JennJoy's Full Review: Bissell 3590 CleanView Bagless Upright Vacuum
I’ll admit it—we’ve needed a vacuum cleaner for a long time. During my 6-year period of inner city dwelling I never needed a vacuum because every apartment or house had nice hardwood floors that only needed to be swept and occasionally mopped. When my fiancé and I moved into a rented house on the edge of the city we found ourselves with a hand-me-down vacuum that never worked quite right but was necessary to keep the cheapo carpeting clean. It was promptly ditched with joy when we moved to a new apartment that found us back with hardwood floors again. Unfortunately, the joy was short-lived as we moved to another apartment a year later that had wall-to-wall carpeting. So, we’ve been in this carpeted place for about a year plus and haven’t had a vacuum the whole time.
Ewww, right? Well, not quite! We have borrowed vacuums from just about every friend or family member within a 45 minute radius as often as possible, but our welcome to their appliances has be worn out for awhile and we clearly needed to finally purchase our own.
Having never owned a new vacuum there were four things I was looking for in order of importance: low price (i.e. $100 or less), bagless, attachments, and a HEPA filter. I read Cletta1201’s review of this vacuum, the Bissell CleanView Bagless, and decided it was one I would consider since it sounded like what I was looking for. After forcing me to reread her review and brainwashing me into submission, I headed to the store to buy my very own Bissell CleanView. I was quickly reminded just why I hate those stores—Wal-Mart, Kmart, whatever—they are huge and never seem to have what I’m looking for. The space on the shelves for the Bissell CleanView was empty and since none of the other vacuums had what I wanted for less than $100 I was about to leave. Then, my domestic goddess (that would be Cletta1201) shined down on me or something, because a few aisles away from anything remotely related to vacuums I found a whole bunch of Bissell CleanViews. Cletta1201’s little voice in my head said, “Buy it or else!” For fear of her wrath, I had no choice to submit.
The vacuum couldn’t have been easier to put together. The handle had to be connected with a single screw and then the attachments snapped onto the back. That’s it! This is a huge plus for me because I never read the directions before trying to put something together. I used it right away and just like Cletta1201 told me, this thing sucks up stuff you don’t even see on your carpets! Since then, I’ve been in vacuum heaven.
My Favorite Features
The Bissell CleanView has a 12-amp motor so it’s fairly powerful for an inexpensive vacuum. There are three positions that the handle can be tilted in although I’ve only had need for the upright and normal positions. I can’t picture myself needing to put it in the lowest position to get under furniture since I can do that standing up. The CleanView also has 7 height settings for cleaning your floors. I don’t have any bare floors so I doubt I’ll use anything but the standard/medium settings for regular carpeting, though it’s nice to know the option exists.
The collection bin pops out with the flip of a lever for simple disposal. Bissell definitely went the right direction with the lever idea as most of the comparable bagless vacuums had some sort of “hold the button and pull this direction” method that didn’t work when I tested them in the store. The bin is plastic so it can easily be washed with soap and warm water. You just have to make sure it dries before putting it back—which I would hope is obvious! The filter is directly above the collection bin and Bissell doesn’t really tell you anything about this other than it can be cleaned the same way as the bin only with cold water. Bissell alludes to replacing the filters but I can’t find any information on when or how. Since the filter is washable though, I imagine you don’t have to replace it that often.
The CleanView also comes with a hose and three attachments including a brush, “extension wand,” and “crevice tool.” (Who names these things, anyway?) All clip onto the back of the vacuum for easy storage and work well for getting under things, cleaning furniture, etc. If you are person like me who doesn’t read the directions before playing with the gadget, you should know that the “crevice tool” comes stored inside the “extension wand” and has to be pulled out before either will work. Also, if you are not using the hose attachment it has to be firmly connected to the suction intake or the vacuum won’t pick up anything.
There really isn’t anything not to like about the Bissell ClearView. For less than $100 you can’t expect to get all the bells and whistles, but really, how much vacuum do you need? The ClearView is lightweight, easy to move around, is bagless, and has the filter and all the attachments you could want. It’s fully adjustable and super easy to clean. There’s even a light on the front for those that like to scare children and small animals while vacuuming.
I would highly recommend this vacuum to people looking for quality at a low price and those in general who don’t like vacuuming and therefore can’t be bothered paying for junk they don’t need. I generally don’t enjoy cleaning and never thought I’d dig owning a nice vacuum. Guess Cletta1201’s brainwashing worked, cause I’m in love with the Bissell ClearView. It’s small and can easily be tucked away in a closet so no one has to know just how much you love this vacuum either.
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
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