If you feel like you’re seeing double with this review on the Bissell Little Green Portable Carpet Cleaner, it’s not because you need glasses. It’s because we recently reviewed its close cousin, the Bissell Little Green ProHeat Portable Carpet Cleaner. While this review will try to focus mostly on this non-ProHeat version, there will be some comparisons as they’re very similar but with some subtle differences.
Like the ProHeat version, the Bissell Little Green Portable Carpet Cleaner is incredibly simple to set up and use. And, when you use it for its intended purpose, it does its job perfectly. Just as I mentioned in that other review (and holds true here as well), this is a great cleaning companion to the best vacuum cleaners for the home.
It’s clear by the way this has been designed that Bissell knows what it’s doing. After all, the company has been around since before electricity (1876 if you’re curious). We’ll get into details of the design as well as performance, but suffice it to say that it’s almost perfect as it is. While the ProHeat version does slightly improve upon it, they excel and suffer in the same ways.
The Bissell Little Green Portable Carpet Cleaner is a small job-level cleaner. If you want to clean a whole house, you’re going to get back pain doing it with this. But, if you have a small area with a deep stain, this model can get it out. It’s essentially the opposite of the best robot vacuums, which are great for an everyday overall cleaning but not so good at deep cleaning. In essence, this spot cleaner is an ideal appliance to supplement your vacuum, whatever you’re using.
Bissell Little Green Portable Carpet Cleaner: First impressions
When unpacking the Bissell Little Green Portable Carpet Cleaner, it’s impressive how tightly the company packed it as this carpet cleaner is almost as big as the bog. It comes with two inserts and three accessories as well as a sample size of Bissell’s Oxy Spot & Stain (with Febreze) cleaning solution.
As was the case with the ProHeat version, I didn’t need to crack the manual to figure out how to assemble or use this. Sliding the two inserts into place, which are for holding the hose, is about as easy as it can get, though the one in the back does require using a screwdriver.
Of the included accessories, the “3 inch tough stain tool” clips onto the hose, while the self-cleaning accessory sits on the handle until needed at which time you would switch them. There’s also a black spraying crevice tool for getting into corners that doesn’t seem to have a proper storage place on the unit itself. And, looking at the product page, you might not have to order it separately.
Except for that crevice tool, you’ll end up with a single, compact, and portable unit with everything you need within arm’s length.
Bissell Little Green Portable Carpet Cleaner: key specs
Bissell Little Green Multi-Purpose Portable Carpet & Upholstery Cleaner : Price and availability
With a list price of $123.59, I consider the Bissell Little Green Multi-Purpose Portable Carpet & Upholstery Cleaner to be very affordable. It might be light on features, but what do you need with a small handheld carpet cleaner anyway? It does what it needs to and at an affordable price. Plus, it’s widely available, whether you order it direct from Bissell or get it from one of the big retailers such as Walmart, Target, or Amazon. Since it is so widely available, make sure to shop around to find the best price. It's also a popular product during sales events, so gets rounded up with Amazon Prime Day deals and the best Black Friday deals.
As I mentioned in my review of the Bissell Little Green ProHeat Portable Carpet Cleaner, the sample size cleaning solution won’t last very long so add in the price of a bottle of solution when considering this product. A 32 oz. bottle costs $12.99. Unlike the ProHeat version, you don’t get as many cleaning accessories so you’ll have to factor that in as well. The crevice tool I mentioned above retails for $10.34, for instance.
Score: 5 / 5
Bissell Little Green Multi-Purpose Portable Carpet & Upholstery Cleaner: Design
As the name states, the Bissell Little Green Multi-Purpose Portable Carpet & Upholstery Cleaner is green and it’s little. In fact, kind of an off-putting green for whatever reason. However, don’t let that detract from what’s on offer here. It’s a compact and ingeniously designed unit with a clean water and solution tank on one side and dirty water tank on the other. The hose wraps around the base, and except for the self-cleaning tool attached on the sizeable handle, everything is very sturdy (the self-cleaning tool has a habit of falling off very quickly).
One of the only real issues I have with the Bissell Little Green Multi-Purpose Portable Carpet & Upholstery Cleaner is the fact that the front insert is in there for good. If you somehow break a piece off, it’s very tough to remove. That said, Bissell does offer replacement parts. I’ve already alluded to my other issue and that’s the fact that there isn’t much on-unit storage for additional accessories.
But, at least the four foot hose fifteen foot extension cord mean that you don’t have to cart the unit around too much while working on an area. Of course, that changes if you decide to try to clean a whole room with this, but that’s not really the purpose of this guy.
As far as controls go, there’s an on/off button at the center of the cleaner and spray button underneath the end of the hose. There’s also a clasp at the end of the hose for attaching and releasing the accessories.
The clean and dirty water tanks, both with a sizable 48 oz. capacity, are secure during use, they’re very easy to remove to either fill up or empty. And, the clean water tank marks the ratio of solution to water, though there’s only one line for each, meaning you may have plenty of water and solution left over if you’re just cleaning up a small stain.
As far as the accessories themselves, the main one is a basic three inch tool with bristles and a suction area, while the crevice tool looks like one of those edge attachments that come with vacuum cleaners – there are no bristles, just a long, narrow area to suck up water. The self-cleaning tool essentially caps the hose so that water cycles through the hose and into the dirty water tank thereby cleaning the hose.
Score: 4.5/ 5
Bissell Little Green Multi-Purpose Portable Carpet & Upholstery Cleaner: Performance
Just like the Bissell Little Green ProHeat Portable Carpet Cleaner, I tested the Bissell Little Green Portable Carpet Cleaner on both carpets and upholstery where the results were great. While I felt like I had to do an extra pass compared to the ProHeat version, the difference is minimal. And, just like that other version, this one gets to about 79 dB during use, which is loud but manageable.
Using the cleaner is incredibly easy. You just remove the clean water tank (and all you have to do is tug) and fill it with the appropriate level of cleaner solution and hot tap water. Put the tank back in, plug in near the cleaning job, turn on, and go to work. This carpet cleaner separates the water application from the suction so you need to press the spray button underneath the hose and point the accessory at and around the area you want to clean, getting it nice and wet. Then, you just vacuum up the water. Easy-peasy.
I did this on carpet stains from a heavily trafficked area and it took just a couple minutes to remove it. The carpet cleaner was also used on a large sofa to remove the sheddings of two rambunctious dogs and it didn’t take too long to remove all remnants of pet hair from there as well.
The only thing to remember here is that this carpet cleaner is little, so despite its 48 oz. capacity, you won’t want to use this on a large area as you’ll give yourself back pain. As mentioned before, there is a four foot hose and fifteen foot extension cord, but you’ll still end up on your hands and knees while cleaning with this. It’s not a replacement for a wet vac if you have a whole apartment or home to clean.
While emptying the dirty water tank and cleaning it out is incredibly easy – there’s just a release lever holding it in place – the main accessory is a bit difficult to clean. It has a see-through lid as I experienced with the accessories from the ProHeat version, but unlike those, it is seemingly impossible to pry it off – there’s no release button – and clean out hair.
Score: 4.5/5
How does the Bissell Little Green Multi-Purpose Portable Carpet & Upholstery Cleaner compare?
The Bissell Little Green Multi-Purpose Portable Carpet & Upholstery Cleaner is hard to fault. However, the ProHeat version is only a little more expensive with a retail price tag of $133.89 and comes with more accessories, which are easier to clean, and does a slightly better job cleaning. Of course, I do think both models are worthy of being included in the best carpet cleaners.
Non-Bissell options include the slightly more expensive Rug Doctor Pet Portable Spot Carpet Cleaner ($153.36), also just for spots. But, it does have a more robust cleaning accessory.
As far as something to clean a larger area, you might want to consider the Hoover Power Scrub Deluxe carpet cleaner. It has the same form factor as a vacuum cleaner so you won’t be bending over to use it and costs a reasonable $229.99. Just be aware that you’ll still want a spot cleaner as its hose is a bit on the short side, making it not ideal for use on upholstery.
Should you buy the Bissell Little Green Portable Carpet Cleaner?
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How we tested the Bissell Little Green Multi-Purpose Portable Carpet & Upholstery Cleaner
To test the Bissell Little Green Multi-Purpose Portable Carpet & Upholstery Cleaner, I cleaned up several carpeted areas as well as an upholstered couch to see how it did. I used the two attachments and took pains to clean out the unit to see how easy it is to maintain. I also spent about a week using it where necessary so that I got an idea of how it would last over multiple cleanings.
See more about how we test.
