I’ve spent fifteen years, eight of them running my own residential cleaning business, pulling hair, grime, and mystery stains out of carpet. When I test a machine, I weigh the dirty water tank before and after, clock the drying time with my watch, and lift the thing myself, because my back has been the real reviewer since 2009.
Bissell makes the most popular carpet cleaners in America, and their lineup spans from ~$90 spot cleaners to ~$300+ uprights.
Here’s what actually happens when you run them on a real stained carpet with a 45-pound border collie named Marty shedding opinions and fur.
The ProHeat 2X Revolution Pet Pro Plus is the best overall for whole-house jobs, but at 16.5 pounds and with a cord that’s still too short for a family room, it’s not perfect. The Little Green is the best for spot cleaning, but you’ll fill its 40-ounce tank constantly.
And the TurboClean PET? It’s the one I recommend to most homeowners, because it pulls up pet hair I thought I’d already vacuumed, and it doesn’t cost a gazillion $$$.
BISSELL ProHeat 2X Revolution Pet Pro Plus Carpet Cleaner, 3588F
Heaviest suction in the lineup, two-tank system that actually separates clean and dirty water,...
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BISSELL TurboClean PET, Upright Carpet & Upholstery Cleaner, 3948
BISSELL® TurboClean™ Pet upright carpet & upholstery cleaner is our best compact carpet cleaner for pet messes, everyday tough ground-in dirt, and stains on area rugs and small spaces. Using powerful
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Bigger tanks than the standard TurboClean, so you refill less often mid-job.
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BISSELL Revolution HydroSteam Carpet Cleaner, 4123
Steam assist lifts set-in stains that cold water can’t, and it dries faster than the ProHeat.
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BISSELL Little Green Multi-Purpose Portable Carpet Cleaner, 1400B
BISSELL® TurboClean™ Pet upright carpet & upholstery cleaner is our best compact carpet cleaner for pet messes, everyday tough ground-in dirt, and stains on area rugs and small spaces. Using powerful
Visit on Amazon →How I tested
I ran these machines side by side on the same carpets in my own house, the same stains, and the same Marty fur. I did a 3×3 foot section of Berber carpet in my hallway that had seen a cat upchuck, a muddy paw print, and a coffee spill that I’d “cleaned” with a towel two weeks earlier (IYKYK).
I weighed each dirty water tank before and after with a kitchen scale. I clocked drying time with a stopwatch.
I carried every machine up and down my basement stairs, because a machine that hurts to carry lives in the closet.
I also packed and unpacked each one, emptied the tanks over a utility sink, and cleaned the brushrolls with a sprayer and my own hands. I did this for three weeks, using each machine at least twice. I don’t have a lab. I have a house with animals.
Cleaning power: the dirty water test
The dirty water doesn’t lie. The ProHeat 2X Revolution pulled up the darkest water of the bunch. On the hallway carpet, the tank came out almost black on the first pass, and I had to dump and refill it twice.
The TurboClean PET came close, and I was genuinely surprised at how much embedded fur it pulled out of a rug I’d vacuumed that morning.
A softball-sized glob of hair came out of a carpet that looked clean. That’s the proof.
The Revolution HydroSteam, at ~$330, uses steam to loosen set-in stains. On a grease spot that had been there for months, it did better than the ProHeat, which relied on hot water and suction alone. But for everyday pet messes, the ProHeat’s suction is stronger. The TurboClean Pet XL sits between the standard TurboClean and the ProHeat: bigger tanks, but not the same pull.
Drying time: the clock test
The Hoover PowerDash Pet Compact, which I’ve tested separately, dries in about 30 minutes with its HeatForce feature. The Bissell machines are not that fast. The ProHeat left my hallway carpet damp for about 2.5 hours with windows open.
The TurboClean PET was closer to 3 hours. The Revolution HydroSteam dried in about 1.5 hours, which is the best of the Bissell uprights, thanks to the steam assist.
If drying time is your top priority, the Hoover wins. If you want deep cleaning, you’re waiting a bit longer.
Ergonomics: the back test
The ProHeat is 16.5 pounds, and it feels like it when you carry it up stairs. The TurboClean PET is 12.5 pounds, and it’s the one I’d grab for a quick stair clean. The Little Green is 9.5 pounds, and it’s genuinely easy to carry.
But the Little Green’s tanks are small: 40 ounces for clean, 40 for dirty. You’ll refill it constantly.
The TurboClean Pet XL has bigger tanks, which helps, but it’s 15 pounds and not as maneuverable.
Clean-out: the mold test
Every manufacturer gives up on clean-out instructions. The brushroll area on the TurboClean PET is a nightmare to rinse; you have to turn it upside down in the sink and spray up and around the roller. The ProHeat’s brushroll is easier to access, but the hose still requires a trip to the bathtub and a lot of water.
I’ve had gross mold grow in a machine I didn’t dry thoroughly, and it’s not a minor problem. If you’re not willing to rinse the hose and brushroll after every use, you’re going to end up with a machine that smells worse than the stains it was supposed to remove.
ProHeat 2X Revolution Pet Pro Plus: the best overall
This is the machine I’d put on a client’s carpet, and I don’t say that lightly. The two-tank system keeps clean and dirty water separate, which sounds basic but isn’t in this price range. The suction is the strongest in the lineup, and the 2X technology actually puts more cleaning solution on the carpet than the standard ProHeat.
On my hallway carpet, the water came out black, and I had to dump it twice. That’s the proof.
The downsides are real. It’s 16.5 pounds, and carrying it up stairs is a workout. The cord is 25 feet, which sounds long but isn’t when you’re trying to reach across a family room. And the tabs to remove the dirty water tank stick; I felt like I was going to break something the first time I tried.
But for ~$280, it pays for itself in about four or five rentals. I’ve used it fifteen times. For a whole-house machine, this is the one.
TurboClean PET: the best value
At ~$150, this is the machine I recommend to most homeowners. It’s 12.5 pounds, the tanks come off and go back on securely without a struggle, and the suction pulls up pet hair that I thought I’d already vacuumed. One owner, “FarmWife4Life,” wrote in March: “The water was BLACK with dirt.” She’s not wrong.
But it’s not perfect. The cord could be longer, and one buyer reported the cord getting stripped down to the wire where they held it. The tabs to pull up and remove the dirty water tank stick. And the brushroll area is less easy to clean than I’d like. For ~$150, I’m very satisfied. Just don’t expect it to do a whole house in one sitting without refilling.
TurboClean Pet XL: the refill king
The XL is the TurboClean PET with bigger tanks, so you’re not refilling the clean water tank every ten minutes. It’s ~$190, which is a reasonable bump for that convenience. But the suction isn’t as strong as the ProHeat, and at 15 pounds, it’s not as easy to carry.
If you have a family room that’s seen manure on boots, grease, and spilled cocktails, you’re better off with the ProHeat.
If you have a Yorkie who won’t go outside when it’s raining, the standard TurboClean is enough.
Revolution HydroSteam: the set-in stain specialist
The HydroSteam is the most expensive in the lineup at ~$330, and it’s the one that uses steam to loosen stains that cold water can’t touch. On a grease spot that had been there for months, it outperformed the ProHeat, and it dried in about 1.5 hours, which is the best of the Bissell uprights.
But for everyday pet messes, the ProHeat’s suction is stronger, and the steam tech adds complexity. If you have set-in stains from before you owned a cleaner, this is the one.
If you’re cleaning up fresh upchucks, save the money.
Little Green: the best spot cleaner
The Little Green is a portable spot cleaner, and it’s the one I grab for stairs, upholstery, and car interiors. At 9.5 pounds, it’s genuinely easy to carry, and the 1400B model has a 40-ounce tank that’s enough for a stairwell or a car seat.
But it’s not a whole-house machine. You’ll fill the bottle frequently, and the cord is 16 feet, which is fine for a room but not a hallway.
One farm wife I respect put it best: it’s “small enough for storage purposes but it’s mighty in the work it does.”
What else to consider
The BISSELL Deep Clean Pro 4X Cleaning Formula is the solution I use with all of these machines. It’s a 48-ounce bottle, and it works on urine and pet odors without smelling like candy. One buyer described a sample shampoo as “smelling like candy,” and that’s not a compliment. This one has a fresh scent, and it doesn’t trigger my allergies.
If you're on septic, you must NOT drain the waste container into the sink. The vacuum and brush pick up a lot of carpet fibers, and those polyester fibers will absolutely plug the leaching field of your septic system. One Yorkie owner I respect strains his waste through a kitchen sieve he uses only for this purpose. There... I just saved you a gazillion $$$. Really.
Should you buy the ProHeat 2X Revolution Pet Pro Plus?
If you have a family room that’s seen real dirt, a dog that sheds, or a cat that upchucks, this is the machine. It’s ~$280, it pulls black water, and it pays for itself in four or five rentals. But it’s heavy, and the cord is too short. If you’re willing to carry it and use an extension cord, it’s the best whole-house Bissell you can buy.
Should you buy the TurboClean PET?
If you want a lightweight machine that does a decent job on a family room and a great job on pet hair, this is the one. At ~$150, it’s the best value in the lineup. But the cord can strip, and the brushroll area is a pain to clean. For most pet owners, the trade-off is worth it. For ~$150, I’m very satisfied.