BISSELL® Big Green® PET PRO Carpet Cleaner, 3288

This machine saved my carpet. It cleans far better and dries far quicker than the Rug Doctor which I tried first. We have a condo rental unit and a fully carpeted home, so for us, a good machine is worth having. We havent shampooed our carpets in several years, so they were in bad shape. Bad enough that we were planning to soon replace our great room carpet. A few weeks ago I narrowed the search down to a Rug Doctor and the Bissell Big Green. An app on my phone pointed me to Kohls for the Big Green, but all they had was the Rug Doctor, on a pretty good sale. So I thought, why not, Ill give it a try. Took it home, cleaned the great room rug pulling disgusting water up and it looked pretty good. But the carpet was very wet and took all weekend to dry. The manual said it should pick up 70-80% of the soapy water, but no way it was more than 50%. I utilized the bucket used to fill the machine to measure the dirty water coming out. By the time, it dried, the stains had wicked through from below leaving it dingy again. The matted high traffic parts were still matted. Disappointed, I returned it, and turned to Amazon for Big Green. A few short DAYS later, it shows up and I got to work. AMAZING RESULTS! The carpet is noticeably brighter (a white carpet), the matted parts are re-fluffed, and to top it off, was dry before I finished the two couches and lower half of the stairs. The water was far dirtier, darker, and sandier than what the Rug Doctor pulled up, and it had first crack. I waited several days to write a review to see if stains would re-appear. NOPE! Moving on, the couch tool didnt look like much, so I wasnt expecting a lot, but with the Bissell soap, the couch went from an oily and matted down microfiber suede, to normal dry looking fabric with the texture restored. (It is still a 10 year old couch, so some of the texture is missing from when new, but it breathed new life into these old couches. The main machine doesnt get extremely close to the wall, and we had some black lines along the baseboard from walls that breathe letting the carpet act like a filter along the baseboards turning it black. Well, using their soap, the upholstery attachment and a separate scrub brush, the carpet is white along the baseboards too. The strong suction of big green pulled the soap out nicely leaving the baseboard sections to dry quickly as well (though not dry as fast as the rest of the carpet.) In the end, we are not going to replace the carpet for a while now, and I thought it was overdue to replace. This machine, despite the steep price, already paid for itself saving this carpet. This machine is built tough. Thick plastic parts, large clips, strong motors. Having 2 removable tanks is easier than toting an open bucket to the machine like the Doctor. This is easier, fill at the sink, dump at the toilet. Folds up nicely to store, get a tote bag for the hose, and it will store nicely too. The warm air exhaust has a diffuser to hit the carpet evenly to aid drying, not just an open hose like on the Doctor. I see the upholstery attachment as something that could break with any misuse, so I would be careful with it, but this might be an excuse to pick up the brush attachment that reviews poorly with the smaller Bissells but very well when used with Big Green. Where it attaches could particularly be a weak point, pointing to the soap hose connection. On the plus side, if youve had any other smaller Bissells, those attachments might fit this too. The drawback is it didnt get the toughened design treatment the rest of this beast got. I picked up an extra belt seeing that as a wear item, like on any other vacuum. Plan on finding a medium bristle scrub brush to help along the baseboards where the machine cant reach. (If they designed it to reach there too, there would likely be a few compromises from where this thing shines and not worth the trade off) Ive heard Bissell is weak on Customer Service, so if it breaks under warranty, Ill probably just find parts on Ebay which seem readily available there. It seems built such that I doubt Ill need that help. This is a great machine! Hope this helps. Update, after 7 years it’s still running strong. I typically do a rinse after shampooing the carpet and then run the water until it stops spraying when finished. So far, no problems. Maybe the rinsing and draining is preventing some of the flow meter and other issues I see in other reviews?

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.

We had usually hired professional carpet cleaners for years, twice a year, each visit about the price of this cleaner, just to have the carpets dirty again in a matter of days or weeks. I made an executive decision, said enough, and looked for the machines with the top reviews, regardless of price. This one came out near the top despite not being the most expensive. My wife was skeptical but when she saw the results she was won over. Adapter for upholstery cleaning a big plus. And trial size cleaning solution bottles included makes it easy to use right out of the box. But water does need to be changed after every 20-30 mins (half a large room) of use. Other than that, well worth it!

I used this product to shampoo my carpets which are a lower loft high traffic carpet made by Shaw with a pad with a waterproof barrier. I shampooed several smaller rooms, a large family room and set up stairs. I was very pleased with the ease of use of the product. It was easy to figure out. I like the separate clean water and dirty water tanks. It really did get the carpets clean and does have good suction to bring water back out of the carpet. It is rather heavy so maneuvering on a full flight of stairs was challenges. It is slightly wider that a standard stair width so if you dont have a landing mid way down it may be challenging to use this on stairs. The only other items I would change is the clarity of the viewing window that shows the water as its being sucked back into the machine. The plastic is more milky versus clear making it hard to see at times how much moisture and how clean the moisture is coming back into the machine. Overall I would recommend this product if you are looking for something that is better than your standard consumer grade carpet shampooer but not so burdensome as a shampooer you might rent from home store.

I bought this because I have 2 small dogs and they like to pee on the carpet. I always clean up the pee when it happens, and I pre-treated with spray carpet cleaner and let sit for about 5 minutes before using the “Big Green”. The first time I used it, I filled the cleaning tank to the fill line and added two capfuls of cleaning liquid. I only cleaned one small bedroom fully and a hallway, and then spot cleaned in a few other places. I quickly realized I did not need that much cleaning solution. The 2nd time I used it, I used 16 cups (1 gallon) of warm/hot tap water and only one cup of cleaning solution since I planned to only spot clean some pee and vomit. I still had atleast half of the cleaning detergent left over. I say this because you don’t need to waste the detergent and only plan on enough for the job you are doing. Overall it did a really nice job cleaning and I was very pleased with the product. The photos show where my dog ate “toadkill” and then puked it up later that day. There is some shadowing in the photos, but there is no stain left after cleaning. Pros and cons listed below: Pros- cleans carpet very well, easy to use, easy to maintain, great suction, carpet dries quickly, the hose works great on stairs and upholstery Cons- super heavy to carry up/down stairs. I take all the clean/dirty reservoirs off and then carry just the machine. This reduces weight a little bit. - this thing is HUGE and I haven’t figured out where to store it yet- the machine costs a lot, but I think I will save money and have cleaner carpets in the long run, so look at it as an investment. - again this machine is heavy and I can only use it for about 15 minutes before my back starts to get uncomfortable. - you do need to spend about 5 to 10 minutes cleaning the machine after each use to keep it in good working order. - it is hard to aim the sprayer on the hose directly on the surface, but if you hold it about 3 inches away from the surface, it is easier to spray the hose correctly and you can see exactly where it sprayed the cleaning solution - both times I used it I vacuumed first, but there was wet lint that collected on the surface of my carpet. I just bent over and picked it up, or continued to go over the spot until it was suctioned up, so not a big deal. Overall, I love this machine and will most likely use it for spot cleaning every week, and full carpet cleaning quarterly. Definitely recommend for pet owners.

If you want a clean, non-blotchy, carpet use the pretreat everywhere. They dont include the pretreat. Where I didnt pretreat initially, I ended up going back.

When I first bought my home, there were some pet stains that the owners could not remove. I did not have time to clean it myself, so I hired a professional cleaning company. Needless to say, I was not impressed. So I rented the Rug Doctor and after several passes, I was able to remove the stain. I continued to rent the Rug Doctor over the years for my carpet cleanings and had been pleased. The last time I used one, I did notice the carpets were somewhat stiff. I am going to attribute this to the fact that I may have used too much cleaning solution. Then spring came around again and I wanted to clean the carpets again. I had stains from drinks, heavy traffic areas and again some pet stains. I own two lovable cats, who sometimes like to leave love spots. I went to my local grocery store to rent the Rug Doctor and they did not have any machines available. I went to several other stores and could not find one. Someone told me to try the Home Depot or Lowes. I went to Lowes and they had the Bissell instead of the Rug Doctor (RD). Never having used one and very unsure that it would perform as well as the RD, I decided to give it a try. First off, I noticed the rental rate was higher due to the deposit required. I loaded it into my car and home I went to give it a try. I am not sure if it is lighter or easier to maneuver than the RD when removing from my car. I followed the simple instructions and off I went cleaning the carpets. One of the things I noticed was the cleaning solution is applied in both the forward and backwards movements. Cleaning was pretty straight forward and exactly as I expected. First mistake I made was dumping the dirty water. I slipped and dropped the dirty water all over the floor. Quick fix, use the vacuum aspect and suck up the water. Another positive I noticed was the filling of the water. No more filling a large bucket and dumping it into a smaller fill slot. You fill the bucket, which removes and add solution, tighten the cap and place it back on the Big Green. No more water saturated lines on the carpet when I pour too fast. Place the empty container that will collect the dirty water on top, secure the latch and off you go. I have read that people are experiencing clumps of dirty hair, etc when using the Big Green. The ONLY times I notice this is when I fail to vacuum my carpets thoroughly first. I also noticed that the suction is somewhat better than my vacuum, so it is picking up cat and human hairs (that vacuum cleaners can and do miss) and depositing them on the carpet. No Problem, just pick them up. As a note I noticed this as well with the RD, so it is NOT a specific problem to the Big Green. You must vacuum before using the cleaner. The other major positive was the drying time using the Big Green. It is MUCH less than the RD. So I purchased this on 6/22/12 and opted for next day delivery. I ordered this mid-morning to mid-afternoon I believe and by 9am the next morning I had my Big Green. Less than 24 hours for shipping! I opened the box, removed a few cardboard packing materials, removed the bottle of solution from the tank, filled it with water and off I went. No more than 15 minutes total from unpacking to cleaning. No assembly required!!!! I am happy with my purchase. If you are familiar with using a RD, the Big Green is similar in size and maneuverability. This is not a small upright vacuum size. For me it seemed to maneuver easier than the RD. It removes stains, leaves your carpets feeling great and dries faster than any other cleaner I am aware of. The Bissell cleaning solutions smell nice and are not over powering. Pros: cleaning capabilities Less drying time Carpets feel soft ease of use Cons: cost, rather expensive but worth the cost for thorough deep cleanings

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.

I’ve wanted this carpet cleaner for a some time, but didn’t want to spend the money. Well we finally gave in and bought it. My only mistake less NOT purchasing this years ago. I cleaned half the carpets in the house yesterday and they look and feel so soft and clean. I will finish the rest of the house today. The machine is quite heavy, but I like that and it does not deter me. The suction power is an A++ and they took no time to dry. Sincerely, A Happy Customer

I always rent the rug doctor to clean my carpets but figured i would just buy one so went Amazon.com to purchase a rug doctor but then i saw this bissel it had better reviews so thought i would give it a try. Well it had better reviews for a reason it cleans carpets better and destroys rug doctor on the length of time your carpet drys. I was renting a used machine so that might have a little something to do with it.