Review of Little Green Model 1400 by Bissell
“No need to worry about stairway spills and dirty, hard-to-reach areas anymore. The Bissell Little Green will get it all clean! This compact, multipurpose deep cleaner is versatile, so cleaning is a breeze.”
That is the hype from Walmart’s web site, and that about sums up the great carpet and floor cleaner from Bissell.
There are several other comments on the web about this cleaner that I have to agree with but first I’ll describe the cleaner and it pros and cons.
I was looking for a carpet/floor cleaner to clean up after my two dogs when they have those unfortunate events that all dogs are prone to once in a while. I searched the web as I usually do these days and saw several cleaners but narrowed it down to two, one from Bissell and the other from Dirt Devil. I wanted to go with a brand I trusted and have owned vacuums from both companies in the past.
The Dirt Devil Portable spot scrubber seemed a little too small for me. It seemed like I would have to get more water and empty it more often when I used it on slightly larger jobs, like the couch and chairs on occasion as well as those spots on the carpet. So I bought the Bissell.
There is a very short assembly, attach a clip that the hose rests on for storage.
Getting ready for use is simple, you just add detergent and water in the clean water tank. The machine came with a small bottle of cleaner but you’ll probably want to buy some more. If you buy the larger bottle of cleaner from Bissell it will last you quite a while. You don’t have to use a separate measuring cup to measure out your cleaner, you just pour the cleaner in the tank to the first line and then fill to the next line with water.
You then screw the spout on, put the tank into the slot and turn it on. The spout doesn’t let the solution come out of the tank while you put it on. The trigger on the nozzle is used to squirt the solution into the carpet. If you buy the separate turbo brush or the model that comes with it you can use this like a floor carpet cleaner. It has a rotating brush to scrub the carpet.
I did not buy that model though, I didn’t feel the need for the extra scrubbing power. When you use the machine you have to keep an eye on the dirty solution tank. It has a full line and when you get there, you need to empty the tank.
To empty it you flip the small retaining lever up and pull the tank out of the machine, then pour it down a drain. You should rinse out the tank some before you put it back. Accumulation of dirt in the tank can be bad, I rinse it out to get some of the gunk and goo out. To rinse it out and to clean it when you are done is the only draw back I found. You have to swish water around in the tank to get it clean. Pour some water in the top or in the bottom with the rubber gasket removed and then pour it out. This may take a few tries to get most of the dirt out.
You also need to remove and wash out the nozzle to get it clean. There is a small button that locks the nozzle on the hose. You push this and pull off the nozzle. Cleaning the nozzle is simply running water through it from both directions. The hair and stuff you can pull out or force out with water. My pets shed and when I clean the carpet I inevitably get extra hair in the nozzle that sticks some. What I can’t pull out by my fingers I get out with running water through it.
Other than those things the Little Green works great. You can leave the water in the clean solution tank for the next job, its ready in seconds for those sudden spills. You can use just the vacuum for liquids such as spilled soda or milk on a hard floor and the solution spray for the carpets.
The nozzle has a removable scrub brush to clean the carpet and when it’s missing too many bristles is easy to change out. My model came with the tough stain brush and to remove the bristles you just pull them down out of the nozzle. There is also a window that you can remove if you get too much stuff stuck in the nozzle.
There is a list of replacement parts available for your cleaner and you can even upgrade your cleaner to the TurboBrush if you didn’t get it when you bought your model. You can buy all the parts for your model that come off the machine at the website for Bissell or one of their service centers.
Some of the parts that I would expect to have to replace sooner or later actually was pretty low in price. There is a rubber gasket for the collection tank that is $1, the whole collection tank is only $13.11. You can get the bristles for $3 for the tough stain tool and if you want to upgrade to the TurboBrush it runs at $28.11.
Bissell sells a couple of different cleaner solutions in different sizes, both a cleaner and a odor pet stain cleaner are available. I get mine from a local Walmart where I purchased the Little Green.
I have used mine often and it really does get the stairs and other odd places that others don’t get. My wife works at a daycare and we have often taken it over there to help cleaning up when they rent a rinse and vac. It is the perfect companion to a rental for big jobs like a good house cleaning in the spring.
Over all I am very pleased with my cleaner. It is ready to use at a moments notice, is easy to use and very affordable. I paid $69 for mine, and a few dollars extra for a bottle of cleaner. The carpet is as dry as any upright or rental carpet cleaner I have used in the past and it is easy to clean out, although that is one of the downsides. It does take a couple of tries to get the tank cleaned out.
The nozzle is a little hard to pull off the hose due to the rubber gaskets, but that is to be expected. That and the cleaning of the tank are the only problems I have found with mine. The scrubber I use gets the dirt and ground in stuff clean and there is plenty of suction for picking up the dirty water.
I would highly recommend the Little Green from Bissell for small deep cleaning jobs and quick cleanups after kids, pets and other spills.
