Bissell SpotClean Professional: A Portable Cleaner Review

Cleaning carpeting is a chore and we have tools to make that chore easier. Carpet shampooers are one tool that make the process simple and thorough. There are a lot of options, brands and models to choose from.

The Bissell SpotClean Professional is a portable carpet cleaner hat has a lot of features and options worth considering.

This article will examine those features and explain why the SpotClean is a choice worthy of your home.

Who is the Bissell SpotClean Professional Made For?

Not every home needs a professional grade portable carpet shampooer. How do you know if you do?

• You have pets or children that track in dirt and mud from outside.
• Various carpet types need a cleaner that can handle all of them.
• High traffic areas have grown flat or matted.
• Pet stains and odor on carpet or furniture are getting frustrating.
• You want a great carpet cleaner that gives great results with little effort.
• Keep in mind: this is a spot cleaner so it will not clean large areas of carpet.

Why Buy a Bissell SpotClean Pro Carpet Cleaner?

The Bissell SpotClean is not a carpet shampooer for your entire home. Models like the Hoover Power Scrub Elite are more designed for those purposes.

What the Bissell model is used for is to clean up spot stains, stubborn stains and furniture so you don’t have to lug out a large, bulky machine every time you need to clean a sofa stain.

Specifications

What is the Bissell SpotClean Professional made of? Let’s take a look

Breaking Down the Bissell SpotClean Pro Portable Carpet Cleaner

Let’s take the Bissell SpotClean Pro apart and find out what makes it work so well. Each component below is reviewed and compared so you know exactly what to expect when you take this cleaner home.

Portability

The SpotClean and all of its components weigh in at just over 13 pounds. This is light enough to take the entire machine anywhere you need it to clean, be it the living room, the middle of the stairs or even your car’s interior.

However, you can add about 4 or 5 pounds when you add the water and detergent to the equation. At almost 20 pounds it does become a little bit to lug around.

Keeping that in mind, though, the weight shouldn’t affect you too much. This machine is designed to clean up small areas and simple spills or stains. It would be different if you have to carry it around to clean your entire floor.

Suction Power

The motor is the largest and heaviest component of the entire machine, behind the full water tank. It uses 5.7 amps to spin and create suction power that spins the brushes and pulls out the water and dirt as it cleans.

Compared to upright shampooers, rental units and other carpet-only cleaners, the suction power isn’t the highest. However, the suction is more than enough to deep clean all carpet types, your cars and upholstery.

Cleaning Heads

Included with this cleaning kit are two handheld nozzles. Each one has scrubbing brushes built-in that agitate fibers and loosen, lift and remove dirt and debris.

The smaller of the two is a 3-inch nozzle that is perfect for smaller messes as well as automotive detailing. You can use either nozzle at any time, of course, but sometimes you need (or prefer the smaller size).

For larger messes or to cover more area such as stairs, you can switch to the 6-inch nozzle. The wider cleaning path makes shorter work of spills stains and upholstery.

Accessories

Other than the two nozzles, the only other accessory you get is the sample bottle of Bissell’s detergent called Bissell Pro Max Clean & Protect. The sample bottle is enough to use in one tank.

While this won’t last very long, it is enough to let you know how well it works. You will need to buy more detergent. However, the type is up to you.

Most carpet detergents will work in this machine. You will need to maintain pre-mix detergents that go in with the water, though. Post-mix types will clog the outlets and hoses causing you big problems later on.

Maintenance and Care

General maintenance is something you will need to do after every use. Some consumers aren’t ready for this commitment, though. After every use you will need to clean and rinse the tank, hose and nozzles.

Regular care will include visual inspections of the components and parts before, during and after use.

You will want to inspect the power cord for knots, kinks or frays. You also want to ensure the grounded plug isn’t bent or damaged. During use you will need to make sure the flex hose isn’t damaged or leaking and that the hose seals are holding pressure.

Other than that, general care procedures are to keep the machine clean, and all replaceable parts replaced as needed.

Bissell Pet Foundation

The Bissell Pet Foundation was started in 2011 and funds shelters, adoptions and other services to help the quality of life for sheltered pets.

The biggest contributions are the spay/neuter program as well as the microchip program. Each shelter animal has their costs for these procedures covered by the Pet Foundation program.

This program is in all 50 states and is expanding daily. 

What I Like About this Portable Carpet Cleaner

The Bissell SpotClean is a great machine that is capable of a lot of different stain and spot treatments. My favorite features are:

• Easily moves from one place to another to clean anywhere you need.
• Two different sized nozzles allow you to clean various areas with ease and precision.
• You can clean stairs, carpet, upholstery, car interiors and much more.
• The water tank holds ¾ gallons allowing you to clean a lot more in less time.

What I Do Not Like About this Carpet Cleaner

Not every carpet cleaner can be perfect. There are things that could be improved with the SpotClean, such as:

• The flex hose should be longer to accommodate more cleaning range.
• The overall weight is too much for the size of the machine.
• Does not have the Bissell HeatWave technology to reduce drying time.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here, I will answer some of the more prominent questions about the Bissell SpotClean Professional and Bissell in general. If you have other concerns, please fell free to use the comment section below the article.

Q. How do I contact Bissell?

1. There are several ways to contact Bissell. You can use the contact page to send an email, initiate a live chat or find a local retail location. You can also send a text message to 1-800-273-7691 and customer service will help you through text message from anywhere, even if you can’t get to a computer.

Q. Do the brushes in the nozzles rotate?

1. No. The brushes are stationary, but they do move when you maneuver the nozzles. They work like a scrubbing brush with the exception that you do not need to use a lot of elbow grease to have them work their magic. Each set of bristles gets into the carpet fibers to loosen and lift dirt and debris while the water cleans and the suction removes the stains.

Q. Do the nozzles come apart for easier cleaning?

1. Both nozzles come apart. It may not seem like they do, but there is a small plastic pull tab inside the handle portion that you can pull firmly on to separate the two plastic halves. Once apart you can clean the nozzles and remove any hair or build-up that can get logged inside.

Q. Is the Bissell SpotClean Professional a steam cleaner?

1. No, the SpotClean is not a steam cleaner. It doesn’t use heat or change the temperature of the water used while cleaning. You can use hot water (near boiling if you prefer) to have a hot water cleaning machine, but it doesn’t steam. The SpotClean Pro is a detergent and water based spot removing carpet cleaner.

Q. Will the Bissell SpotClean Professional clean couches?

1. Yes. With the larger nozzle you can clean couch cushions, armrests and seat backs. If you only have small areas you want to clean such as stains or small spills you can use the 3-inch nozzle for quick treatments and spot cleaning. Most high quality carpet cleaning machines are able to clean couches with the help of their accessories.

Conclusion

When it comes to cleaning your carpets there are machines that clean with suction, some with steam and others with water. The Bissell SpotClean Professional Portable Carpet Cleaner is a small appliance that spot cleans stains, spills, or messes on your carpet, upholstery or even automotive interiors.