Heated Bissell vs. WetVac

**levander** · 04-19-2010, 04:34 PM

Probably going to buy some kind of vacuum.

I`m leaning towards one of the heated Bissells. But, before you run one of those things over the carpet, do you have to have a separate vacuum cleaner to run over the carpet before you use your Bissell? E.g., like to get all the obvious dirt like leaves and the such out.

If a Bissell requires owning a 2nd vacuum cleaner, I think I`m gonna go with a WetVac. The 4 gallon one that Ridgid calls portable. I saw people raving about that one in earlier threads.

But, if these Bissells can both 1.) vacuum all the big stuff out and then 2.) go back over it where you`re shooting heated water and extracting the water, maybe I`ll just stick with a Bissell.

Also, anyone who`s up to date on all the Bissell models, I`d love to hear it. I`m leaning towards the AutoCare ProHeat because it`s black so I like the way it looks and I saw something someone said where it has a crevice tool. Those Bissell SpotBot things, I think they`re more expensive and I don`t know how much I`d use the feature where you can just set it on a spot and let it do it`s own work.

**MrCLRider** · 04-19-2010, 07:43 PM

I would for sure buy a seperate vacuum for the floors before using the Bissel. Ridgid has a really nice Pro Vac for 159.99. You can also pick up a automotive detailers accessory kit at Home Depot for 40 dollars. Might seem like alot of money up front but they are great vacuums for the money.

RIDGID 16 Gallon Pro Vac - WD1851 at The Home Depot

**ron gray** · 04-19-2010, 08:15 PM

I have this one, and have had good luck with it.

4 Gallon Wet / Dry Vac - RIDGID Professional Tools

I also seen one at Lowes not long ago that caught my eye...namely the remote on the end of the hose that turns the vac on and off. Heard good thing about it...

Shop Kobalt 5-Gallon 5-Peak HP Wet/Dry Wall Mount Vac at Lowes.com

**Lonnie** · 04-20-2010, 07:58 AM

Levander:

It`s absolutely essential that you thoroughly vacuum a carpet or upholstry with a shop vac of some sort. One of the best tips I read in this forum is to dry-brush the carpet AFTER the initial vacuuming to dislodge trapped dirt particles in the fabric and then to re-vacuum again. It`s much easier to remove DRY dirt with a shop vac rather than wet dirt with the Bissell Pro-Heat extractor/carpet cleaner.

I have a Sears 16 Gallon-6.0 HP Shop Vac (Model 113.1777611) after my 20 year-old Sears Shop Vac burned up the motor. The fore-mentioned Shop Vac was on sale for about $80.00 when I bought it and it comes with enough accessories for the do-it-yourself car-care enthusiest.

Some advice about which cleaning chemicals to use on carpets: I use Megs APC at a 5:1 ratio (5-1/2 Oz of APC with 26-1/2 Oz of HOT Water to make one Quart (32 Oz)) mixed with 3 tablespoons of Oxi-Clean powder in a pail. I DO NOT use the cleaning solution tank to apply this cleaner. A good carpet scrub brush and elbow grease is used to apply the cleaning solution from the pail to the carpet. DON`T SOAK THE CARPET!!!! Also, use the water from the Bissell Pro-Heat extractor as your carpet rinse medium, and extract as needed until the carpet is clean and somewhat dry. Make sure the carpet is DRY to the touch before you put the floormats back. Even a window box fan can be used to aid in the drying process. Then re-vacuum to remove any last reminants of dirt. If your carpets appear with a white film when dry, you`ve probably used too much soap solution at the initial brush scrubbing. You may need to re-rinse, extract, and dry to remove this "film".

(More than you really wanted to know!)

**Accumulator** · 04-20-2010, 09:19 AM

Yeah, get things as clean as possible before you get the carpet wet (auto *or* household).

Hot water extractors are better than unheated ones.

Be sure to do that final rinse with either clear water or a rinse agent; don`t just use carpet shampoo.

Noting that I have almost as many extractors as I do polishers

I`d try to get something that can use different nozzles without a lot of messing around (so no carpet-bot gizmos for me). I often do best with my DIY/cobbled-together nozzle setups (e.g., Bissell nozzle on my Century extractor).

**levander** · 04-20-2010, 10:08 AM

Great, I spent about an hour searching the forum, reading the Bissell web site. It was so weird I couldn`t find any recommendation for vacuuming before Bisselling. But, it was the only thing that made sense to me. I thought maybe you could also do a straight vacuum with a Bissell. But, I didn`t see any reference to that on Bissell`s web site.

So, it makes no sense to get a Bissell first anyway. I`m gonna look at the Ridgid vacs.

Maybe add a heated extractor later.

Thanks guys!

**RaskyR1** · 04-20-2010, 10:11 AM

Get both.

Wet vac for the initial vacuuming and then to follow up after using the Bissell as they lack the lift of the larger wet vacs.

**Accumulator** · 04-20-2010, 10:25 AM

Originally Posted by RaskyR1

Wet vac for the initial vacuuming and then to follow up after using the Bissell as they lack the lift of the larger wet vacs.

Depending on which nozzle you use, even the lower-level Bissells can actually do a surprisingly good job of, well, extracting the water.

My Bissell upright`s "tools"/hose setup has pretty awful suction, but with the right nozzle it gets things nice and dry (sure surprised me!).

But yeah, more tools beats fewer tools

**rcrobbins** · 04-20-2010, 12:38 PM

I do the initial wet/dry vacuuming to get the dirt out. I have a Hoover SteamVac that I apply the cleaning solution with, then use it`s rotating head attachment to scrub it, then flip the switch to rinse and extract. I really love it`s attachment though, reminds me of maybe a mini cyclo. It`s called the "SpinScrub" hand tool, here`s a picture of it

**RaskyR1** · 04-20-2010, 02:19 PM

Originally Posted by Accumulator

Depending on which nozzle you use, even the lower-level Bissells can actually do a surprisingly good job of, well, extracting the water.

My Bissell upright`s "tools"/hose setup has pretty awful suction, but with the right nozzle it gets things nice and dry (sure surprised me!).

But yeah, more tools beats fewer tools

Yeah, my only experience has been with the LGM and the stock attachment....which really sucks...or doesn`t suck!

I have a nice aluminum crevice tool for my 6.5hp wet vac that IMO rocks. It`s a lot like the high end extractor crevice tools but without the water jet welded to it. When I worked at the auction back in `92 we had 3 lanes (6 total vacuums with these attachments) and they are just a great all around tool and it`s what I`ve used for the last 18 years for my shop vacs...just never had the need for anything else. I`ve never cared for the plastic ones....

Looks like this...

**Accumulator** · 04-20-2010, 05:36 PM

rcrobbins- Yeah, I was surprised by how well the Bissell version of that gizmo works too!

RaskyR1- Yeah, I have one of those that came with the Century. Oddly enough I *still* get more water out using the Bissell plastic nozzle! Just has a smaller opening, which probably gives the Century`s motors a bit of a workout

It`s kinda goofy-looking...a crude DIY connection holding a cheapie plastic nozzle onto the hose of a nice extractor, but *man* does it get up the water! But for tight spots I`m with you all the way, those crevice tools work great in, well...crevices