Pros: Quiet, great suction, HOTTER cleaning fluids, long cord, attachments
Cons: smallish tanks, only 12 inches of cleaning width
The Bottom Line: Capable of cleaning anyones carpet and making it almost enjoyable. Super strong suction and additional heating of the cleaning solution aids in cleaning efforts.
LaFeet's Full Review: Bissell 7920 ProHeat Pro-Tech Upright Wet/Dry Va...
So after serving well past its expectancy, and cleaning up enough grime to build another Hoover dam, our Dirt Devil Steam cleaner died. Properly buried in the garbage can, I set out looking for a suitable replacement.
Living in a small town (mayhap 5000) our number one retailer (and only one) is WalMart. Our selection is rather small, but adequate.
I had the choice between Hoover, Bissell and Dirt Devil. The Hoover and Dirt Devil seemed pricey for what they offered. And while I love Dirt Devil products, I thought I would give someone else a chance. Besides, I was still using my Dirt Devil Featherweight vacuum cleaner.
Our family has actually gotten larger since the Dirt Devil steamer...more dogs and now two horses. Fortunately we keep the horses outside, too bad we can't do the same about the kids.
We purchased a used house out in the country. The carpet was in good shape but needed a good cleaning. This task fell to our venerable Dirt Devil steamer. Now it is in the hands of the Bissell ProHeat Pro-Tech.
High traffic areas always seem to get stained more often and look worst. I think Stephen Hawkings explained this phenomenon in one of his books. Ours suffered from constant bathes of tea, coke, and kool-aid showers, and an occasional barbeque basting. So we qualified as one of the households needing a steam cleaner as a daily device.
After arriving home with the new toy (I find that by thinking of things this way house cleaning is not so dreadful - it does not do the trick for the kids or the wife though), I had the cleaner together and operating within ten minutes. The instructions were simple and straight forward to follow.
Our kitchen carpet is one of those color patterns that reminds you of Timothy Leary and Hade Ashbury days. The browns, blacks and oranges looks like a halloween party that went wrong. We do plan on removing this eyesore, but until then, we try to keep it clean. Enter the NEW Champion, the ProHeat Pro-Tech.
The ProHeat Pro-Tech actually raises the water temperature that you have in your supply bottle. And everyone knows that hot water cleans better, so why increase the water temperature up 25 degrees before cleaning. The onboard heater raises the temperature and can actually produce STEAM before injecting it into your dirty areas.
Bissell went one further by incorporating their Perfect Pass System in the ProHeat Pro-Tech. This is a system that electronically monitors your cleaning speed and helps maximize your cleaning efficiency. It adjusts the amount of cleaner applied to the carpet as you stroll along doing your thing. Very Cool.
With the added electronics and hotter water, 5 rows of brushes and a strong suction virtually rips out deep-down dirt and gently grooms carpet, producing a nearly new carpet look. The brushes and suction are powered by a proven 12 amp motor that is surprisingly quiet.
The only drawbacks are the size of the supply and receiving tanks and the cleaning width… I would like a twenty inch width instead of the 12 inch. And I think the tanks should be at least two gallons in size, everybody can pick up twenty pounds. And the two gallon size will help hold the cleaner closer to the dirt and minimize the need for emptying and filling during use. But some people think that the supplied one gallon size tanks are more than adequate. I guess it's just the "Tim Allen" in me coming out
Oooh Argh Argh Ugh
So how well does the Bissell ProHeat Pro-Tech work? We.. I managed to get the entire house done in just one afternoon. That's all 1800 square feet. And I did double duty on the high traffic areas just to spruce it up. The supplied 35 foot power cord reduced down time due to relocating to another outlet. And the powerful suction slurped out all the steam loosened dirt with ease. I really love showing the kids why they should be more careful with their drinks and foodstuffs. The "...and this is where you lay down to watch TV..." comment is usually good for a week of cleanliness.
Even the kitchen carpet looks great (in an LSD sort of way), this steamer is worth its weight in gold!
As an added bonus, the Pro-Tech comes with Scotchgard. The Scotchgard applicator is easy to use, a simple twist and spray provides that extra protection against dirt and stains. Bissell recommends using the Scotchgard at least once every 12 months from date of carpet purchase (we just applied the closing date of the house - October 31st).
And this baby comes with onboard tools for cleaning stairs, chairs, couches (ours needs this weekly) and other surfaces. The turbo brush, tough stain brush, and upholstery tool all make cleaning the smaller items and furniture a snap. Eliminating stains (and more importantly) odors from days of yore.
Bissell will repair or replace (with new or remanufactured components or products), at Bissell's option, free of charge from the date of purchase by the original purchaser, for two years any defective or malfunctioning part. All you need to do (after you fill out your warranty card - we all forget to do that) is call them to get a Return Authorization Number and a pre-paid mailing label to return the unit to Bissell for warranty repair (Bissell Consumer Services at 800-237-7691). And if you got this at Walmart (or Sams) you can just swap it out using their exchange policy (keep your receipt).
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