. We follow the directions for applying the product and the amount of time they're left on the stain. The time differs depending on the manufacturer recommendation. Once the product is removed, the reflectance readings are taken and the percentage soil removal is calculated. We do 4 repeats of each stain, or 20 carpet tiles for each product.

We determine how well the product removes red wine stains.

We determine how well the product removes oil/dirt stains.

We determine how well the product removes sauce stains.

We determine how well the product removes coffee stains.

We determine how well the product removes foundation stains.

• We soil light-coloured carpet with red wine, sauce, coffee, oil/dirt and foundation. The stains are left to dry over a number of days and the carpet is cut into 10cm x 10cm squares. The reflectance values of the stained tiles are taken before and after cleaning to determine the soil removal percentage. We used two methods of cleaning, according to the instructions on each pack (we replicate the test a minimum of four times).
• METHOD 1: 5mL of product is applied to the centre of the carpet square and left for a set amount of time. A damp cloth is then used to massage the product into the carpet for 30 seconds in a clockwise circular direction, and the carpet tile is then left to dry.
• METHOD 2: 5g of product is applied to the centre of the carpet square and the carpet square is left for a set time and brushed in for 30 seconds.

Shop Ethical rates the environmental and social impact of the company (not the product) using independent sources. This rating is not included in our total score. N/A means there is no rating for that company.

This is the price we paid for the pack size listed.

Cost per 100mL is based on the price we paid for the products tested.

Whether the manufacturer recommends using this carpet stain remover for embedded stains (stains that have been around for a while) or spot stains (stains that have only just occurred).

As listed on the pack.

Although some manufacturers don't recommend a patch test, most do, so we would recommend it for all of them, home recipes included.

These are the instructions for application.

This is the manufacturer's recommended time to wait after applying the carpet stain remover for effectiveness.

The amount of time we waited when testing each product's effectiveness, based on the manufacturer's guidelines where applicable.

As listed on the pack purchased.