Bissell 12 Amp Steam Cleaner: Pros and Cons of the Proheat 2x

Between kids and dogs, my carpets take a beating. About 15 years ago I had Sears Carpet Cleaning come out to steam clean my living room carpet and a sofa. They charged $99 for the visit, which included Scotchguarding the carpet and the sofa. It was too expensive for me to do on a regular basis. I then found carpet shampooers for rent for the weekend from my local grocery store for $60. Carpet shampoo could be bought for $30. I rented the steam cleaner and shampooed my carpets, but the upright steam cleaner was very heavy and strained my back. I was thrilled to be given a used steam cleaner which attached to my bathroom faucet, and had a long hose to the main body, and which was much lighter for me to push around. Unfortunately it didn't do a great job of cleaning. When it finally stopped working, I shopped around, and then made my purchase. For the past two years I have been using a Bissell Proheat 2x Steamcleaner, which I bought at Costco for $269. Cheaper than a professional steam cleaning, lighter than the rental unit, and it does a much more thorough job than the last steam cleaner I had. While I am quite happy with the results of cleaning my berber carpet and broadloom, the Bissell upright steamcleaner is not without it's problems. Here are the Pros and Cons of using the BIssell Proheat 2x 12 Amp Steamcleaner.

• cheaper than getting your carpets professionally steam cleaned
• cheaper than renting a steam cleaner for the weekend from the grocery store
• cleans deeply
• easy to use
• comes with upholstery attachments and stair attachment
• easy to fill and empty the water compartment
• there is a built-in heater that works quickly and is better than my previous machine which used the vacuum exhaust to generate the heat
• cleaning solution and tap water are mixed then heated
• 12 amp Bissell Proheat 2X is powerful for deep cleaning
• comes with a 1 year warranty
• will not invalidate your Scotchguarded carpet warranty if used with a Bissell Scotchguard cleaning solution once every 12 months - see Bissell's website for further details
• heater heats hot tap water/cleaning solution up to 25 degrees hotter
• 10 rows of brushes on a rotating roller (like a regular vacuum cleaner) to deep clean your carpet.

• initial cost
• cost of buying carpet cleaning solution
• heavy to lift and move around
• heavy to push- especially if you have a bad back
• water compartment is small - must be emptied frequently
• bulky and awkward to use
• the water sprayer clogs very easily - machine must be wiped down after each use
• water and cleaning solution must be drained after each use
• must be stored in a dust free area or there will be problems with the sprayers and sucking of dirty water.
• you must thoroughly vacuum your carpets with a regular vacuum prior to using your Bissell upright steam cleaner as pet hair and dust will clog your steam cleaner very easily.
• my Bissell Proheat 2X clogs constantly, and I must take it apart to remove dust almost every other time I use it.

While I am a strong advocate of "buy used and save the difference", this does not hold true for buying a steam cleaner. Given the amount of use that they have likely been put through, as well as their tendencies to be fussy and need regular maintenance and/or replacement parts, this is a purchase that is best made new. That doesn't mean that you can't save money though! Do your research. Watch the prices at Sears, Walmart, and Costco. A quick review of the internet will show you that Amazon has some new and very well priced Bissell Steam Cleaners, and this is your best bet for buying replacement Bissell carpet shampoo as well.