The 5 Best Bissell Carpet Cleaner Machines for Tough Stains and Messes
Updated: Dec. 07, 2023
From spot treating to deep cleaning, we found the best Bissell carpet cleaner to remove dirt and pet messes in your home.
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As far as carpet cleaners go, Bissell has a long history of providing value for the money. The brand has many carpet cleaners on the market, but which one is the best for your home? The best Bissell carpet cleaner will depend on several factors, like the style of your carpet, the size of the area you have to clean, whether or not you have pets and how often you’ll need to use your machine. Fortunately, Bissell makes machines that fit about every possible need. We tested a few of these to help you find the best unit to tackle tough stains in every area of your home.
The Best Bissell Carpet Cleaners
- Best Overall: Bissell Revolution HydroSteam Pet
- Best Budget: Bissell Pet Stain Eraser Plus
- Best for Area Rugs: Bissell CrossWave HydroSteam Plus Multi-Surface Wet/Dry Vac
- Best for Spot Cleaning: Bissell Little Green HydroSteam Pet Portable Carpet Cleaner
- Most Versatile: Bissell Barkbath Dual Use Dog Bath & Deep Cleaning System
Best Overall Bissell Carpet Cleaner
Bissell Revolution HydroSteam Pet
The Bissell Revolution HydroSteam Pet is an ultra-powerful upright carpet cleaner that uses proprietary HydroSteam technology to break up tough, set-in stains and messes that are difficult to clean, such as spills of oily or sticky substances. It offers three cleaning modes to handle jobs of all sizes, and the quick-dry mode helps get carpets dry within 30 minutes. In addition to cleaning the floors using its upright design, this best Bissell carpet cleaner has an attached hose for cleaning upholstery, stairs and messes in hard-to-reach places.
Just like an upright vacuum cleaner, the Bissell Revolution HydroSteam uses two rotating brushes to remove surface dirt and debris from carpets. The patented DirtLifter PowerBrushes and powerful suction lift dirt that regular vacuums leave behind, and work cleaning solution deep into the carpet fibers, quickly scrubbing away stains. For stubborn spots, there’s a steam pretreat mode, as well as a quick-dry mode to thoroughly remove excess moisture. We were beyond impressed when we put this Bissell carpet cleaner to the test in our full Bissell Revolution HydroSteam review.
This particular bundle includes a urine eliminator formula and a two-in-one pet upholstery tool. Pair this carpet cleaner with one of these products to get urine out of the carpet for a mess- and odor-free home.
Pros
- Cleans carpets as good, if not better, than professional machines
- Easy to operate
- Eliminates messes quickly and thoroughly
- Works spectacularly on old messes and stubborn stains
- Quick-dry mode dries carpets in 30 minutes or less
Cons
- Weighs 22.5 pounds
- Pricey
Best Budget Bissell Carpet Cleaner
Bissell Pet Stain Eraser Plus
If you’re willing to put in a little elbow grease to save some money, the Pet Stain Eraser Plus might be the best Bissell carpet cleaner for you. This portable machine is cordless and runs on a rechargeable lithium-ion battery. Therefore, it’s easier to carry around and get into hard-to-reach places. However, battery-powered carpet cleaners lack the horsepower of plug-in models, so you won’t get the same level of deep cleaning that you’ll get with the other Bissell products on this list.
The Pet Stain Eraser Plus only weighs 3.3 pounds, so it’s easy for just about anyone to lift and carry to their pet’s latest mess, making it a great handheld vacuum. Unlike many other carpet cleaners, you can store the cleaning formula inside this machine and don’t need to mix it with water before putting it to work. As long as you keep it fully changed, this machine will be ready to go whenever you’ve got a mess to clean up.
Pros
- Wallet-friendly
- Lightweight at 3.3 pounds
- Cordless and rechargeable
- Stores cleaning fluid inside machine
Cons
- Lacks the cleaning power of corded carpet cleaners
Best Bissell Carpet Cleaner for Area Rugs
Bissell CrossWave HydroSteam Plus Multi-Surface Wet/Dry Vac
The Bissell CrossWave HydroSteam Plus is a wet/dry vacuum that lets you vacuum, wash and steam floors at the same time. This floor cleaning machine is made for tackling big messes, as well as the day-to-day dirt and debris that collect in cracks and corners. It includes a specialized cleaning formula that steams and sanitizes hardwood, tile and other flat floors, as well as low-pile area rugs and carpets.
The Bissell CrossWave HydroSteam Plus employs two-tank technology that ensures you don’t end up cleaning your floors with dirty water, and has a self-cleaning cycle to run between uses to make sure one mess doesn’t carry over to the next. When used with Bissell’s hard floor sanitize formula in the tank, this machine eliminates 99.9% of bacteria on floors. A special brush roll helps prevent pet hair from getting tangled up in the machine, and light-emitting diode (LED) headlights help you see what parts of the floor still need your attention. Plus, the exclusive bundle includes a pet multi-surface formula, which is one of the best carpet cleaners for pet stains.
Get a more in-depth look in our Bissell CrossWave HydroSteam Plus review.
Pros
- Incredible cleaning power
- Easy to operate
- Eliminates messes quickly and thoroughly
- Works spectacularly on old messes and stubborn stains
- Lights on the front help ensure you don’t miss a single spot
- Large cleaning tank with easy-to-read instructions
Cons
- Pricey
- Heavy
Best Bissell Carpet Cleaner for Spot Cleaning
Bissell Little Green HydroSteam Pet Portable Carpet Cleaner
The Little Green Hydrosteam Pet is one of Bissell’s top-of-the-line spot cleaners, and when we put it to the test ourselves, we found it to be well worth the price. This is a hefty, well-built machine that’s easy to operate and is backed up with a three-year warranty. The HydroSteam technology is a worthwhile upgrade, pulling up even deep set-in stains in seconds. The biggest issue we found with this best Bissell carpet cleaner is that it might clean too well. It removes spots so well that the treated areas will stand out if the rest of your carpet is dirty!
This best carpet spot cleaner comes with three cleaning modes: SteamWash for tough stains, steam for upholstery, grout and tile and regular wash for pet accidents and fresh stains. While we wish the hose was a tiny bit longer, it’s still easy to clean tight, hard-to-reach areas, thanks to its portability. Plus, it has a relatively large 64-ounce water tank, so you won’t need to constantly refill your machine while cleaning. But take note: Always remember to dump out the dirty water tank after using it, or else you’ll get blasted with a funky smell the next time you turn on this machine.
Pros
- Three cleaning modes to spot treat tough stains
- Impressively powerful
- Eliminates the need for elbow grease
- Portable
- Three-year warranty
Cons
- Pricier than competing spot cleaners, though worth the extra investment
Most Versatile Bissell Carpet Cleaner
Bissell Barkbath Dual Use Dog Bath & Deep Cleaning System
The Barkbath doesn’t just clean the messes your dog makes on your carpet and upholstery—it cleans your dog, too! This portable machine lets you wash your dog in any room they’re most comfortable without making a mess. Even if you do, the Barkbath will clean it right up.
Any dog under 80 pounds can be cleaned using the Barkbath, thanks to three customizable spray nozzles that get beneath any length of fur. Water and shampoo flow through the hose down to the skin to get your dog squeaky clean, and gentle suction pulls the dirty water away into a separate tank. It also includes three different grooming clips to give your dog a good brushing while they’re getting clean. When it’s time to clean up after your dog, attach the carpet and upholstery tool adapter and deep-cleaning solution tank to get your house in order.
Pros
- Cleans floors and dogs
- Lets you bathe dogs without excessive mess
- Can also clean upholstery
- Easy to operate
Cons
- As noisy as a vacuum, which might scare skittish dogs
What to Look for When Buying a Bissell Carpet Cleaner
When purchasing a carpet cleaner machine, look for models with powerful suction capabilities to extract dirt and water efficiently. While cordless models are convenient, rechargeable batteries can’t provide the sort of horsepower needed for a powerful clean. Look for something compatible with the type of carpet in your home. The best carpet cleaners have adjustable settings with simple controls that let you switch between functions.
If you’re using the machine to clean messes on stairs and/or upholstery, look for something with a hose and detachable cleaning tools. A carpet cleaner with a large water tank will make cleaning faster since it won’t require frequent refills. It’s also a good idea to check customer reviews for details on how easy it is to navigate your carpet cleaner around the house and how it handles in tight spaces and around furniture.
Why You Should Trust Us
We launched our Bissell carpet cleaner review series in response to reader interest in the brand, and have put some of the top Bissell models to the test in real-world conditions. In addition to this round-up, we’ve written full detailed reviews of our top pick, the Bissell Revolution HydroSteam Pet, as well as our pick for area rugs, the Bissell CrossWave HydroSteam Plus. Along with our testing, we also conduct extensive research on all the products we choose to review, which includes reading reviews from real customers so we know exactly what, if any, problems to look out for when trying these machines ourselves.
How We Found the Best Bissell Carpet Cleaners
The house where we tested these Bissell carpet cleaning machines is home to seven cats, four of which are indoor/outdoor, and three dogs, two of which are puppies that have yet to be housebroken. They have been used to clean up a variety of messes, such as pet accidents, food and drink spills and dirt that had been tracked indoors after doing yard work. We also tested these carpet cleaners on stairs and tight spaces in addition to large rooms. This testing process allowed us to settle on the five best Bissell carpet cleaners.
FAQ
Which Bissell spot cleaner is strongest?
With a power rating of 5.7 amps, the SpotClean Pro portable carpet cleaner is Bissell’s most powerful spot and stain cleaner. It combines suction, scrubbing and specially formulated cleaning solutions that can tackle the hardest spots and stains on carpets, rugs, stairs and upholstery.
What is the difference between a carpet cleaner and a carpet shampooer?
A carpet cleaner uses hot steam to deeply penetrate carpets down to the bottom, removing any dirt that’s embedded in the fibers. A shampooer, on the other hand, can only clean the surface of your carpet. If you regularly have serious stains to deal with (like from pets), consider purchasing a cleaner over a shampooer.
Originally Published: December 07, 2023
