The BISSELL PowerLifter PowerBrush, model number 1622, is a personal carpet cleaning machine. It is both a carpet shampooer and vacuum cleaner, injecting soapy water into the carpet and removing it. What are the pros and cons of this home carpet cleaner?
Pros of the Bissell PowerLifter 1622 Carpet Cleaner
It costs less than the price of renting a professional carpet shampooer multiple times.
You can use Bissell’s line of standard carpet shampoos and carpet soap for pet specific messes. Both soaps cost around fifty cents an ounce, though the Bissell carpet soaps with Febreeze cost more per ounce. However, as long as you are careful as to the concentration, you can use other soaps.
The Bissell PowerLifter has four dual row brushes for cleaning as deep as the professional machines. It can handle pet messes, though it takes repeated passes to do so.
This carpet shampooer is easy to assemble.
This carpet cleaning machine is relatively lightweight, coming in at just over twenty pounds, so even those who have trouble moving the large rented professional carpet cleaners can handle this unit.
This carpet cleaner has a long cord. And its overall “footprint” isn’t much smaller than the professional grade machines. It will cover an equally large area without needing to change outlets and the same square footage as its bigger, heavier rivals.
The machine automatically shuts down when the ballast indicates the dirty water tank is full. This means you won’t keep going and overflow the dirty water tank or have the unit run without having any effect.
Cons of the Bissell PowerLifter Carpet Cleaner 1622
The nozzles that dispense the cleaning solution have a tendency to clog up. You need to clear them once in a while. This problem is worse on thick and piled carpet.
The carpet cleaner does a decent job of dispensing soap without leaving soapy residue, but it leaves the carpets relatively wet after it is done.
The brush rollers are not very strong, so you need multiple passes for ground in pet stains or stains that have seeped to the root of the carpet.
The clean water tank is small, so you may have to refill it while working. The soap reservoir is also small.
Observations
This model of carpet cleaning machine doesn’t come with hand tools; more expensive models by Bissell do.
The belts on this carpet cleaner go out periodically. New belts are not cheap, and nor are the belts part of the one year warranty. The manual does have instructions on how to attempt to reattach the belts yourself before you go out and buy new ones. You can tell that at least reattachment is necessary when the carpet cleaner no longer removes water from the carpet.
You need to empty the dirty water container thoroughly after every use to avoid residual odors. Fortunately, the tank is decently designed, so you aren’t scrubbing every nook and cranny to get carpet fibers or biomass out.
This home carpet cleaner does not have a heating element to heat up the water. You have to add your own hot water to have the best outcome.
Summary
This cheap carpet cleaner and shampooer is easy to assemble and use. This home carpet cleaner has enough soap and clean water for a single room before it needs refilling. This commercial carpet cleaner is a good choice for those who want an affordable spot cleaner or regularly clean small carpeted rooms in a house or apartment mostly filled with hardwood floors or tile.