Hundreds and hundreds of reviews below this one, so here's a summary of all of the three hundred or so reviews below this one:
1. Almost everyone is a fanatical lover of this product. Sometimes it takes two or even three applications, but it seems to work except on some red stains, which any carpet cleaner will tell you are difficult. Otherwise, pet stains, and even very old stains are gone without a trace (we've tried this on a couple of *ten year old stains* and it pulled them right out), even after trying other devices and solutions that did not work. (My note for vomit or other stains of similar consistency, first clean as much as possible using the back of a knife, held at a 45 degree angle and scrape towards the center of the stain, cleaning the knife frequently or you'll just push the vomit into the carpet, though most report not doing this and it being completely clean anyway). People really like that you just start it and walk away, you don't have to monitor it.
2. The product cleans so well, used on a dirty carpet, you'll see circles that are cleaner than the rest of the carpet. Using the manual wand to soak up the solution when it is done will help, by spreading the cleaning solution into the non-cleaned area as you soak it up. Otherwise, you may have to use a regular machine to clean the entire carpet after you use this on a very dirty carpet.
3. People also report that it leaves the carpet VERY wet. But again, the manual wand used afterwards will take up the excess water. Tilt the wand so that the hose is up at about a 45 degree angle and run it slowly with medium pressure downward and most of the water will be sucked up. You can see the water getting sucked up from the side of the wand.
4. The best technique is to use a spray bottle of cleaning solution, diluted as directed for the machine, spraying the affected area, and using only water in this machine. It will use less of the expensive solutions, is just about as effective, and will not leave an excess of soap on the carpet. If you don't use the spray bottle technique, and instead you put the soap in the tank, 6 months later, the soap residue that is left on the carpet will attract its own dirt and so you'll have to reclean, but the spray bottle technique doesn't have this problem. So spray, turn the machine on, and wand up the excess water.
5. Some people report that the two included solutions work the best, others say that with the spray bottle technique it doesn't matter and others say using Costco carpet cleaning solution in the gallon jug works as well but is cheaper. One reported that vinegar and water worked and didn't smell when dry, but I don't think I'm gutsy enough to try that. Citrus based solutions and probably vinegar will damage the inside of it.
6. Some have reported that it may take some effort to get it to work at first. Check to make sure the containers are pushed all the way in. If that doesn't fix it, look at the FAQs on the Bissell web site in the support section for more detailed instructions. And note, don't do what we did at first, which is to put the water in the wrong tank. You put the water in the tank at the BACK of the unit. The other tank is where the dirty solution goes. You fill the tank that has a screw cap on the bottom of it. No screw cap? You've got the wrong tank.
7. Don't leave the tanks full, they leak. Run the unit on manual with *no* water in the tank for a few seconds to suck the solution out of the hose between uses or it may get moldy.
The product is every bit as good as what is written here. We've used it a couple of times. Don't put soap in it, the soap only goes in a your own separately purchased spray bottle used before you use the machine: nothing but water in the machine, and empty both tanks between uses. I just saved you hours of reading the remaining 300 reviews.
We bought the remanufactured version and haven't had any problems. Thumbs up.
Finally, when you have put your toe in the carpet cleaning waters, look at the
Hoover F5914-900 SteamVac with Clean Surge for a full room carpet cleaner. It doesn't spot clean as well as this one, but you can do a whole room in under an hour, and it sucks the water back out of the carpet so thoroughly, the carpet dries in about an hour - faster if you blow it with a fan. Worth every penny. That one needs to be cleaned between uses (about 15 mins), so it takes a little more time to use. The Bissell is just a load and go product. The Hoover is more of an event.
