Bissell 9400 ProHeat Upright Wet/Dry Vacuum

My entire upstairs is berber carpeted and spot cleaning products and vacuuming just weren't doing the job. Since I have no experience with steam cleaners, I had concern with whether berber carpet was ok to use with one. I did research and found Bissell to be a good brand and people mostly recommended to go with a more expensive version than a cheaper one because the cheaper ones simply did not work very well.

I found the Bissell ProHeat 2X at Linens and Things and the purchase price was $199 but I had a $50 gift certificate so it was $149. Linens and Things sometimes mails 20% off coupons so that would be good to use on a larger purchase like this. The box was HEAVY to get into my car and upstairs in the house. There were 2 small handles on the box to assist but it was still HEAVY. A small amount of assembly was required. Basically attaching the upper handle to the rest of the unit and then attaching the plastic hose holders to the back of the unit. This was all done with the provided screws. Also, 3 sample products were included with the purchase. A sample of pre-treatment spray cleaner, a bottle of deep cleaner and some scotchguard protectant.

Using the cleaner was very simple. Since I am new to the whole idea of steam cleaning, I did read the manual twice through before even attempting anything. On the back is a bottle where you fill up with the deep cleaner. The sample they provided was the exact size to fill up this bottle once. Then on the front is big bucket which has a bladder in the middle for clean hot tap water. This was awkward to fill at my small bathroom sink so I put it at the kitchen sink and used the spray attachment to fill it up. After that is full you snap on the top and place it back on the unit. Then it is time to start cleaning! I found it just as easy to use as a regular vacuum. You hold a trigger built into the handle to release clean water for 1 stroke forward and backward. Then release the trigger and stroke forward and backward until you can see no more water coming up. I continued doing this for 1 and 1/2 large rooms until I saw no more water being dispensed. I went outside and poured the bucket of dirty water and refilled the bladder with clean water. I also did a rinse only across the entire area I had cleaned. I had to pour/refill 3 times for 2 large rooms and stairs. The cleaner they provided lasted for only 2 large rooms and I had it on "normal clean" not the deep clean setting which will use more cleaner. The rinse setting uses no cleaner.

After cleaning, I tried one of the attachments that came with it. It came with a crevice tool, a deep cleaning brush and a scotchguard applier tool. I tried the scotchguard and it was very easy. You just turn a knob from floor cleaning to attachment cleaning and put the bottle of scotchguard they provided onto the scotchguard applicator tool and then spray across the areas you cleaned.

Cleaning out the unit was pretty simple. I Just ran water through the attachment hose, rinsed out the bucket that held the dirty water and emptied leftover clean water in the bladder. Then I put everything in a tub to dry before storing it.

The only bad thing is it is HEAVY! While using it at first, it felt like just pushing a regular vacuum back and forth. Then towards the end since you have to do more pushing than usual to pick up all the water and soap you dispense, it got tiring. Also, carrying it down the stairs was awkward. I am young and fit and I was actually sore in my back the next day! I looked at it as a workout, but am glad this will only come out about every 6 months! If you only did 1 room and didn't lug it up and downstairs it might be easier.

Overall, this seems like a good product that really works and I am pleased with the good smelling spotless carpets this unit produced!