Bissell Little Green Cordless Cleaner Review: For Quick Cleaning

Best Prices Today: Bissell SpotClean Cordless

$175.44

Spot cleaners can be handy around the house, but they can also be heavy and bulky. If you’re looking for a model that’s easy to transport, this Bissell vacuum might fit the bill. In the US, it’s called the Little Green Cordless Portable Carpet Cleaner, in the UK, it’s called the SpotClean Cordless. The difference between the two models is in their accessories: in addition to the Tough Stain tool and the HydroRinse tool (for self-cleaning), the UK model also comes with a two-in-one sliding crevice tool.

Not only is this model Bissell’s lightest, it’s also cordless, so you can use it to clean the inside of your car, and it’s small enough to store under a sink or in a utility closet. That, along with two modes (Turbo and Eco) and multi-purpose tools, means you can clean multiple soft surfaces in your home, from carpets and rugs to upholstery, without having to pull out a larger vacuum.

Design and construction

• Dimensions in inches: 13.46 x 13.31 x 9.09
• Dimensions in cm: 28 x 30 x 20
• Spacious clean and dirty water tanks

For those short on space, the Bissell Little Green/SpotClean cordless will appeal. Not only is it lightweight (3.4kg), it’s also compact. The overall design prioritises functionality over all else, with a handy black and grey plastic exterior, a 1.7m detachable hose (which clips into the back for storage) and a chunky carry handle on top.

A removable 33.8 oz/900 ml clean water/solution tank sits on one side while a larger dirty water tank sits in front, allowing for wet vacuuming as well as cleaning fluid.

Rachel Ogden / Foundry

Rachel Ogden / Foundry

Rachel Ogden / Foundry

The controls are pleasantly simple, with an on/off button, a button to switch between Eco and Turbo modes, and a battery indicator with three illuminated sections.

Rachel Ogden / Foundry

Rachel Ogden / Foundry

Rachel Ogden / Foundry

It’s worth noting, however, that the battery’s size (25.9V) might limit your cleaning ambitions: it’ll take three to four hours to fully charge, but Turbo mode will only run for 20 minutes. For longer sessions, you’ll have to stick to Eco mode, which offers up to 35 minutes of runtime.

Performance and features

• Two cleaning heads (plus a crevice tool in the UK)
• Debris can get stuck in the bristles
• Turbo mode is better for spills

While the cordless cleaner doesn’t come with tons of hardware, it does strike a balance between flexibility and practicality. It comes with a 4-inch Tough Stain Tool with bristles, which has a design tweak from previous spot cleaner models.

Rachel Ogden / Foundry

Rachel Ogden / Foundry

Rachel Ogden / Foundry

There’s also a 2-in-1 crevice tool with optional bristles for cleaning hard-to-reach places, like stairs. Note that you won’t get this second tool in the US pack.

We used the cordless vacuum to clean two soft surfaces: a velvet couch and a medium-pile rug, using cat food to represent pet waste and gravy to represent spills. We let them sit for about 15 minutes and removed any solid debris before cleaning up what was left with the Tough Stain tool.

The cleaning solution trigger is located on the hose itself and is easily accessible with your thumb. This means you can hose down the mess with the solution while scrubbing with the tool’s bristles, if necessary. However, vacuuming up the solution and liquid messes proved more difficult.

We found that we had to press firmly to fully suck up the liquid, as the hose’s suction power alone left the couch and carpet saturated. A small amount of dirty water was retained in the tool itself, while the jet of solution tended to drip slightly during cleaning. Additionally, a few small particles of debris remained on the bristles after scrubbing, meaning we had to be careful not to drag them across the cleaned surface, re-dirtying it.

We had to use the Turbo mode for both stains, as the Eco mode wasn’t as effective at extracting liquid from soft surfaces. We thought the Eco mode would be better for everyday cleaning than spills. Overall, it cleaned well and didn’t leave any dirt behind, but it took more effort than we expected. It was also noisier – although it’s billed as a quieter spot cleaner with 65dB of noise in Eco mode, the Turbo mode is louder – we couldn’t hold a conversation while using it.

We liked its HydroRinse self-cleaning tool, which is great for those who find washing appliances after use a chore. It attaches to the end of the hose to flush out debris using a cleaning solution, which is great for ensuring your stain remover doesn’t contain any odours or bacteria. We found this particularly useful for getting rid of any stubborn hair stuck inside the hose after cleaning. All other removable parts can simply be rinsed under a running tap, making maintenance a breeze.

Pricing and Availability

In the US, the Little Green Cordless Handheld Carpet Cleaner is available on the Bissell website or on Amazon. Its usual price is $199.99, but at the time of writing, you can buy it for $175.44 on Amazon.

In the UK it costs £269.99 and you can buy it from Bissell or Argos. This makes it a bigger investment, but if you need to deep clean your car, carpets or sofa regularly it’s worth it.

For more buying options, take a look at our roundup of the best wet and dry vacuums and the best vacuums we tested overall.

Should you buy the Bissell Little Green/SpotClean cordless cleaner?

Bissell’s cordless cleaner has a lot of advantages. It’s easy to set up, store, and maintain, and with a little pressure, it does a good job of cleaning up messes. However, while it’s more convenient than Bissell’s corded spot cleaners, it’s more expensive than most, making it a more thoughtful purchase.

The Turbo’s limited battery life can also be an issue: being lightweight and cordless, it’s suitable for cleaning the inside of a car or caravan, but you’ll only get 20 minutes of runtime if you need to use the higher power mode. Aside from the battery life, if you have a busy household, messy pets or a family, this low-maintenance compact cleaner will be a handy addition.