BISSELL® Big Green® PET PRO Carpet Cleaner, 3288

When we moved into our apartment five years ago, the carpet was brand new. However, between several cats missing the litter box and leaving hairball presents, and a husband who is so accident prone he practically needs a sippy cup, it had gotten so bad that walking around inside made the soles of my feet disgustingly black. I bought a Bissell Spot Bot several years ago to try to curb the problem, but, as the name suggests, its not enough to care for larger areas. Every weekend I would debate renting out a Rug Doctor machine, but at this point the whole apartment needs refreshed and I didnt want to hassle with renting and returning a machine every weekend for the next two months. Instead, I invested into this behemoth, and (at least so far) Im very glad I did. Its very easy to use, easy to clean out, and easy to refill again. It also came with 4 sample bottles of their Professional cleaning formula. One tank full of water uses less than one of those small sample bottles, so your first 4-5 tanks are basically free. The tank is large enough that I can make several soaking, deep-cleaning sweeps over about half of a 10x10 room. A casual refresh of the carpet probably wouldnt even use a full tank. I can clean and refill the machine in about ten minutes, so getting an entire room done doesnt take long at all. Longest part of the whole process has actually been moving furniture around! Photos show one room before and after cleaning, including a section with sticky soda spots, and a section that had a dark gray patch of dirty foot traffic. The suction is great. Making a few suction-only sweeps over a freshly cleaned area leaves the carpet dry enough that its totally air-dried after just a couple of hours. After the carpet has dried, Ill do a quick run over it with the vacuum to fluff up the fibers, and the carpet feels brand new again. It is a relatively heavy machine, and because of the length of the handle its not very useful for right spaces. If youre older or have back/shoulder issues it can be very difficult to use the machine. If youre a couch potato like I am, prepare yourself for a decent workout. It also dont clean flush into corners, so be prepared to get on your hands and knees with the house attachment to scrub at the 1-2 margin along the walls, if those are in need of being cleaned. Be careful not to overspray with the hose onto latex paint, as the cleaner will cause it to bubble and peel. If you have pet urine stains I highly recommend pre-existing treating with Natures Miracle, especially if its soaked through to the foam layer. Between what well save on our security deposit, and what we would have spent in renting a machine, this purchase has already paid for itself about three times over. Ive read some concerning things about the longevity of this machine. After six tanks over three sessions its still like new. Ive bought Bissell products for decades because theyve been sturdy, reliable, and performed well, and its it hope that this machine will do the same, but only time will tell.

I should start this review by saying that my carpet is original to my house, which is 26 years old. I have had the carpets professionally cleaned and I have done them myself many times. I have owned several carpet cleaners in the past and really hesitated spending this much money for another. I have to say it is worth every penny! Seriously, it got out things I thought would never come out. My son had spilled Dr. Pepper behind a metal file cabinet in his bedroom, and of course didnt bother to mention it to me. It had set in for about six month by the time I found it, and the file cabinet had rusted on the soda. Not cool! So while I held out little hope, I pre-treated the stain with the cleaner that came with the machine (mixed with water) in a spray bottle. I let it sit around 10 minutes while I did other parts of the carpet. When I went over that area, almost all the stain came up, including the rust. I did go back and use the pre-treat again several times and each time more of the stain came up. There is a very faint rust stain that did not come out but you really have to be looking for it to see it. I found this machine to actually be more quiet than others I have used, which is not to say it isnt loud, because it is. But compared to other machines, even my husband commented that it was not as loud as the last one we owned. It cleans way, way better than other models I have tried and I didnt spend half my time running to the sink to empty and refill the tanks. I was blown away by the amount of water/solution that was sucked out of the carpet. Most other machines, even the professionals, leave the carpet so wet. Last time I had my Berber carpets cleaned it took 4 days to dry! With this machine it was mostly dried in 3 hours. I did have one spot that took till the next morning, but it was the area I went over several times. It was easy to operate and cleans on both forward and backward stroke. I also used this on my sofa, chairs, and an area rug with similar results. The hose is long enough to clean up the stairs, and the electric cord is long enough to not have to move it, at least in my house, very often. The Cons- It is heavy, which I guess is why it works so well but if you have stairs, you will probably have to carry it up in pieces like I did (machine, tanks separately). It did drip a little when I was carrying it to be emptied, which I hate, but every other machine I have owned has done the same...........Grrrrrrr! I dont like the water flow indicator. This little disk spins on the tank to show you the water flow. If you arent paying attention (I get into the zone when I clean and did this several times), you will be moving the machine around but no water/solution is being released. The way the tanks fit together make it a little difficult to tell when they are locked together. I was releasing solution into the carpet and nothing was coming back up. Had to turn the machine off, take the tank off and put it back on and fiddle with it to Lock it down. All of that said, I will and already have recommended this machine very very highly. Its really all about the clean!! The cons I listed are all small things that are more bothersome than real problems. I am please with my purchase and love that my carpet looks almost new again. Good for another 26 years??

I really like this product. The one thing I wasn’t happy about. From the very first use the flow meter leaked and leaked enough to making a cleanup not 100%. Once i had to replace the flow meter it hasn’t leaked & has cleaned the carpets like I had hoped for

This is the 3rd Bissel carpet cleaner Ive owned. The first 2 were the Bissel Pro Heat. I bought a second one after the first was stolen. I loved it so, that I replaced the stolen one with the exact same thing. This review is comparing the Bissel Pro Heat to the Big Green Pro (hereafter referred to as BGP) The Pro Heat has a separate reservoir for cleaning solution so upon finishing cleaning, any solution not used could be used with the next cleaning. The BGP does not have a separate reservoir. With the BGP, the cleaning solution is added directly to the water and if you dont use all the water, the solution is wasted. The instructions for the BGP states to make passes (first with solution, second without) until the water being extracted appears clean. The Pro Heat has a clear channel where the extracted water can be easily seen. The BGP is a white plastic. Unless youre in a very well lit room, seeing if the water extracted is dirty let alone finished being extracted is difficult. The Pro Heat has a built in water heater heating the water to 180 degrees. The BGP does not. As hot as your tap water can get, is as hot of water the BGP will clean with. One gripe Ive read with other carpet cleaners is the weight of the cleaner. Stands to reason, the heavier the cleaner, the closer to the carpet the cleaner will stay hence, the more water that can be extracted. The Pro Heat Im guessing to weight about 13 pounds, stays well to the carpet, and extracts water pretty good. The BGP is more than twice as heavy weighing 29 pounds (I believe is what I read). I could use the Pro Heat for 3 hours and not feel it in my back. 10 minutes into using the BGP, I could start feeling it in my back. Because of the weight and suction, the BGP could use some assistance with self propelled rear wheels. If you have back problems or are very limited strength, the BGP probably isnt for you. The carpet here was new just over 2 years ago. I usually clean the carpet every 6 months, but for a variety of reasons, I didnt get to it like normal. Before getting the BGP, I used the Pro Heat on a Friday night and then again Saturday morning. Two weeks later, I used the Pro Heat one last time just to make sure the carpets were as clean as possible since it had been 2 years without them being cleaned. Because the carpets were new upon moving here, I wanted the best carpet cleaner. I wasnt concerned with the cleaning ability of the Pro Heat as the 3rd cleaning yielded very little unclean water. But with the new carpet and plenty of money in my pocket, decided to give the BGP a try. Howd the carpet turn out with the BGP after having cleaned the carpet 3 times with the Pro Heat and within a month of getting the BGP? Only one phrase to describe it: holy-fn-cow! I could NOT believe how dirty the water was. It looked like the carpets hadnt been cleaned in 2 years. I am sooo disappointed in how the Pro Heat cleaned. All this time I thought my carpets were getting clean when the truth of the matter is, they werent... not like how the BGP cleans them. Im convinced the BGP cleans better than any professional carpet cleaner. Professional carpet cleaners have hot water and suction, they do not have a carpet bar that scrubs the carpet. For what youll pay for a pro to come clean your carpets twice, youll have pretty much paid for the BGP. You DO NOT want any other carpet cleaner. With more than 8000 reviews and no 1, 2, or 3 star ratings from the United States, theres a reason why. The BGP EARNED the 4 and 5 star ratings that it has. Again, do NOT buy any other carpet cleaner. Save your money, pimp your spouse, your dog... the neighbors cat... whatever it takes to be able to afford this carpet cleaner. You will not be disappointed in it like I am in the Bissel Pro Heat. One thing I like about the BGP over the Pro Heat (and others like it), is the upholstery hose on the BGP is detachable and can be stored away until its needed. The Pro Heat, the upholstery hose doesnt detach and must stay on at all times. The holder for the upholstery hose on the Pro Heat is junk, and continually drops the hose. As mentioned previously, the BGP is heavy. When removing it from its shipping box, I recommend setting it on its side, cutting the bottom, and pulling all 4 flaps out, then tipping it back upright. From there, lifting the box up makes getting the BGP easy to get out of the box. With one person, youll have problems lifting the BGP out of the box while keeping the box down and in place. As to cleaning, the BGP out cleans the Pro Heat and any professional cleaner out there. For this, it gets 5 stars. As a whole, Ive given it 4 stars for reasons mentioned within: no onboard heat for water, no separate reservoir for cleaning solution, the need for low assist self propelling rear wheels, and white plastic instead of clear where the extracted water can be seen.

Do not hesitate. This machine is spectacular. I just ran it over a living room pile carpet that I cleaned last week with a rented Rug Doctor Wide Path. My new Big Green actually did the job this time and, get this... with less than half the cleaning formula and water. Here are some things that you will like about the Bissell 86T3 (in no particular order...): 1) Easy to see flow indicator for clean water / fluid tank - gives you clear indication of tank status and when its time to dump and refill. 2) Cleaning brush rotates at all times and is motor driven - not only while cleaning fluid is being dispensed - and it does a very thorough job. 3) Because of #2 above, cleaning happens while machine is moving forward or backward. You have the option of working a heavily soiled spot back and forth a few times, sure. 4) Machine is easy to move in both directions - as comfortable as moving a (littler heavier than usual) vacuum cleaner. Handle is at comfortable height for my 6ft tall frame. Much easier to handle and heft around than Rug Doc. 5) Both tanks remove for SUPER EASY disposal and filling (and relocation of entire machine) 6) Cleaning water and formula is dispensed very sparingly so the +/- 1.75 gallon cleaning fluid / water tank lasts much longer than Rug Doc 7) Bissell cleaning formulae do a much better job than any others I have used and only small amounts are needed - really !! 8) Upholstery hose / brush is super easy to attach and detach (right on top - easy access), and it works very well. 9) Because fluid is applied sparingly (which it should be!!) - carpet is left much dryer when you are done. 10 ) I ran this over a (pre-treated with Bissell formula) barf spot that seemed to be stuck forever in my sons bedroom Berber carpet. Rug Doc did not touch it. Big Green vaporized it into new condition. Incredible!! 11) Big Green construction quality, ergonomic layout...everything.... is about as close to perfect as I can imagine. 12) Replacement parts for Big Green are very easy to obtain !!!!! 13) Suction power for carpet and upholstery brush hose is strong and effective. Very little water / formula left behind and drying time is short. 14) Air warmed by passing over vacuum motor is directed down towards carpet to aid in the drying process - very smart design. Here are some things that you *might* think are drawbacks... 1) Brush is narrower than Rug Doc. - Yeah, only a little bit and I thought it would annoy me, but I did not notice or care at all. 2) Machine is heavy. - ALL commercial quality carpet machines are heavy. This one is very easy to handle, however. To make this machine lighter and easier to move to another area - simply take out the clean and dirty water tanks and move them individually, then the vacuum base unit, to the new area. Cleaning your carpets is a great way to get s little exercise. 3) Cant clean right up to the edge. - True ! About 1 of the edge cannot be reached in upright mode. I have yet to see an *effective* upright machine that actually cleans carpet and goes right to the edge. Youll need to use the upholstery brush and some elbow grease for the edges - no matter which machine youre using as far as I know. 4) Machine leaves blobs of carpet fuzz - True ! Every so often a small (like 1/2 a teaspoon sized?) blob of carpet nap fuzz will be left behind when changing direction of travel in upright mode. This is to be expected when running a rotating brush head over pile carpet. In the course of cleaning a 20 x 20ft room, I received about 5 of these blobs. The blob can easily be picked up by hand and thrown away, or vacuumed up when the carpet is dry. This is a minor, minor issue and is far outweighed by the clean and fresh carpet result that you will achieve. And, contrary to what other reviews have said, these blobs do not create an additional stain / cleanup burden. 5) Some online reviewers have claimed that 86T3 has only one motor, where the BG10 has two. - I have not disassembled my own machine to investigate, but I believe this claim is false. My understanding is that the BG10 has an elapsed time meter and a slightly different power cord arrangement that lends itself to being a commercial rental machine - but is otherwise identical. I do really wish that Bissells online information on this subject were more definitive, but...marketing channels and all that. Its interesting to note that the 86T3 has a 5 year warranty, versus 1 year for the BG10. Definitely a head scratcher - but in my view its a non-issue. 6) I wish that Bissell had included a mesh storage bag for the upholstery hose / brush. - A teeny tiny pet peeve thats easy to remedy. I have used three different types of carpet cleaner: 1) Rug Doc (rental), 2) Hoover upright (owned), 3) my new Big Green. Big Green wins hands down and renders the other two as close to useless in my first-hand experience. I am giving away my hoover upright. Not one gram of buyers remorse for the Big Green. Got a question? Please feel free to ask. No - I do not work for Bissell, nor do I own their stock. Are they even publicly traded ??

We have used the RugDoctor on our carpet which resulted in having to shampoo 3 times to get out stain. With the Bissell only shampoo it once and rinse! Worked like a charm.

Did very good on old carpet. Carpets had not been hard cleaned for many years. Carpets were only vacuumed. Carpets are sun faded but even 9 and 10 year old granddaughters were impressed.

This device is awesome, runs rings around everything else Ive ever used before. Only one flaw ive found...dont try to ease this thing down stairs by the handle; the handle latch is not strong so when it bumps the step coming down the handle opens, the motor unit flops, and all the tanks and such go tumbling down the stairs. theyre built tough, didnt seem to break anything and luckily the dirty water tank was empty. I know this unit has handles for picking it up, I have a bad back and lifting 50 lbs down the steps wasnt an option. Next time ill just remove the tanks a make a couple of trips. Buy this thing but just be wary of the handle latch.

If youre like my husband and I, youve gone over and over buying this in your head. I get it, the price tag is a lot. But do it. We looked at so many reviews, so many shampooers, so many videos and everything led us back to this machine. We have a senior Great Dane and a senior Toy Fox Terrier, so accidents happen. After a single use, the difference in carpet feel and smell is phenomenal. Nothing humbles you quite like the first dirty water flush, Holy smokes. One or two passes has removed stains that we just became accustomed to, not even a professional cleaning crew could remove the stain, but this bad boy did. The three sample bottles of solution was super helpful and each one is the equivalent of two tanks. It is heavy to lift and push so please take this into consideration. Its hefty but for a good reason and Ive worked up a good sweat each round. Do read the directions and be prepared to do two cleanings of each carpet. (Not because its ineffective, but because I feel the first go round gets the surface grit up and then really deep cleans on the second go.)

This was my first carpet and upholstery cleaner purchase. We have mostly tile flooring in our home with carpet in the bedrooms, so I never considered getting a carpet cleaner when we moved in. However, when I started dog sitting for people, I had to reconsider my decision. My home smelled like dogs no matter how often I cleaned and I was tired of it, so I began my search for a good quality carpet/upholstery cleaner. I almost purchase a Hoover steamvac but I was really concerned about the durability of that product. I honestly didnt think it would last very long with frequent use. When I read all the amazing reviews for the BISSELL Big Green I contemplated it for a while before actually making the purchase. I really didnt want to spend so much money but it looked incredibly durable and I wanted something that would last for a good while and work as advertised. Let me say, this product did not disappoint! Ive used big green for a large area rug in my living room, my couches, the carpet in my bedroom, and the upholstery and carpeting in my husbands car. Every time, I was amazed with how much water, dirt and sediment the big green pulled up. What it did for my husbands car (with the hand tool) was especially impressive. We are taking an 8hr road trip with our son and I didnt want to be confined to a filthy car for such a long period of time, so I took it upon myself to give it a deep clean. We have owned this car for 2yrs and have never had it cleaned other than removing the trash and vacuuming it out. The people that owned it before us didnt bother getting cleaned before selling it, so when we purchased it there was also some staining and tons of dog fur. Now most of the dog fur had been long gone before I used the big green, so please keep that in mind. I cleaned all of the seats, top to bottom and then made my way to the carpeting, cleaning underneath the seats to the best of my ability. I probably went over the seats about 3 times before deciding that I was finished for the day. Now, when I went to dump out the water, it was black and there was lots of mud/dirt and rocks at the bottom of the dirty water container. There were even some small clumps of dog fur floating around in there. The interior of the car doesnt look brand new by any means (I will probably need to get a professional detailing service for that) but I am no longer disgusted at the thought of a long road trip in it. It actually smells pretty clean now and looks presentable. So, here are some things I love about the big green: It is an incredibly simple machine. Without the hose attachment, there are only 5 parts including the portion containing the motor. There are two bins, one for dirty water and one for clean, a clear dome shaped lid with a handle to cover the dirty water container, a small plastic, square filter type thing that you dont really need to bother with and then of course, the body, which contains the motor and scrub brushes at the bottom. Literally, all you need to do is add your water and cleaner, stack the bins on top of the body, plug in and turn on and you are ready to clean your carpets. The hose/hand tool attachment is also very easy to use and adds two extra parts. Not too many things to get broken here. The plastic is also very durable (as Ive mentioned before) and seems like itll last for several years. The suction is very strong and easily pulls up embedded dirt and small rocks from your carpet. Even while using the hose and hand tool, it didnt seem like any of the suction was lost. And of course, b/c of the great suction, dry time is minimal. Id say a couple of hrs for carpeting and upholstery, although when I used this to clean my couches, I gave them until overnight before I sat on them. It took the car about 4hrs to dry completely. Regardless of how long the dry time is, this isnt going to leave anything soaking wet. It will be only slightly damp once the water is sucked up. There are a few small things I didnt like about the machine. It is very difficult to maneuver (which was expected). When cleaning carpets, it does tend to spit out clumps of all the stuff it just sucked up. You know its working when you see these gross clumps but they are still annoying to pick up, unless you have someone going behind you to do it. I wish the hand tool had spinning bristles, although Ive heard that you can purchase one for a reasonable price. The last thing I didnt like was that this seemed to be a little too aggressive for my large living room area rug. Its a wool rug and it just seems like there are a lot of extra fibers getting sucked up by the machine, although the spinning bristles fluff my rug back up nicely. I may need to switch to using the hand tool on the rug though, in order to help prolong the life of it. All in all, this is a great product and well worth the money that was spent on it. It is expensive but I do believe that, in most cases, you get what you pay for. You wont regret buying this carpet/upholstery cleaner!