I got a pandemic puppy last summer who quickly turned into a fully grown dog — with full-sized poop. His name is Charlie, and he’s a super sweet Goldendoodle that my boyfriend and I adopted from our local animal shelter . In less than a year, he’s gone from 10 to 60 pounds, and it’s been an adjustment for all of us, to say the least. Luckily, I found something to take the pain out of potty training, and I’m never going back.

Like many renters, the beige carpet is one of my least favorite things in my apartment. Trying to keep my floors clean is a constant battle, and potty training a puppy is like adding insult to injury. Fortunately (or maybe unfortunately?), a friend of mine also has a dog who is still learning to “hold it” until we can go for a walk. A few weeks ago, she let me borrow her Hoover Carpet Cleaner and, after the first use, I knew I needed my own.

This carpet cleaner is $100 and completely removes stains, and smells, from my carpet and area rugs. I’m a person who likes to work smarter, not harder, so I love a good life hack. A hundred dollars might feel pricey for an additional cleaner, but have you seen the price of new carpets and rugs? What I love most about my carpet cleaner is that it’s as simple and easy to use as a vacuum. It has a clean water tank, which holds half a gallon of water, that’s released by a little red button under the handle. The machine comes with a sample bottle of cleaning solution, but I skipped the sample and went straight for the strong stuff, which for me is Arm & Hammer’s Pet Stain and Odor Eliminator .

I mix baking soda and my favorite pet stain remover — plus a little Febreze for stronger odors — with hot water into the tank, then let my Hoover work its magic. When you push the cleaner forward and release the solution, the brushes on the high-powered spinner scrub the stain and pull all the dirt from the carpet. When you pull the cleaner backwards, it immediately begins to suck the water, and more dirt, out of the carpet.

Trust me when I tell you: If you have carpet, and pets, then you absolutely need to try this. Those heavy poops stains are horrible, and getting down on my hands and knees with a sponge and a bowl of hot water was not going to cut it. If you love your pets, but don’t love cleaning up their messes, then this will change your life.