BISSELL 14005 Little Green Compact Carpet Cleaner

Bissell 14005 Little Green verses Hoover F5411 Steamvac Jr.

I''ve used both of these mini shampooers and was not entirely satisfied with either, but I preferred the Bissell''s Little Green over Hoover''s Steamvac Jr. and here''s why:

I first had the Little Green for about five years. It was a great little vac with only minor problems. The fill and empty containers are removable from the unit for convenient filling and emptying. There is a cord winder built onto the unit, the hose wraps conveniently around the unit and locks into place, and the shape and size are convenient for most applications including stairs and storage.

The problems I had with the Little Green:

It would occasionally leak a bit. The water seemed to be coming from where the hose connects to the base. It was a small drip leak that was easily solved by emptying the clean water tank after each use. We used ours so frequently that I sometimes left clean water in the tank during storage to avoid wasting cleaning solution.

My biggest problem with the Little Green was the inability to completely clean the dirty water tank. I had four cats when I first bought the Little Green and eventually had four kids. The Little Green made it through a number of illnesses with us above and beyond pet accidents. The dirty water tank became filthy and unsanitary and was not designed to be dismantled for thorough cleaning. Eventually, the smell became too great and I had to dispose of the tank. I decided it was time to try a new spot shampooer one that had a cleanable tank.

That''s when I decided to try the Hoover Steamvac Jr. Both the Little Green and the Hoover spray and suck reasonably well for a small machine. As far as actual cleaning quality, the two are comparable. However, I found the Hoover to be bulky and a pain and its only redeeming quality, in my opinion, was that I am able to thoroughly clean the dirty water tank.

The problems I had with the Hoover F5411 Steamvac Jr.:

The tanks are the base of the unit and are not removable. In order to fill the clean water tank, you have to either maneuver the entire unit under the faucet and aim at a one inch hole in the portion of the unit that houses the motor, or you have to dismantle the machine and still maneuver the largest part of it under your faucet or use a bucket.

The tanks are a single bucket-style unit separated by a divider. They are not individual parts. When you dump the dirty water, if you have the unit fully assembled, the clean water will slosh around. If you dismantle the machine to empty it, you will also be emptying the clean water tank.

The top portion that houses the motor also has a filter that sits down in the dirty water tank, so if you dismantle the machine to fill or empty it, you are forced to place the motor housing with hose and cord in a tub or sink or get your floor dirty and wet.

The machine is round. It doesn''t fit well on stairs nor is it a convenient shape to store.

There is no cord storage on this unit and no convenient way to store the cord or keep it out of your way when you are filling, emptying, or storing. You can wrap it around the base of the handle, but it usually does not stay in place if you empty the tank and tends to get in the way of using the handle to carry the machine.

The Steamvac Jr. does have a spot to store the hose, but I find it an inconvenient and cumbersome position.

I''m currently saving my pennies to buy another Little Green. The little Hoover just makes me more angry than satisfied and I''ve taken to simply letting stains set in instead of hassle with the obnoxious machine.

I would recommend avoiding the Proheat Little Green. It seems the parts are not designed to work well with the heat and tend to break down. Hot tap water in the standard Little Green works well and this is coming from a germaphobe whose hands are raw from overwashing. If it''s clean enough for me, it''s probably more than clean enough for you. If you''re looking for a spot shampooer, the Little Green is your best bet.

I''ve owned a cleaning business for 26 years, and this machine is great. There are a few secrets to success with it:

To clean it and keep it from smelling, flush it after using. Suck hot clean water through the hose. If your unit is really dirty, suck a mild bleach solution and let it sit. ALSO, remove the rubber gasket at the bottom of the waste tank and clean it... this can be a major source of odor. It''s very easy to do, but not mentioned in the instructions.

Use just clean water in the solution tank, and put the cleaner in a spray bottle. (The less soap the better. Use the scrubber on the nozzle and allow a few minutes of dwell time). Think of your machine as the rinse cycle in a clothes washing machine. Rinse the dirt and soap out, leaving a minumum of residue. A seperate bottle also allows more precise application of cleaner. And it extends tank refills, so you won''t have to wait for the spray pump to reprime as much.

Durablility? I''ve used mine several times a week for almost a year now, what with business, dogs, and small children. No sign of wear whatever.

This is a brilliant design. Don''t let the reviews that don''t know how to work with it dissuade you. It is one of the finest, best engineered consumer appliances ever made. Get the least expensive model, as the Turbo Brush and heater don''t work well and are not needed.

Drawbacks? Okay, it doesn''t have the suction power of a commercial machine. If you want that, pay three hundred dollars more and lug an extra thirty pounds around the house.

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I bought the Little Green the day after we adopted a puppy. Although it does a sufficient job suctioning accidents out of carpeting, I would not recommend it.

Positives:

--Good at absorbing spills or other liquids from carpeting

--Compact and easy to store

Negatives:

--Dirty water pools in the bottom of the unit under the tank that collects the dirty water.

--The unit then leaks the dirty water out the bottom while using it.

--It is extremely difficult to clean.

--The dirty water never seems to be fully emptied even after taking the entire unit and dumping it upside down.

--It smells horrible! Even emptying it immediately after every use has not prevented it from smelling awful while using the machine. I think this is because the dirty water is never fully emptied. Hot, soapy water suctioned up after a clean up has not helped to remove the lingering smell.

Read Best Reviews of BISSELL 14005 Little Green Compact Carpet Cleaner Here

While this little machine cleans well but it is poorly design from a maintenance and easy of cleaning prospective. The catch tank is feed from the bottom through a 2 inch pipe that is split into two functions, return water and air return. The machine can never get all of the water up the 6 inches of feed pipe so it leaks out the bottom into the area under the catch tank (This area is nearly impossible to clean)! The dirty water feed should have been near the top of the tank and the air return should not be in the tank at all.

The tank does not lend itself to cleaning either. The return pipe has so many nooks and crannies that dirt builds up quickly, even with immediate rinsing and only after a half a dozen quick uses, and there is only a 1 inch hole in the top available to clean it. Another fault the catch tank is actually about 12 inches high but you can only use the bottom 6 due to the placement of return water outlet. All in all, the designers never used or had to clean this little green monster, neither should you! Don''t buy this.

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We had a new puppy and needed some serious spot cleaning back up. I had used other Bissell machines in the past (you know, other puppies). This little machine does a great job of getting spots up and out. I sometimes use it in conjunction with spray on cleaners. However, this machine is difficult to keep clean. It has two chambers one for fresh soapy water and one for dirty water. The dirty water chamber has a complicated flow system (it''s the one on the right in the picture shown). Gunk gets trapped on the edges and tops of the dirty chamber and it doesn''t rinse out easily. There''s no way to take the bottom off and clean the inside of the machine. This means that you always have gunk in your machine sometimes smelly gunk. My other complaint is that the nozzle for the spray wand is miniscule and when it clogs water isn''t directed in a spray, it pools in a puddle. This model is the best I have found, but I think Bissell should make some improvements to the design. Oh yes, one more thing... I find that I can''t unwind the hose without unplugging and winding the power cord. This means you''re stuck juggling a dirty hose while winding the power cord.