Bissell and DRN go back quite a few years.

The first Bissell product we reviewed was back in 2013, and many have followed since.

It’s a pity we weren’t around 150 years ago when Bissell sold their first sweeper. We could have reviewed that one, but my memory does go back to when my mum used a Bissell sweeper in the house…

Today we’re testing one of their latest and greatest products, the Bissell CleanView HydroSteam.

Mess, stains and dirt on your carpets are what this machine eats for breakfast.

We’re testing it with the dirtiest piece of carpet I could find in the shed…

But first, the neat stuff: Unboxing the Bissell CleanView HydroSteam

This is not Bissell’s first rodeo on the steamy business of cleaning carpets, and the Model 4200F, when assembled right out of the box, shows its “I mean business” presence.

This solid machine weighs in at about 9 kilos plus another 4 liters in the tank, which makes me grateful for the wheels.

Also in the box, we have a plethora of accessories to make this product even more versatile.

You can do upholstery, stairs, corners and your car with all the various attachments.

However, this is not a vacuum cleaner, so a quick round with the old Dyson is highly recommended before you put this Bissell to work.

Most carpets will be suitable for cleaning by this HydroSteam model, but do keep it away from loop pile or Berber carpet and other materials sensitive to water and agitation.

After all, this is a carpet washer where hot steam and scrubbing are the main menu.

Bissell advertises this machine as especially good at getting rid of stubborn stains.

Okay, they asked for it, so we trundled out a roll of woolen carpet runner that we have used for years to move furniture and other heavy items during our renos.

It has been through mud and grime with that woollen side down for easy sliding.
This is what it looked like when we rolled it out on the verandah.

Half a dozen perpetual oil stains.
Good luck with that!

Putting the Bissell CleanView HydroSteam to the Test

A quick glance at the manual about the use of the Bissell Formula and the Oxy Boost.

How much to use in the warm water tank? Only 1 or 2 capfuls for a full tank.

Fortunately, the top tank had clear lines that indicate water levels and the level for the formulas.

I did half a tank with just Oxy Boost. And followed up with another half tank with the Formula.

Neither the manual, nor the instructions were clear that you have to use these two liquids together to get the best results.
Only the Bissell website mentions to use approx. 60ml BISSELL Upright Carpet Cleaner Formula and 120ml BISSELL Oxy Boost for a full tank.

I did do the Pretreat Spray treatment to loosen the dirt and stains before engaging the washer.
The carpet got clean but not so much the stains.

Time to get the Tough Stain Tool out.
Give it some spray and a good scrubbing and slowly the stains became less visible.

My wife was impressed with these initial results.

But she suggested doing it one more time.

So, the next day I applied the proper dosages of formula together and gave it a once-over.

Result? On the whole, I give it a satisfactory thumbs up.

Yes, one stain is still slightly visible, but hey, normally you would clean up when the mess is still fresh. Not years later.

In our other testing, we also gave our bedroom carpets a bit of a refresh.

They were not very dirty, so we could not notice a massive difference.
However, the dirty tank showed otherwise…

 

Cleaning and Maintaining the Bissell CleanView HydroSteam

It’s always the least pleasant job, but Bissell made it very easy.

For starters, everything is clearly labelled, and the CleanView is also a “ClearView” model.

This means you can clearly see how much clean stuff is left in the top tank.
This makes it easy to judge how many square metres you could still do.

Also, the bottom tank “clearly” shows how dirty your carpets were!
Which is oddly satisfying to see…


When you’re done, a quick rinse in the sink will suffice.

The only slightly more difficult task is to clean the roller.

There was a fair bit of fluff that I needed to pick out with my fingers.

Bissell CleanView HydroSteam Review Verdict

Given the overall good performance, the well-thought-out design and built quality, plus the reasonable price of AUD799, the Bissell CleanView HydroSteam is a winner.

We can highly recommend this unit, which comes with a two-year warranty.

If you have carpets, and animals or young kids, a regular steam clean and wash of your carpets will do wonders for the freshness of your abode!

DRN thanks Bissell for providing this unit for our review.

Here’s the link to their product page for more info.