BISSELL SpotBot Pet Hands-Free Compact Deep Cleaner, Blue Illusion, 1200A
by Bissell
|
List Price: Category: Home See more product details |
|---|
(Click here)
Tools and Hardware Reviews of BISSELL SpotBot Pet Hands-Free Compact Deep Cleaner, Blue Illusion, 1200A
Customer Review: Best home cleaning product I've ever purchased - worth every penny!
Summary: 5 Stars
The other night my dog got into the cat's litter box (I use Fresh Step crystals - those crystals don't sit well in a dogs stomach) and she must have had a real fancy feast. I awoke to her vomiting all over my freshly dry cleaned comforter, and when I got up saw piles of diarrhea and more vomit in two bedrooms and two bathrooms. I'm thinking to myself, "This girl planned this," because just three days ago I had my carpeting professionally cleaned.
I didn't have time to do anything more than wipe up as much of the diarrhea and vomit as I could (and to tend to Joon's stomach, of course), as I was running late for an appointment. While I was out, I remembered seeing a commercial for this product, so on the way home, I picked it up.
When I had finished collecting any of the refuse that had dried while I was out, I approached this with skepticism. After all, it is a little difficult to believe that all you have to do is set the unit down over the stain, press a button, and then walk away.
But that's all you have to do. I was amazed at the simplicity of the design, and how easy it is to disconnect the collection and solution tanks. On the solution tank, Bissell has two sets of markings: one for use with their OxyGen2 product (which I haven't used yet), water, and formula; and another for water and formula alone. Those markings are very clear, and are a welcome design. There are three buttons to press: one for regular surface stains; another for set-in stains, and another to allow for manual use with the hose. When I pressed the surface stain button, I watched for a while as the unit switched between spray, suction, and brush functions. I have to say that watching the product work through the "Hands Free Cleaning Window" was pretty, er, cool. (Yeah, so I'm a dork. <grin>)
I walked away for a moment, and then heard the unit beep, indicating that it was done. I'm hearing impaired, and have a difficult time with high tones. I wasn't expecting to hear this, but I did - as clear as a bell - and I was at the opposite end of the apartment. I approached the unit with skepticism, but when I lifted it off the spot, the stains were gone. I proceeded to set the unit down on all of the spots throughout the apartment, coming back to it every time it beeped. It cleaned every spot.
This was by far the most pleasant, and the least physically exhausting experience I've ever had with a so-called steam or deep cleaner - and that "least physically exhausting" part is a big one for me.
Still skeptical, though, I thought to myself: Just see when it dries; the stains won't really be gone. This morning, however, every single spot had dried, and there wasn't an issue with the carpet feeling stiff due to soapiness.
As an aside, and as a comment to another review: This unit wasn't built or designed to clean an ENTIRE area rug, or, of course, anything larger. That's the purvey of large steam cleaners. It's called "SpotBot" for a reason. And it executes perfectly.
EDIT 8/22/07: The same dog got into something else, and left a mess of vomit and diarrhea all over the apartment. Again. (No, I'm not trying to poison my dogs, and this doesn't happen often.) Some of the diarrhea had occurred in the night, and it was stiff and wouldn't rub out using the hand brush. But using the hands-free option got the job done.
I feel very badly for my dog, of course, but at the same time am thankful to have had this unit. It made a world of difference. Every pet owner should have one.
ALSO, 2 TIPS for those who don't think the hands-free option retrieves enough water during its cycle:
1) After using the hands-free, detach the manual hose and use that suction, or;
2) Empty the solution tank, and run the hands-free option again. No water/formula will eject, so you'll have a couple of minutes of "pure" suction.
EDIT 8/24: For those interested, my dog is now fine. :-)
Customer Review: Great Spot Cleaner
Summary: 5 Stars
We purchased this machine 4 days ago and WOW. It works wonderfully. We were concerned that it would be another "gadget" that took too long to pull out, put together and then clean afterwards. This was the main reasons some spots would have to multiple before we broke out the full size carpet cleaner. (For those of you with pets or children, you know what I mean.)
Using it is almost too easy. You add water to the correct line, pour in the solution to the correct line and then you are done. Put the machine on the spot you want it to eradicate and push the appropiate automatic button. It is very fast and does a awesome job. It is much better than trying to sop up the mess with paper towels or rags. Once done, it will beep until you finally press the stop button. You then take out the dirty water tank, dump and rinse it out. That's it.
Granted we have only used it 4 times, but it has removed cat and dog vomit and a oil stain. The machine is a little loud and does leave the carpet damp but nothing out of the ordinary. We wish we had purchased this machine years ago.
This is a great spot cleaner and a life saver for people with pets or children. It is fast, easy and it works well. It seems sturdy and doesn't feel like it will break if you hold it wrong. It even has parts that you can purchase online as they wear out and seem affordable. I will update this post if we find the durability to be lacking or if we run into major problems. All in all, it is worth EVERY penny.
9/22/09 Update - After using this product, we still like it but have noticed some areas for improvement. The machine doesn't rinse the soap out of the carpet so the cleaner will attract dirt. A week after using the product, it was very easy to see where we had used it to clean up cat barf. Another problem we found is it doesn't do so well with dog marking. (Yes, we think it is beyond gross.. where is the Dog whisper when you really need him???) We used the pet formula 3 times on one spot and the yellow stain was still there. We did a test and the oxy formula did better but the stain was still visable. We had to break out our hoover and it pulled up the stain and leftover smell in one pass.
I have to agree with what other reviews have said that it does leave the carpet damp. Using the handheld suction does fix it up but you would think it could do a little better.
This product is great to do the initial cleanup but it isn't the automatic solution we are all dreaming of. It goes through solution very quickly and I would only suggest the Oxy formula after you have tried everything else.
Here are some design flaws we noticed. When the dirty water tank is full, the spotbot doesn't stop it cycle. You will hear a change in the noise but it isn't sucking any water up. It will complete the full cycle which is unfortunate. Also, the beeping... MAKE IT STOP BEEPING. I am; like everyone else, multitasking when using this product and I don't stand there waiting for it to complete. After it completes it cycle, it will beep every 5 seconds till ETERNITY! Sure we need to know that it is done, couldn't they have just made it beep for 30 seconds or something less obnoxious?
All in all, GREAT for cat stains, doesn't work on our dog markings. If you are willing to put up with the little things that can be annoying, then this machine is for you.
Customer Review: Common sense + SpotBot = Clean carpet
Summary: 5 Stars
I received my SpotBot Pet as a Christmas gift in 2007. Due to skepticism, I hadn't used it whatsoever. I, like many other reviewers, was trying the bottle cleaner and wash cloth routine.
I have two cats--one has a sensitive stomach and vomits a lot; the other thinks she is a princess who despises being in a multi-cat household, causing her to not use the litterbox like she should (i.e. she pees everywhere).
While we were out of town, Puke Cat vomited a few times on the carpet. Because we were gone, it dried. I decided to try the "surface stain" setting first, just to see how effective it was. I put the SpotBot on the stain (after picking up the solid parts and vaccuuming first), pushed the button, and watched it go. When it was done, I was highly impressed. You'd never know there was ever puke on the carpet. Yes, it left a "crop circle" pattern on the carpet, but every carpet cleaner leaves some kind of tracking similar to a vaccuum. Run your hand over it a few times or just leave it to the natural traffic of the room, and it disappears.
So it works wonders on dried, set-in cat puke. What about urine?
For those who have had problems with the SpotBot getting out urine stains, I can only assume they didn't get to the spot soon enough. Pee Cat urinated on the carpet last night. I blotted up the excess liquid with paper towel and put the SpotBot on the area, using the "set-in stain" cycle just to be sure it cleaned deep enough into the carpet. Worked like a charm, yet again. However, I then discovered an older spot (no way of knowing how old) hidden behind the couch. Again, I used the "set-in" cycle. It got out 85-90% of the stain (and completely got rid of the smell), but because it was so old, it didn't get all of it.
So if you're using the SpotBot on urine, I advise cleaning ASAP. This is common sense. I don't know of any carpet cleaners (save for professional ones) that will completely get out set-in, old urine. Plus, the longer it stagnates, the more likely your padding and wood will become permeated with the urine, making it extremely difficult to get out.
I allowed the older urine spot to dry a bit after cleaning and then tried using the bottle cleaner method except, instead of a wash cloth, I used the SpotBot on the "manual" setting with only water in the cleaner compartment. If you have a light stain and shudder at the cost of the SpotBot cleaning agents, I recommend this method of cleaning. I sprayed the bottle cleaner on, waited 5 minutes or so, then used the hose to rinse AND dry the area. While it did get out a bit more of the stain, the stain still isn't completely gone, and I blame myself for not finding it sooner.
So, all in all, this handy little machine is a wonderful investment for those plagued by small messes. I have yet to be disappointed, and, provided you clean ASAP, I doubt you will be either. It beats cleaning stains the old fashioned (by hand) way hands down (no pun intended). And for someone like me living in an apartment and without a need for a big, cumbersome steam cleaner, it's the optimal solution. I can't imagine life without it.
Customer Review: Love This Product, Treat It Well, It's Just Plastic
Summary: 5 Stars
I received a Bissell SpotBot for my birthday. I've lived in rental for 5 years, and I'm embarrassed to say, I've not shampooed the carpets before this. When we arrived here the carpets had been cleaned, albeit very poorly. Add our lives in rainy (and therefore muddy) Oregon, along with a child, and a little dog, and we have some definite stains.
Many people have said to me "Oh you just need a brush and a spot treater to clean up carpet stains", and I'm here to say that after YEARS of just using a brush and a spot treater I am glad to be done with it. The Bissell Spot Bot has removed all the myriad stains that the brush couldn't.
The reviews here at the site that explain how to properly care for the SpotBot as well as the true limitations of the product have all been very helpful.
1. Vacuum your carpet first
2. Clean the filter in the dirty water tank regularly
3. Empty both containers prior to storage
4. Let the containers *dry* prior to storage
5. Clean out the hose after every use session
6. Do not use heated water as this may make the plastic brittle and susceptible to breakage
7. Gently blot with a towel after use to pick up excess water if you are concerned about it
If you don't follow these steps every time, it's quite possible that you may dramatically shorten the life of your SpotBot and/or cause leakage.
Some things to realize:
1. It's not meant to clean a full carpet
2. It cleans 6 inch diameter areas at a time
3. Yes, it's like a vacuum, it makes noise
4. The shampoo products are expensive and while I have safely substituted other things (Simple Green, Mrs. Meyers general cleaning solution--ALWAYS mix at a lower ratio than the Bissel products because the non-Bissel products will foam like mad!), the Bissel products produce the best results on the most difficult to clean areas
5. Yes, it cleans with water, therefore your carpet might be damp, even a little wet after you use it. If this is somehow a suprise to you that a spot treatment machine that uses water might leave a carpet damp, I'm not sure what to say. I use old cloth diapers or rag towels to blot a bit and move on. I throw them on the floor and stand on them, that's it. Pretty effortless.
For my purposes it has removed 5 year old stains that were here when we got here. It's great on animal accidents (our dog is housebroken, but accidents happen). The "set stain" and "normal stain" cleaning options are great, as this can help control how much cleaning solution you use, as well as the duration of the cleaning. I absolutely love that I can be cleaning in another area of this house, and just set this up to do its thing while I do something else.
I would most definitely purchase this again. If you don't think you can take care of the machine as recommended, then perhaps consider a different model or professional cleaning services.Bissell 1200A SpotBot Pet Hands-Free Compact Deep Cleaner, Blue Illusion
Customer Review: Pros and Cons from a user that has owned several models
Summary: 4 Stars
I highly recommend this great little machine. It is a must have for pets and kids! It has the power of a large upright with an easier clean up. It does have some drawbacks so I have some recommendations for use that aren't in the manual.
If you are thinking of getting a cordless version of the bissell or any other brand - DON'T! These machines are only as good as their power and batteries cannot provide the power to suck like one that you plug to the wall. This one has a generous cord that will get you around the room pretty well if you are doing multiple stains at once. I learned the hard way that plug is always better when my husband knocked over a whole glass of red wine onto our beige carpet! When the battery ran down, he was off to HD to buy a corded one.
First off, let me tell you I have cats and a dog so I am no stranger to vomit and urine. I have found that the auto clean setting uses way too much cleaning solution so I rarely use it as the manual suggests. I keep a spray bottle with my own mix of the solution ready. This works better for me than the sprayer on the hose. I prefer not to have to mess with the reserve tank too much because I can get a more precision spray from my bottle than the hose. I typically only use the automatic for urine and deep wet stains and still I sometimes use my own mix to saturate the stain rather than their tank.
1. Urine (or beverages)- use the manual hose to suck up as much urine as you can out of the carpet as you can while it is still wet. It sure does stink but I don't want to risk adding more liquids to it and spreading it to more area of my carpet. Next, use the automatic setting to get a deep clean and saturation of the area. Last, suck up the remaining liquid with the hose because the automatic cleaning does a very poor job of sucking it back out.
2. Vomit (or foods) If this isn't a very wet stain, I try to get as much of it up as I can and if I feel I can wait, put a tissue over it till it is completely dry. I know that it is kinda gross to think that this stain is just sitting there but if it gets dry, you can use an old toothbrush to scrape off the dry parts and start with less yuck on the carpet. Next I use the regular vacuum to clean up the flakes and then spray the pet solution from my spray bottle. use your old toothbrush to scrub the stain and then suck up with the hose.
Clean up - When I am done cleaning, I bring to the sink, remove the hose head, and suck up some faucet water to clean out the hose and lift it high to clear it out - This is an important step unless you want some things growing in the tank, rinse the head, and find a good place to store where it can dry - I store put mine on an old towel in the laundry room. My optional, "old toothbrush" tool gets wound up in the cord for storage so I have it handy for next time.
I would have given it 5 stars if it didn't use up so much solution and sucked up more on the automatic setting.