Bissell Little Green ProHeat Portable Carpet Cleaner review

There may not be a ton of features or an app, but the Bissell Little Green ProHeat Portable Carpet Cleaner doesn’t really need any of those. It does exactly what it’s supposed to, making it a fantastic cleaning companion to the best vacuum cleaners for the home.

Bissell, a company that’s been pumping out quality vacuum products for awhile now, did a good job designing this little carpet cleaner. Assembly is easy. Using it is easy. And, cleaning it is as well. It’s about as uncomplicated as it can be.

Now, due to its size and short stature, it’s not ideal for cleaning a whole room’s worth of carpet (let alone a whole house) unless you’re intentionally trying to throw out your back. But, unlike the best robot vacuums, it’s ideal for when you need to do deep cleans as it will suck out stains from carpets and upholstery with aplomb. This is that spot cleaner that should be part of your home cleaning arsenal.

Overall, there’s very little to complain about here. It’s not going to replace a big wet-vac, but that’s not its purpose. And, once it’s assembled, you won’t be able to disassemble, which is not really an issue for storage unless you need to get it back in the box to return. However, if something breaks, you won’t be able to remove it to replace it. That said, the Bissell Little Green ProHeat Portable Carpet Cleaner feels very sturdy.

The Bissell Little Green ProHeat Portable Carpet Cleaner is near perfect for its intended goal.

Bissell Little Green ProHeat Portable Carpet Cleaner: First impressions

The Bissell Little Green ProHeat Portable Carpet Cleaner comes tightly packed in a box not all that much bigger than it. It comes with four inserts and three hose attachments as well as a sample size of Bissell’s Oxy Spot & Clean cleaning solution.

Even without reading the manual, figuring out where the inserts go and sliding them in is about as easy as it gets. One insert holds the power cable, another holds the end of the hose, another whichever attachment is not currently on the hose (the self-cleaning attachment clips onto the handle), and another to hold the hose in the front of the cleaner.

The three attachments are relatively easy to install on the hose as they clip into place. With a press, they’re also easily removed so you can switch between the two depending on what cleaning job is at hand.

Once everything’s been installed, the Bissell Little Green ProHeat Portable Carpet Cleaner makes for a compact, easy-to-hold, unit that in a way reminds me of something a Ghostbuster would use, though it cleans up stains instead of ghosts.

Bissell Little Green ProHeat Portable Carpet Cleaner: key specs

Bissell Little Green ProHeat Portable Carpet Cleaner: Price and availability

With a price tag of $133.89, it’s hard to find fault with the price point. For what it does, that’s very affordable. But, if you want to try to find the lowest possible price on it, you can easily shop around as it’s available through a number of outlets, whether through Bissell directly or one of the big retailers. Walmart, Target, and Amazon all carry this little carpet cleaner and, as they’re always competing on price, you’re sure to find a discount somewhere.

Just remember that you will have to spend more than just the cost of the actual carpet cleaner as the cleaning solution included only seems to last through four or five small cleaning jobs. Whether you get another bottle of the spot & clean or the pet version, 32 oz. of cleaning solution will set you back $12.99.

Score: 5/ 5

Bissell Little Green ProHeat Portable Carpet Cleaner: Design

Before getting into the design, I do want to mention that there are versions of the Bissell Little Green ProHeat Portable Carpet Cleaner that are not green yet retain the name. I can’t speak to how different it might be from the actual green version reviewed here. But, just be aware that it technically comes in more than the admittedly ugly green color that gives it its name.

As far as the way the Bissell Little Green ProHeat Portable Carpet Cleaner is designed, it’s fairly clever. As mentioned before, all the inserts slide right in so no tools are needed for setup. Of course, once they’re in, they don’t budge and are not coming out, but that’s only an issue if you somehow break a piece or need to disassemble to return the unit.

The four foot hose, which clasps around the base (thanks to those inserts), is more than long enough for use. And, the 15 feet of length for the power cable means you can easily move the cleaner around without having to unplug it and plug it in elsewhere.

There’s also a nice big handle to grab, a single power button, and the attachments are easily put on or removed via a button that acts as a clasp. The hose itself has a trigger on the end of it where the attachments clip on for spraying water.

Both the clean and dirty water tanks, though secure during use, are easily pulled out to fill up or empty. And, the clean water tank is conveniently marked with how much water and solution is required for both small and big jobs.

Though there are just three hose attachments with one of those specifically meant for cleaning the hose, I felt that having two for cleaning was more than enough, especially since one of them is really a three-in-one tool as it has a rotating head with different types of bristles on each of its three sides. Plus, they have plastic covers that can be removed if you need to clear out debris from them.

Score: 4.5/ 5

Bissell Little Green ProHeat Portable Carpet Cleaner: Performance

Having used the Bissell Little Green ProHeat Portable Carpet Cleaner on both multiple carpet stains as well as to clean a couch, I can say that the results were impressive as it cleaned well and did it efficiently. And, at about 79 dB, it was somewhat loud but not annoyingly so during use.

Having filled the clean water tank with the necessary water to solution ratio (and Bissell instructs to use hot tap water), all you have to do is turn the cleaner on, spray water on whatever needs cleaning – pressing the trigger on the hose near the attachment – and then vacuum up said water. It’s straightforward and with just a few passes I was able to pick up old stains from a carpet, leftover pieces of animal waste, and probably a year’s worth of dog and cat hair off couch cushions. And, that’s all without having the pet-specific cleaning solution.

While I did have to go over the deeper stains a handful of times, the Bissell Little Green ProHeat Portable Carpet Cleaner was still able to get any spots that were cleaned looking as good as new. The only thing to remember is that though the clean water tank can hold up to 48 oz of liquid, you’ll be bent over or on your knees while using this so it’s best kept for spot cleans such as the ones used as examples here.

Cleanup is as easy as actually using the carpet cleaner. If you need to clear out the hose, just use the self-cleaning tool attachment. And, once you’re ready to discard the dirty water, the dirty water tank is easy to remove and empty. There’s also a filter inside the dirty water tank that can be somewhat disassembled to be properly cleaned and rinsed off if, for example, it’s caught a lot of pet hair.

Speaking of cleanup, the hose attachments’ see-through plastic covers can be easily popped off so that you can clear out any hair or blockages. Like everything else here, clean up is straightforward and easy.

Score: 5/5

How does the Bissell Little Green ProHeat Portable Carpet Cleaner compare?

While I think this could be among the best carpet cleaners out there, it has a specific use case. Like the slightly pricier Rug Doctor Pet Portable Spot Carpet Cleaner ($153.36), it’s really just for spots. The Rug Doctor, by the way, comes with a somewhat more robust cleaning attachment but only has the one so is a bit less versatile.

If you need carpet cleaning for an entire room or even apartment, there are options outside of renting a wet-vac. The Hoover Power Scrub Deluxe carpet cleaner comes in the same form factor as a standup corded vacuum and goes for just $229.99. And, while you can break out the hose to use on spot cleans, it doesn’t have great length, making it a bit hard for use on upholstery.

For those with pets, the Bissell PowerLifter PowerBrush Upright carpet cleaner might be the way to go. It’s easy to use and light weight. However, it doesn’t have a hose so you can’t use it for upholstery or stairs the way you can the Little Green ProHeat Portable Carpet Cleaner.

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How we tested the Bissell Little Green ProHeat Portable Carpet Cleaner

To test the Bissell Little Green ProHeat Portable Carpet Cleaner, I cleaned up several carpeted areas as well as an upholstered couch to see how it did. I used the various attachments and took pains to clean out the unit to see how easy it is to maintain. I also spent about a week using it where necessary so that I got an idea of how it would last over multiple cleanings.

See more about how we test.