The green “regular” CrossWave and the purple Pet Pro model are nearly identical (apart from a couple of fur-centric features on the latter that seem to have minor benefits for pet owners). You’ll need to dump and rinse the dirty-water tank (often labeled “DWT” on the machine) promptly after you’re done cleaning, or when the DWT gets full. Hidden in the murky liquid of the DWT, you’ll often find chunks of food and grit and whatever else was on your floor, plus a few stringy globs of hair.
If you have pets or children, the handheld option will save your sanity. Portability
If you have stairs, you know what a pain (literally) it can be lugging a vacuum up and down. At the touch of a button, the Bissell ICONpet transforms into a handheld vacuum. Weighing in under three pounds (yes I weighed it), I can vacuum my stairs in five minutes compared to fifteen.
Jamie (she/her) is a parenting and pets reviews analyst at the Good Housekeeping Institute, where she spends her time testing, researching and writing about pet and family products. Prior to starting at GH in 2021, she worked at BuzzFeed and People, covering a combination of product reviews and lifestyle content. She’s a graduate of Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and psychology and a master’s degree in journalism. BISSELL has a diverse lineup of vacuums, and their naming convention can sometimes be confusing. In broad strokes, you can outline their model lineup as follows. The vacuum maker issued the recall after Bissell said it received dozens of reports of the battery smoking, including five in which it caught fire, according to the CPSC.
Otherwise, if the job is done, its inability to stand on its own is a good reminder for my kids to put it away and plug it in to start recharging. The attachments are all very sturdy, well made, and don’t appear likely to break. It’s also worth noting that Bissell started the Bissell Pet Foundation to assist animal welfare organizations. The foundation aims to help reduce the number of animals in shelters and rescues by finding them homes via grants, adoption events, a spay and neuter program, and more. The Dyson and Tineco models all have bin volumes of about 0.6 liter, which is fairly common across the category. Our alternate budget pick, the Moosoo XL-618, has double that capacity (1.3 liters) so you’ll need to empty the bin less often.
I would say that the battery life on this vacuum is about what I would expect from a cordless vacuum. This vacuum does allow you to adjust the suction to 3 different levels (which means 3 different levels of power used). When I use the vacuum it lasts much longer for me because I do adjust it when I’m on the hard floor surfaces as opposed to the carpet where it needs to be on full power. When my younger kids are using it, they don’t really remember to adjust for this feature yet.
Our cordless vacuum cleaners easily tackle everyday messes throughout your home and are suitable for hard floors, tiles, carpets, rugs and upholstery. Its compact shape, size and weight ensures you won’t have a back or body ache after vacuuming and makes it the ideal option for getting the kids to help with housework. The Bissell CrossWave Cordless Max is a weaker cleaner than both the standard CrossWave and the Tineco iFloor3—it struggles to suck up as much dirty cleaning solution as it squirts out. It’s also much bulkier and a little tougher to push around than the iFloor3.
With a 40-foot cleaning radius and a 2-liter dust cup, the SmartClean Canister Vacuum is made for big jobs. Not only will it stretch to the farthest corners of each room, but it can cover any surface you need with its automatic floor type recognition. Head to the end of this guide to get some more information on how we test vacuum cleaners and why you can trust Good Housekeeping. Check out our picks for the best robot mops, floor cleaners and steam mops. BISSELL vacuums tend to be affordably priced and use bagless designs that keep recurring costs down.
Bissell makes post-cleaning tasks easier with automatic cord rewind and a dust cup that is emptied with the touch of a button. Large wheels on the canister make the vacuum easy to pull along as you clean, too. So we’ve decided to (somewhat bissell cordless vacuum clumsily) call products like the Bissell CrossWave “vacuum-mop combos,” to avoid confusion with other types of floor-care products. The Bissell ICONpet model is a clear winner when it comes to the best vacuums for pet hair.
The Pet Hair Eraser Handheld Vacuum has a rubber nozzle that’s perfect for pet hair pickup, a 16-foot power cord for extra reach and a multi-layer filtration system, all for an affordable price. This handheld vacuum’s lightweight design makes it easy to maneuver around furniture and use on stairs. Carolyn Forté bissell cordless vacuum has tested and reviewed hundreds of vacuum cleaners, carpet cleaners, mops and other major (and small) home appliances as executive director of Good Housekeeping’s Home Care and Cleaning Lab. She is an active member of the ASTM Committee on vacuum cleaners and chairman of the consumer information sub-committee.