BISSELL® Big Green® PET PRO Carpet Cleaner, 3288

Did a great job. Will try again next week with the pretreat. Even alone, worked great!

Our carpet is 13 years old. It is a very high quality dense pile plush carpet. It’s light beige and had slowly become dirty enough that I was considering replacing it. We regularly vacuum and do not wear shoes in the house. At roughly 1500 sq feet of carpet, this was going to be quite expensive if replacing, so I decided to invest in this Bissell Big Green machine. Our Hoover Steamvac never seemed to get the carpet fully clean and it no longer could remove the traffic patterns no matter how hard I tried. I had about given up and the Bissell Big Green machine was our last hope. I’m happy to say that our carpet has been brought back to “almost” new. After shampooing with this new machine, if I asked someone about our carpet I’m sure they would think it’s new. This machine is amazing! I had to erase 13 years of use, and this is my procedure. Vacuum VERY well first. There is not need to make the machine pick up stuff that you could have gotten with the vacuum! Fill the tank with hot tap water and use the recommended Bissell PRO shampoo at the recommended dose. (two cups for a full tank) I pretreat the heavily soiled areas with the Bissell spray stain pretreatment and rub it into the carpet by hand. After 5 minutes of letting that soak, I pick a section of carpet roughly 6 feet wide by 10 feet long and do one forward pass and one backward pass over that whole section with the shampoo being dispensed. I do a row forward then back, then move over and do a row and so forth. I then go back over that area only sucking up the residual shampoo/water. without dispensing more shampoo. I then repeat with a second forward and reverse pass with shampoo and another pass to suck up the residual water. I then do a third and final forward and reverse pass with shampoo followed by sucking up the residual water. By this point the carpet has typically been fully cleaned. If not, I go over any areas as needed. Typically during the second to third pass is when you really see the magic happening. Typically, on the first pass with shampoo the machine will pickup and leave many dirty carpet balls in it’s wake. This is all the crud that the brushes are pulling out of the carpet. Im not sure why my vacuum cant get this stuff, but the Green Machine pulls up stuff that you didnt know existed in your carpet. In my case, these are NOT carpet fibers, but rather small hairs, dust, etc. and they are dark gray/black clumps. Normally I can suck these back up just by passing back over them with the machine. They end up in the dirty water bucket and get poured out when emptying the bucket. The machine works wonders and I’ve been able to completely remove traffic patterns. It takes some time, but be patient. This machine is head and shoulders above your typical home use carpet shampooer. I haven’t been more happy with a purchase in quite some time. This literally saved us thousands of dollars and our carpet looks practically BRAND NEW after 13 years of use. Attached are photos of some of our carpet just before using this machine, and about ½ way through cleaning this particular room. Even if this machine puked on me today, I’ve gotten my money’s worth. Couldn’t be happier. It’s about as loud as a vacuum cleaner. I haven’t tried any of the attachment, as I already have a hand held portable upholstery/stair cleaner. Highly recommnded.

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.

I would buy this product all over again. It is excellent on my carpets. I use it all the time with two large older dogs. Even the foot traffic makes the carpet dirty. PROS: ~This machine seems to put less water into the carpet than other machines Ive rented. ~The suction takes more water out of the carpet so the carpet dries faster ---even when I run over the same area time and time again to clean up a doggie accident. ~The machine works better than other carpet cleaners Ive rented/borrowed from family. I went over stains that Id previously cleaned with a rented Rug Doctor and it didnt get rid of them completely as they were old, but theyre quite noticeably better. ~The moving handle makes this comfortable for people of different heights to operate this. Other machines Ive used arent very comfortable. ~Filling the tank with water/solution is a lot less mess than other machines Ive used as the fill tank is removable. Machines Ive previously used you have to fill a bucket and then pour it into the machine and the suction fittings always got in the way which meant spilling (and solution is expensive!) ~The spinning dial makes it easy to see when youre out of water as it stops spinning. Yes, the sound the machine makes changes also, but if youre listening to music, or in the zone cleaning you may not notice that. The dial frequently catches my eye when it runs out as it is a spinning circle cut into quarters that are black/white/black/white. ~The clear tanks make it easy to see about how much of the cleaning solution tank youve used and how close to full the dirty tank is. ~I use my machine at least twice a week for spot cleaning. I clean my entire house, rotating rooms over a couple of days about every 3 weeks. The carpets do not appear to have any damage or wear from the machine. ~Dog hair is easy to remove from the bottom of the machine after using, and its easy to get out of the two parts to the dirty tank. Some of it also clumps on the floor when doing the cleaning so its easy to pick up while going. (Yes, I vacuum before, but even my Dyson doesnt get it all. We have large dogs who shed a lot year round.) ~The handle folding down makes it easy to store under shelves or hanging clothing in a garage/closet. ~It came assembled, well packed, and with a small bottle of original solution. Ready to go after removing a few cardboard inserts! Cons: ~Weight of machine is higher than that of the machines Ive rented in the past. HOWEVER, the tanks can be removed to transport it and its manageable. ~The dirty water tank can be a mess to empty. If you dont wait a few minutes for the water to settle when you lift it off it will drip dirty, water on you or your carpet/floor If you dont tilt it just right when dumping it, youll again have a bit of a mess on the bathroom floor and possibly yourself.. (I think Rug Doctors tanks from the machines Ive rented are easier to empty with less mess and theyre not in two pieces. The top piece here also drips when you remove it to dump the other tank, which means having to sit it in the tub or on the floor.) After cleaning the carpet I always clean the bathroom floor and tub as the dirty water gets on them. ~The dirty water tank, if not set just right, will not collect water. Once youve used the machine a few times its pretty easy to tell when you have it on right, but twice I emptied an entire tank without realizing it wasnt sucking up the water. (The dirty water tank handle when left up blocks part of my view at my height and I cant see if its sucking up the water.) This machine is well worth the price. I checked a LOT of sites and stores where it was available (including the Bissell site). Other than a no longer active Black Friday sale it was cheapest to purchase here on Amazon. I was very hesitant to spend this much money on a carpet shampooer. Its a LOT of money, but having used it a lot (two large elderly dogs create a lot of messes, not to mention foot traffic from humans and dogs alike.) I promise it is well worth the money. I would buy it even if it was $100 more knowing what I know now. I use it with the 2x Pet Stain & Odor Formula. Other people have said it was odorous or blue in color. It is clear and it does not smell at all. The only smell I ever have is when I go over a fresh urine/vomit spot and it only lasts a few seconds when you first go over it, and when you empty the dirty water tank. This cleaning solution works excellent. I have a small bottle of original formula that came with the machine, but I purchased the pet formula when I got the machine so I have not used it and compared. Id rather stick with what I know works. (The cleaning solution I found for the best price on Bissells site. Buy 1 solution get a second for 20% off, they frequently have % off codes which also give free shipping, and you get a 10% discount with a members points account, which is free. The discounts stack. I got 2 60oz bottles for $32 and some change today after tax and free shipping. Last time I bought them I had a slightly lower discount and paid $34.)

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 ??

it will pay for itself in no time. Its expensive but youre getting a great cleaner that will last forever.

Cleans so much better than my old bissell which I spent more time refilling and scrubbing my carpet on my hands and knees. I pretreat my carpet and can shampoo an entire room without stopping to refill with my new one

This is a well made machine with no bells and whistles. There is no rinse option, the Bissell stair attachment apparently does not fit the Big Green, but it comes with an upholstery attachment . The brush is a simple vacuum cleaner type brush. A nuisance is that you cant see the fluid level in the solution reservoir so there is no warning when you run out of solution. And it goes through a lot more solution than my previous uprights, the greater suction leaves it about equally as dry/wet, but it appears to do a better job cleaning, possibly getting deeper. . The machine is built like its intended to be a rental and Im convinced it will hold up; Im tired of my fairly expensive uprights busting apart if just banged against a stair. I dont know if the absence of a rinse option is a significant disadvantage, but my prior machines have had an auto-rinse feature.

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.

Disclaimer: I live in a rented condominium and therefore cant change my carpet. That being said, I used to own another, less expensive Bissell Lift-Off Pet Pro (or something that sounds similar). My older carpet cleaner seemed to use quite a lot of cleaner solution and even after multiple passes, the carpet I have (thick, almost shag carpet) remained quite damp/wet. The Big Green supposedly has a motor thats double (or more) of the amps of their consumer models. I found that it didnt use as much carpet cleaning solution as my old one, and that I still needed to do multiple passes for it to suck up the solution. If youve got thinner carpet, this one might be amazing, but for my situation, I think I wasted money since it still cant seem to vacuum up the liquids as much as I assumed it would, especially given its reputation and price.