So that's what color my carpets were?
Written: Aug 25 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: cleans like a pro, easy to assemble, easy to operate
Cons: heavy and hose tends to fall off
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| ned1's Full Review: Bissell 1698-1 PowerSteamer ProHeat Plus Upright... |
Addictive, excellent, and well worth the price tag - that's how I describe my Bissell Power Steamer.
I bought my Bissell Power Steamer for several reasons:
1) In a moment of insanity and despite the fact that I said I wouldn't do it, I chose a beautiful plush carpet called Angel Food Cake to run up the stairs and cover the upper level of my home I am having built. While this may not seem insane to you, please factor in that I have four children who are 3, 5, 6, and 11. Even with our no shoes rule in the house, that carpet will be hard to maintain. I had to find some way to be able to clean it and keep it looking new.
2) In packing up and moving out of my old house I cut open my toe with a packing tape dispenser and bled all over the light colored carpet. That along with the stains in the low grade berber carpet made me think I would have to have the carpets professionally cleaned before I moved.
I called around for estimates and thought that it was insane to pay that much to have someone clean my carpets. If I could buy a steamer and it did a good job it would pay for itself in several uses.
I was reluctant at first, after all my mom had one of those old canister steamers from about ten years ago that had to be attached to a sink in order to work. It was such a pain to use that she hardly ever took it out of the box.
I focused on Bissell because I have the little green machine and it does a fabulous job ten minutes at a time. If they could harness that cleaning power in a model that plugs in and was easy to use I would be more than happy. I went to the store and this was the model they had out on display. It was one sale with an extra bonus off coupon so the price seemd right and I could always return it if it didn't work as expected.
I got the box home and was very intimidated. It certainly made a lot of noise and sounded as if it would be impossible to put together. I also admit I have instruction ADD - I get so bored and lose interest if it is too hard to put together. this was simple and fun - a screw here, a twist there and in ten minutes I had a steamer (is this an appliance or a quick fix recipe?).
The operating instructions were simple and easy to follow and even my 11 year old can operate this machine correctly.
To use the steamer you must vacuum the carpet first to get up any loose fibers and dirt - too much lint can clog the steamer. Next you fill the water container with hot tap water. It holds enough water to clean a good size area of carpet. The you fill the other tank with solution (you also have the option to water clean only). You make your setting choice (high traffic, low traffic, etc.) I always keep it on high traffic and with four kids that's self-explanatory. Once the settings are done you turn it on and wait for the heat indicator light to tell you it's up to your optimal heat and then the fun begins.
It operates like a vacuum using a back and forth motion. There's a lever on the handle that you depress to release the water and solution mixture. You have to be careful not to soak the carpet. You can either let the solution sit for ten minutes to do a deeper clean or begin to suction it up right away. To do this all you do is release the lever and it begins to suction as you push the machine back and forth. You watch through a window on the base of unit to see when it stops sucking up water and then you are done.
To be honest at first I didn't think it did anything. The water seemed pretty clean that was coming back in. I thought it should, as I have a Fantom vacuum that deep clean the carpets. I lifted out the dirty water container (which is the same one the celan water is put into - it cycles back into a separate chamber). I and all my kids were disgusted at the dirty water we saw. So disgusted in fact we moved on to another carpet and found the same results.
This little gem got out makeup, play doh, blood, dried soda, coffee stains, mud and grease.
I won't even tell you how dirty the steps were. That's the other reason I chose this model it has on board attachments so you can steam sofas and stairs. It also came with a brush that scrubs for you - you can beat that.
This machine is easy to assemble, easy to operate and clean and cleans like a pro. I love the way the carpets smell after they have been shampooed and if you suction enough moisture out they don't take too long to dry.
The only two bad things I have to say about it are the weight - the unit is heavy and could be hard to get up and down stairs. I found it is easier to move if you don't fill it before climbing stairs. I also find that the hose for the on board attachments doesn't like to stay put. It can snap out easily, but for the clean I get that's a minor problem.
I love this appliance and wish I had gotten one sooner. It's great to have nice clean carpets and it's so easy to use it makes it into my list of top five must have appliances.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
ned1
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Member: Nancy
Location: in the Barbie aisle
Reviews written: 894
Trusted by: 346 members
About Me:
Off to Basel (1/21) - in search of Swiss Miss Barbie - back (1/26)
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