I can't understand the negative reviews that I have read regarding this machine. Mind you, this is my first heated floor steamer, so I can't compare it to some other make/model. That said, this is the best $[...] I have ever spent. I cannot believe the job this thing does.
The "out of box" experience was excellent -- four screws (? maybe five) and we were up and running. The only negative I can think to mention is that the instruction pamphlet is small and poorly written -- I could understand how to work the machine, but the eensy-weensy picture of how to store my on-board tools was useless. Luckily, it was fairly intuitive once you study the thing.
Once I had it together, I attacked an area rug -- a big one, I think that it is 10 x 12. Now, this is an area rug that has been in the living room, which doubles as our family room/tv room, and the traffic over this rug has been tremendous. Due to location, this is essentially the first rug that one walks on after coming into the house with wet shoes, muddy paws (90-pound malamute), etc. Frankly, I really only tried cleaning it for the sport--I thought the rug was shot, and I had planned to pitch it as soon as I could come up with the time and money to replace it.
Holy Toledo. This gross rug (now formerly-gross) actually came CLEAN. I frankly can't believe it. I have cleaned it previously with rented steamers, but it has NEVER looked this good after the fact. I am not sure if it is because of the cleaning product, the heat, or the fact that I was really able to take my time since I didn't have to get the machine back to the store, but this formerly-foul rug now looks good as new. Now I am mad because the rug is kind of dated, but I can't justify buying a new one!
Now--speaking of the fact that I was able to take some time since I didn't have to rush the machine back to the rental place-- YOU HAVE TO HAVE SOME PATIENCE. This is not an industrial machine people, it is a home model that costs $[...] bucks. I started by vacuuming, thoroughly. Unfortunately, my vacuum is also a home model, and it didn't really pick up 100% of the pet hair, lint, etc. So, the first time I cleaned the rug with the steamer (which is more powerful than my vacuum), it left a lot of wet "lint balls" behind. Not a big deal, you pick up what you can, then vacuum again once the rug is dry. And the rug does *not* take long to dry, the machine does an excellent job of extracting the water. I was so flabergasted by the amount of dirt coming out of the rug that I ended up cleaning it a second time, after which the "dirty" water was essentially clear. Remarkable.
Then on to a rental property, where I used it to clean hard floors (tile and hardwoods). As far as I am concerned, the job that this thing did on the hard floors was worth the entire purchase price. Our former tenants were apparently lovers of fried foods, and were not loveres of floor cleaning. This is the norm. In the past, I would have spent a few hours on my hands and knees with caustic cleaners and a wire scrubby. Never again people. I sprayed the floor with some grease-cutting stuff (Lysol 3-in-1 cleaner, I think), then put the Bissell to work. Sweet Fancy Moses. I could SEE the dirt coming up in the path of the beast. And--despite my best efforts this has *never* been true--when I finished, and used a paper towel to pick up the leftover water residue, there was NO dirt on the paper towel. Not since the floors were installed have they been this clean. Maybe not even when they were installed. The first thing our now new tenants said when they came to see the property was "wow--this is the cleanest place that we have seen!" The beast did an equally good job on the hardwoods, but keep in mind that these are true hardwoods from the 1920's, and I am not sure I would feel comfortable using heat and cleaning products on genuinely fancy modern hardwoods, much less the modern laminated products.
Others have said the machine is heavy, and I guess that is true. But, ummm, you are carrying probably 5 gallons of water? Not sure how that could be made any lighter. I have found that if you carry the water resevoir separate from the machine it is not terribly unwieldly. Of course, I am a 43-yr. old woman in moderately good shape, and I am not sure if I would recommend this machine to my 81-yr.-old mother-in-law. Likewise, this is not a machine that I would want to haul out on a weekly basis. It is big, and a little messy, and if you really want to take care of it you have to give it a thorough cleaning after the fact, so plan on spending some time with it once you are finished (about 10-20 minutes if you want to do a good job of cleaning it, depending on how much gunk was on your floor).
Lastly, I am a leet-le bit nervous about the folks who have said that their machine's "plastic parts" have broken. So far, my experience has been very good, and nothing has broken or fallen off. I am feeling pretty good about my luck since I have given this machine a bit of a beating between home and the rental property, but I suppose to be fair I will have to come back with an update in 6 months when I have had more experience.
Anyway, bottom line, if you think that you are going to be purchasing an all-metal-industrial-quality steam-cleaner for $[...], I think that your expectations are a little whacked. If you want a very-good-quality home machine that does an outstanding job and will treat you well if given appropriate care, I would highly recommend this guy. My guess is that the $300-$400 home machines are probably better in some respects, but they are also $300-$400. To tell you the truth, I am so impressed by the Bissell that "next time" I might think about buying one of the more expensive ones (just 'cause I wonder how terrific the "better" ones might be), but for now I am delighted with what I have. As an aside, my sister is a clean FREAK (no, seriously, it is practically clinical) and she helped me out cleaning the rental property. She has informed me that if my house is ever broken into and the only thing missing is the Bissell, I should just send the police over to her house to pick her up.
Good luck with your purchase. I hope that my luck with the Bissell isn't a fluke, and that my positive review isn't misleading. For what it is worth, this is only the second time that I have written a review of any product, and I wouldn't have done it but for the fact that I have been so impressed. Maybe my expectations weren't very high in the first place, but this crazy machine has more than exceeded them.
(248 customers reviews)
Customers Rating=4.0 / 5.0
More Detail For Bissell ProHeat 2X Select Upright Deep Carpet Cleaner 9400
- Upright vacuum/carpet cleaner; 12 amps
- 12 rows of brushes rotating for deep cleaning/grooming
- Heats water and cleaning formula to remove tough stains
- Edge-to-edge cleaning and suction power
- Choose between light clean, normal, rinse, or heavy traffic settings
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