6 Best Carpet Rakes for Eliminating Hair and Debris
Updated: Sep. 26, 2023
Want to prolong the life of carpet and area rugs and keep them looking great? Get busy on dirt, debris and pet hair with one of these carpet rakes.
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Carpets and area rugs feel nice underfoot and add beauty and visual impact to a room. But they are also magnets for dirt, dust mites and pet hair. Vacuuming can help lift much of this debris out of your carpets, but deep-down rug fibers can’t always get clean with this method. Plus, some rugs, like bathroom mats, are too small to be vacuumed. Enter the humble carpet rake to save the day!
A carpet rake is just what it sounds like—a manual rake with bristles to clean and refresh interior rugs, carpets and automobile interiors. They help loosen deeply embedded dirt and hair and break up the gunk of pet stains and other soiled areas before vacuuming. Carpet rakes can also freshen up a rug’s appearance by combing the fibers into a perky upright position.
We know what you’re thinking. We already have to vacuum carpets and area rugs—now we have to rake them, too? But these carpet rakes are easy to use, completely silent and offer the instant gratification of a better-looking rug. You may even start to look forward to carpet raking sessions as your Zen moment!
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Best Overall Carpet Rake
Ravmag Silicone Broom with Squeegee
This all-in-one broom and squeegee fits the bill for a durable, multipurpose carpet rake. Its silicone bristles create static electricity that lifts all sorts of hair—from both people and pets—out of carpeting. The brush also lifts out dirt and debris, and it can be used for wet-cleaning.
Pros
- Head pivots to reach hard-to-access areas
- Especially effective on pet hair
- Brush is washable and fast-drying
- Suitable for wet or dry cleaning
Cons
- Bristles may be too soft for dense-pile carpeting
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Best Budget Carpet Rake
Dustpan & Brush Store Multi-Purpose Rubber Broom
We love a simple product that performs as promised for a great price! That’s what you get with this multipurpose rubber broom from Amazon. Users say it’s fantastic for drawing pet hair deep from carpets—even freshly vacuumed ones. The squeegee side also allows this to double as a shower and glass cleaner.
Pros
- Budget-priced option
- Adjustable-length handle for smaller cleaning jobs
- Silicone bristles grab hair and dirt
- Easy to clean
Cons
- May snag on looped carpet
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Best Commercial-Grade Carpet Rake
Grandi Groom Carpet Rake
This solidly-built carpet rake is intended to be used before or after vacuuming. It lifts out dirt and pet hair before passing with a vacuum, and it fluffs up carpet after vacuuming. The manufacturer recommends raking in small, short strokes. It also refreshes high-traffic areas and can even be used to groom artificial grass.
Pros
- Solid wood handle—no parts to screw together
- Made in the USA
- Users says it’s excellent at lifting out all sorts of debris
- Speeds drying of carpets and rugs that have just been shampooed
Cons
- Plastic bristles may be too stiff for delicate rugs
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Best Carpet Rake for Spot Cleaning
Cleanovation Rug Renovator
Pet accidents? Food spills? Muddy footprints? The Cleanovation Rug Renovator is designed for use in tandem with a carpet cleaning solution. With a gentle scrubbing motion, the Rug Renovator loosens solid gunk from carpet fibers, yet the soft bristles keep the cleaning process safe for almost any type of carpet.
Pros
- Loosens dirt from stained areas without hands-and-knees scrubbing
- Two different bristle sides for lighter or tougher stains
- Adjustable handle
- Lightweight
Cons
- Best for small areas
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Best Carpet Rake for Hand Cleaning
Starxing Portable Lint Remover & Carpet Rake
Suppose you have a small area to clean or need to remove pet hair from rugs or upholstery—or even a kitty condo!—this small, inexpensive hand tool will do the job. It has short, fine copper teeth that scrape even the most resistant pet hair out of carpets and other fabrics. The manufacturer even says it’s safe for removing pilling from sweaters and other knit materials.
Pros
- Wallet-friendly price for a 2-pack
- Can be used at various angles for different degrees of cleaning
- Useable on a variety of materials
- Portable and simple to store
Cons
- Only suitable for small areas
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Best Carpet Rake for Shag Rugs
Roberts Carpet Rake & Groomer
The rigid plastic bristles of this sturdy carpet rake dig down deep to help restore a shag or otherwise deep-pile carpet or rug to its former friskiness. It’s also good for untangling the fringe on rugs or other upholstery and can be used on artificial turf. And with a 51-inch handle, the rake will detangle tough-to-reach areas under your couch in no time.
Pros
- Rigid “teeth” penetrate even dense, thick rugs
- Push-pull motion loosens debris prior to vacuuming
- Creates a uniform, groomed look
- Long handle
Cons
- Some users say the three-piece handle comes apart
What to Consider When Buying a Carpet Rake
If you’re thinking of adding a carpet rake to your housekeeping repertoire, keep in mind that the rake won’t take the place of vacuuming, and it won’t keep your carpet from accumulating dirt and pet hair. But a good carpet rake lifts a startling amount of dirt and hair out of your rugs, and will give your flooring a nice groomed appearance.
Make sure you buy a carpet rake that’s suitable for your rug type. Oriental rugs (especially older ones), tightly woven Berber rugs and looped rugs are at the highest risk of being damaged by the wrong kind of rake.
Types of Carpet Rakes
- Rubber or Silicone Broom: Capable of collecting a stunning amount of pet hair by way of static electricity, silicone or rubber brooms are usually used as a precursor to vacuuming. However, they might not penetrate into dense pile carpets.
- Brush Brooms: With a gentle- to medium-strength scrubbing effect, carpet brush brooms help lift stains and caked-on dirt out of carpets and other textiles. Imagine a kitchen scrub brush with the benefit of a long handle, which means you don’t have to get down on your hands and knees to scrub.
- Plastic Bristle Rakes: Excellent for refreshing deep-pile and shag carpets that get a lot of traffic, plastic bristle rakes can dig down deep into carpet pile. While they’ll loosen dirt, they’re not as effective for cleaning as silicone brushes.
- Handheld Rakes: For cleaning small areas, upholstery or stubborn pet hair, a handheld carpet rake gets the job done.
How We Found the Best Carpet Rakes
As shopping experts, our only job is to help you find a winning product. We start with the research and reporting basics—what products are made of, what they look like and how much they cost—to ensure that we’re only recommending the buys that are worth your time and money. Then, we research the features that speak to the product’s quality, taking advice from industry insiders and subject-matter experts on what makes a product a smart value (or worthy of a splurge). Finally, we do the work of combing through user reviews to see how real people interact with the product, and if it stands up to the test.
FAQ
What is a carpet rake?
A carpet rake is a cleaning and grooming tool that loosens deeply embedded dirt, debris and pet hair, creates a uniform appearance on the carpet and helps spot clean stains. Most carpet rakes come with a long handle—similar to a broom handle—so you can clean the carpet without having to crawl around. A carpet rake may not look like a rake but rather a brush on the end of a long pole. Some have squeegee attachments, too.
What can a carpet rake do?
When used before vacuuming, a carpet rake can make vacuuming more effective by loosening pet hair and dirt from deep in the pile. After vacuuming, passing over the carpet with a carpet rake can make the fibers stand up more and create a uniform, groomed look. Other types of rakes help with loosening caked on dirt or picking up “sticky” pet hair that adheres to low-pile textiles.
Can I fluff my carpet back up with a carpet rake?
If you buy the right kind of rake, yes! A silicone rake will fluff up a carpet, as will a plastic bristle rake. But you have to be realistic—there’s only so much a carpet rake can do for an older, damaged or deeply-worn carpet.
Originally Published: March 15, 2023
