BISSELL® Big Green® PET PRO Carpet Cleaner, 3288

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!

I dont know why i was wasting so much $ letting carpet wash man do the job and they wouldnt do it aa good as me. If you think you use it more than 3 times a year it pays for itself in 1st year , just get you a good shampoo reagent ( i got zepp) and mix it with water and spray that on stain, brush it manually and use the same shampoo for big green and you will be surprised how clean it comes out, i have used it 2times and if i wanted to pay someone to wash the way i washed they would easily charge me 250 if not 300, So it has already paid for itself.

I started out using this machine because I was in a pinch when our carpet vendor had to cancel. My first experience was with a rental from a local hardware company, per the recommendation of our rep. The rental had clearly been used a lot, and not well cared for. I was skeptical. However, our $5000.00 commercial machine was heavy, hard to fill, rigorous to use, exhausting to use solo, and an inconvenience for those occupying apartments. With this machine, I was able to complete the job in a fraction of the time, had no interference with other occupants, had no fatigue, and the end result was a much cleaner and sanitary carpet. I was so pleased I bought 4. I have since bought nothing but this. The upholstery attachments work well for furniture and tight spaces. The stair tool sees no loss of suction. The machine is simple to use, can be used by a single person with ease. The suction is less than more expensive machines, but the scrubbing bristles penetrate deep into the carpet and in my opinion yield a better clean. The capacity is small, but that can be seen as a benefit. This is not a machine for water extraction, but for cleaning. The machine is easy to clean, and upon first use it will be evident how much this machine really pulls out of the carpet. There is a clear channel on the top of the collection bin and you will be able to see the hair, dirt, and grime as it is extracted. There is a multi color pinwheel on the top of the machine for flow, that will let you when when water is flowing or the tank is empty. For areas with pets, it does extremely well with hair and dander. Rather than flood and suck, this machine will excel with proper chemical treatment. Pre-treat stains properly ahead of time, and mix the proper fragrance and general carpet cleaning solution for your needs with the clean water tank for optimal performance. It’s a prefect option for single households. For commercial, I recently chose to use this product over a much more expensive machine. A larger complex with indoor, carpet hallways. Roughly 2 linear miles (4 buildings, 4 floors per building) and 6 foot wide. To make it work I prefilled a 30 gallon tote with water and treatment, and one empty tote. I was then able to fill the tank when needed, as well as empty the collection tank with ease. Pretreated the stains with a backpack sprayer, and the end result was great. My legs and back are still thankful. One caveat is that it is still pretty loud.

The suction is so good that it pulls old dirt through the pad even. I installed my own inground pool and never thought I would get the carpets clean from the kids going into the dirt piles from the pool dirt. Well this gets everything out, even the stuff that managed to get through the carpet pad. Amazing wish I bought this years ago.

After owning a little green and having that ultimately break after 7 solid years of pet and kid ownership, I was looking for a replacement. We already had a traditional upright cleaner, but the hose/commercial cleaner combo caught my eye on the Big Green. We wanted a little more HP than the little green could offer from the hose. I also knew that to get the best you have to spend the best and laid out 4 large for the Biggen. Machine comes fully assembled which a rarity these days. Out of the box and onto cleaning in about 5 min. Construction: This thing is built like a tank. Thick, HDPE, and ABS plastic in most places with very little pieces of the cheap crack prone plastics used in the lower models. Thick, heavy cord with plenty of length. Solid no frills handle. A single switch! ON/OFF. Any questions? Tanks are of superior quality com paired to the standard uprights you find in department stores. I know because 1 went tumbling down an entire flight of stairs full of solution with zero breakage. Tanks lift right out of the machine with no latches to mess around with. There is not a single piece you touch that feels like the bean counters were looking over an engineers shoulders on this one. Vacuumm is of commercial grade and will rival most shop vacs. Lights dim when you turn it on, indicating the power within. Design: Commercial, and heavy. I can totally see this machine being rented or used by professionals, and it shows as soon as you start using it. Locating the pivot for the handle at the wheel axle was genius compared to the horrible Rug Doctor design that tips constantly. This machine cut my time by 2/3rds over our old upright. The water tanks are easily twice as large and allow you to clean MULTIPLE rooms before attending to the tanks. Our old upright would have to be changed about 2-3 times per room. Hose attachment works great with about 3-4 times the suction of the Little Green. The hose brush is also about 2X as wide which makes cleaning stairs and your auto go much faster. It also accepts Bissels standard brushes so you could swap out a narrow one for tight spaces if desired. No provisions for hose storage. I am neutral on this. It would be nice, but we had this on our old upright and removed it. I can see why they didnt put them on this. Hoses can be a pain while cleaning carpets because they tend to fall off. With the commercial theme of this vacuum, professionals would not mess with such a large hose falling off. Another nice feature is the flow wheel that spins when water sprays. This gives you instant feedback if the vac is spraying or not. No spinny, no water. This would help diagnose a pump failure if one ever happened. Cleaned carpets dry in about 1-2 hours depending on pile length. They used to take about 6 hours to dry. Negatives: Clean water tank runs out about twice as fast as the dirty tank. I dont know why Bissel engineers can never get the golden ratio right with these things. From my experience, you always need a much larger capacity water tank than dirty because of how much water is retained in the carpets. While this machine certainly leaves the carpets dryer than our old machine, it is not even a close call on what will run out first. I tried rolling the machine down my stairs like a dolly. The handle locks in upright position so I didnt think twice about it. WHAT A MISTAKE! The upright handle lock gave way sending the dirty tank full of dirty water tumbling down my stairs. Luckily I have the machine to clean it up and the tank didnt damage anything. I then see a handle on the front of the machine for lifting. This machine is fairly heavy and I am a grown man, but having to carry this machine full of water anywhere is not fun. The handle lock should be able hold the weight of the machine and tanks for a machine costing 4 large. Not a major flaw, but I cant see a single women operating this machine if she had to navigate a flight of stairs. This is a mans machine, or a womens machine in a rancher. Hose is about 4 stairs too short on length to cover an entire flight without having to carry the machine to the other end. Conclusion: This is a solid machine that instantly proves its worth in how much time it saves you cleaning your carpets. Yes, it is worth the price when you can clean 1200 ft^2 of carpeting in 2 hours. That used to take me all day. Minor quibbles as stated above, but shes got it where it counts. Great suction, wide cleaning path, easy to operate, cleans better than anything Ive used before, and saves you time. If you value having clean carpets dont waste your money on lessor products. They are too much of a pain to use which causes you to use them less. This machine is so easy and fast that you wont dread cleaning them.

I am a 3 fur baby owner with a carpeted living room stairs and hallway. In the process of buying this home. Until the papers are signed, I need to have a clean carpet!! Having 3 dogs, accidents happen. I was using the Bissell petpro steam cleaner. I have been using them (yes them- I own 3). Using these machines 3 sometimes 4 times a week. Having a living room over 600 sq feet.. it was worth $$. They all worked well. I needed something to work AMZING!!! this is the AMAZING machine!! The carpet is almost immediately dry, or damp. It is my new go to!! ! I was worried about weight but it rolls pretty easy Large tank is a big plus! I would highly recommend, and while not the cheapest carpet cleaner out there, I find it basically works like a professional. Thank you Bissell!!!

During the market fall of 2008 I decided to buy a house in Tampa, Florida. The house was in pretty good condition with the exception of the carpets. Before we moved in we had the whole house carpeted areas professionally cleaned but after we moved in the light cream carpets started looking grey. I have hired various pros the last 5 years only to be told that the carpets could never be cleaned completely and having to live with this or just change them. In between professional clean ups I have been using my Hoover Professional carpet cleaner I bought about 10 years ago (I do not remember the model but it was a SIX brush unit). It did a decent job cleaning but heavy traffic areas always looked greyer than the rest and so we decided to buy some rugs to cover them up. Nothing I would do or anyone else made those areas look better. Lately I started thinking seriously changing the carpets for good, a job easier said than done in my house if you could see the stuff I have collected over the years. Desperate for a solution I came across ads and started researching various carpet cleaners from 150 bucks all the way to several thousand (our of curiosity of course!). I saw the Bissell Big Green and read as many reviews as I could at amazon and other sites. Even saw videos in youtube. Half convinced I finally decided to take the plunge thinking that if this would not work I could send the machine back to amazon. The unit came and I was surprised by its size and heft. My Hoover was supposed to be a pro model and did cost me around 350 bucks 10 years ago if I remember well. Still, the Bissell is bigger and heavier by close to 20 lbs. Anyway, I prepared the machine and started working on the worst areas in the house. After working for about 15 minutes I was astonished to see that those got cleaned up like never before since I moved in this house. I had used my Hoover last weekend but the Bissell was cleaning areas that the Hoover could not even touch cleaning. The water extracted after clean up was black and filthy looking like I had never cleaned out these areas before. Even areas that looked clean now looked like new with my new machine. Another surprise was just how effective and superior the cleaning solution 2X Ultra that came with the machine is compared to competitive products. I run out of the Bissell cleaning solution and had to use some of the stuff I had on hand (two different brands). The difference was huge and the effort to get the same results was by far bigger. Go figure! I ordered a big bottle of the 2X Ultra which I received today. The carpet areas I have cleaned so far look like new and the carpet feels like it is rejuvenated somehow. All in all here are some observations and myth basters: 1. The Big Green is big and heavy. You will feel it in your arms and back after prolonged usage. Take your time and be careful. 2. The clean water and dirty water tanks are HUGE. This speeds up cleaning time by avoiding frequent stops for replenishing and clean up. 3. Clean up of the Big Green is a dream! The Hoover could never be cleaned completely due to its design. The Big Greens dirty water container comes in two pieces very easy to clean with tap water. Just do the clean up as soon as you get done using the unit. 4. Some people claim the machine to be made cheap! Nothing is further from the truth. The plastic used in this unit is heavy and the machine looks like it will last for a very long time. 5. This is not an easy unit to use in hard to reach areas. Open areas are best for this. I had to move many furniture for effective cleaning. 6. Use the Bissell 2X Ultra liquid for best results. My comparisons with two different and very well known brands were very educating. 7. The unit creates a lot of the fur balls digging lint form the carpet. You will have to pick those up by your hand. Also the brushes in the bottom get clogged after heavy use. Make sure you turn the machine over (after removing the liquid containers) and clean them regularly. This shows just how well the machine cleans your carpet. 8. I have used several brands of commercial rental cleaners. Also I have seen many other so called professional machines used in this house the last 5 years. The Bissell BEATS them ALL and by a long shot. I really works. 9. NO! I never managed to clean a heavily soiled area by one or two passes like in some videos. You have to work the machine to get results and this is what I did. Multiple passes and plenty of liquid. Dry thoroughly afterwards! Try the unit and you will see by yourself. Just follow the instructions and be amazed. If for any reason you do not like it then just send it back to amazon and get done with it. I am keeping this baby for good! My carpets never looked better. This has really saved me thousands in new carpet for the time being. Cheers

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??

It really disgusts me how poorly made many of todays products are. I like to buy something for life. I prefer to spend more to get something that I wont have to replace in a few years time. Heck, I still drive a 17 year old car I bought new in 1997--it doesnt look so great anymore, but it gets me around, its cheap to own and maintain, and hasnt left me stranded! The Bissell carpet cleaners are a good example of this. In the late 90s, I had purchased one of the Bissell carpet cleaners. While I was using it maybe once per year, there was a span of a few years where I didnt use it at all. So it is not like I used it that often. Over the years, one by one, something else would break on it. Or it would leak. Or the bearings would start wailing like a banshee (which screams cheap imported bearings to me). The last straw was earlier this year when the container of detergent kept coming out steadily, and was completely drained after running the cleaner for 10 minutes. I was not alone either--I know a few friends/family personally who bought a similar machine and they, too, had it only last them a few years. Fed up with Bissell, I looked at the others. Yet here on Amazon, just about all of the cleaners (Hoover, Bissell, etc.) has similar reviews--cheap plastic, leaks, early failures, just total junk. Yet this Bissell 86T3 stood out as having a five-star rating, with hundreds of votes. The more I read, the more I realized that I needed to give this machine a try. I was going to rent one from Lowes, but a Warehouse Deal came along that made it irresistible. It showed up yesterday, courtesy of FedEx. In the evening, I tried it on a high-traffic area in the family room, which has an off-white low-pile carpeting. It still has a couple of streaks, but man, is it ever bright! I havent seen it this clean since I moved into this house four years ago. The old Bissell lightened it a bit, but this one totally took control and sucked up a lot of dirt. (One area is a run between the kitchen and back door, and the other is the area around my work desk.) I may go over a few spots again now that I am more used to the machine. Today I tackled a bedroom (including a mattress) and the living room. And again, it pulled up muck that poured out of the waste container in a dark grey color. And yes, its like the other reviews have said: the carpet does not take long at all to dry. This 86T3 has serious suction! (The other Bissell couldnt suck up a dead gnat.) Moving furniture around, I was able to use a large fan to dry off the carpet in about a half hour. The carpet isnt exactly new looking, but it looks way better now. It always amazes me how much gunk hides in our carpets! Construction--the plastic is thick and heavy, in the main body and in the tanks. Fully loaded, its a bear to lift. But like others say, cart it around or lift it without the tanks to make things easier. It is also a bit difficult to steer but you get used to moving it in longer strokes to make up for it. I tried the hand tool in the bedroom to get in some tight corners, and the hose is long and sturdy, with no worries about kinking it like the cheaper Bissell cleaners. I likely would not have paid full price for this, but even if I had to pay more than the Warehouse Deals price, at least I am more confident that this cleaner will last me a while.

I’ve owned this product for 2.5 years now and have been very pleased with its high level of durability and strong suction ability despite nearly weekly usage over this time. I have learned a few tips that are worth sharing: Cleaning Solution: Don’t waste a ton on the cleaning solution. Do buy a bissell approved nonfoaming solution but you don’t need to add it each time you treat the carpet. I don’t notice any benefit having Febreeze in the Solution as opposed to spraying the carpet after treatment. Pre-treat Carpet: Don’t treat dirt laden carpet if you can help it. You’ll take twice as long and you’ll have thick mud at then bottom of your top bin to clean later. Instead, Vacuum thoroughly first before starting the green machine. Spray stains first and let them soak before taking a hand brush to them. Consider going over the carpet first with warm water in the machineand then use the bissell soap added with it and then go over a third time with water alone. Use soft or filtered water. You’ll notice the carpet is softer on your feet after treating it with water without the soap or very little soap. Stains: In areas with stains pretreat with Folex a nonfoaming stain remover or add folex to the water. Careful with the folex if it’s heavily soiled carpet. The solution will turn dirt and dust into neutral on contact. Therefore spot treating carpet you don’t intend to fully clean will leave unsightly lighter spots looking like stains. The folex website suggests adding folex:water 1:4 or 1:6 to the machine. For tough stains my suggestion is scrubbing with the Magic Stain Remover Stick and lifting with some warm water. Hot water by the way isn’t recommended as it can actually set some stains into carpet. Carpet Edges: The machine shouldn’t be driven straight over carpet edges for two reasons. One, the rollers might pull up the end of the carpet or on a rug edge cause it to curl. Or the machine will sound high pitched and stop suctioning. You can turn it off and then on to resume. I found that going over carpet edges at a very slight angle prevents both of these problems. Drying the carpet: I notice the House gets very muggy after a carpet treatment. Open the doors and windows. Then run the heater and AC alternately 3 times for an hour and sleep well the first night instead of waiting for the next day for the carpet to get dry. Spray position: Keep in mind the spray comes out the machine just in front of the rear wheels. This means you’d do better to spray driving forward and suctioning on the return pull back towards you. In heavily soiled areas I go slowly, there is no reason to do a whole lot of superficial sprays and vacuums when I can spend more time and do a deeper clean. I’ve had only one problem with the machine. It was a leak at the clean water indicator. I had it serviced under warranty by an approved repair shop with no hassle. I didn’t start using the hand wand until about a year in and found it very helpful for stained areas. It seems like a hassle to use but it gives you the ability to put some elbow grease in certain spots without wasting time on a whole area. You can buy the head attachments when they wear down pretty cheap 6.39 on Amazon. The other trick is using a steam iron just for the steam before scrubbing and vacuuming an area.