Pros: Performance. Ease of Use. Those cool little lights.
Cons: Limited cleaning area in automatic mode.
The Bottom Line: My only regret with the SpotBot is not having bought it sooner. Carpet disasters are now just minor annoyances and excuses to play with my new favorite toy.
nagels's Full Review: Bissell 1200B Handheld Steam Cleaner
It was a fortuitous sequence of events. Bissell’s SpotBot rug cleaner had caught my eye months ago, and only a handful remained on sale at Ollie’s, the local discount and buyout store. But I still held out for a potential discount coupon in the mail. When I saw the postcard in the mailbox bearing Ollie’s smiling, toothy face, I knew I’d use it the next day. I bought one of the two remaining SpotBots for 85 dollars, a fabulous buy for an item that routinely sells for 120 to 130 dollars.
The new SpotBot remained in its box, unused, unopened, but not forgotten on the floor of Spud Central. As is my way I often wait days before opening a purchase, no matter how exciting or desirable the contents. However, the day Shih Tzu Bella lived up to her name with little presents on the carpet, and poor Evie was throwing up endlessly, precipitated SpotBot’s baptism. It was for days like this the SpotBot was created, and it was for days like this I wanted one in my stable of vacuums.
Details Details
The SpotBot weighs 19 pounds.
It measures 9.5 by 20 by 14 inches.
The cleaning brush has a stated 24-inch circumference.
Brush diameter by my measurement is 6 inches.
Brush unit has 24 sets of red nylon bristles.
Reinforced vacuum flex hose for manual cleaning is over 50 inches in length.
Two clear removable tanks – clean solution tank and dirty/collection tank.
Two brush tools.
Free cleaning solution included and a 16 ounce bottle of Bissell’s OXY GEN²
Pause/resume button.
Surface stain cycle – three minutes.
Set in stain cycle – six minutes.
Indicator lights for spray, brush, suction, finish, and power.
Limited one-year warranty.
How to Use
The SpotBot can be used in the automatic, programmed mode or in the manual mode. I’ve used both methods of cleaning and both produce superb results.
For the automatic mode one simply fills the solution tank with water and cleaner, plug in Spotty, and press the button for surface stain or set in stain.
To use manual mode, the user presses the manual mode button. With manual mode the user controls the wetting, scrubbing and suction as desired. A special turbo brush was included with my SpotBot as well as four extra bottles of cleaner. Look for this bonus packaging when shopping.
My Experience
Imagine waking up one morning to find a plate-sized splat of dried vomit on the bedroom carpet, and then finding scattered about the rest of the house multiple small spots stained with vomit or diarrhea. This happened on two consecutive mornings, until a 500-dollar vet visit and treatment calmed Evie’s tummy. After a two day hiatus the nightmare repeated with little Piper. There was also the constant of little Bella’s occasional carpet muffins.
I finished off a 32-ounce bottle of cleaning solution, a smaller container, and most of the OXY GEN² in five days and usually used only half of the recommended amount of cleaner. Despite my initial skepticism, the SpotBot has proved its value and effectiveness repeatedly. Most stains magically disappeared after one cycle of the wondrous SpotBot. A couple, especially messy spots needed two long cycles. Every single spot eventually succumbed to the little wizard of a cleaner. The SpotBot is the fourth wet carpet-cleaning machine I’ve owned and is by far the best. My experience with the sick dogs was an irritant, without the SpotBot it would have been a major catastrophe and ordeal.
The turbo brush attachment for manual cleaning is absolutely fabulous. As water/solution is sprayed on the stain, little brushes massage the carpet fibers. The suction mode leaves the carpet damp after extracting most of the liquid. I sometimes follow up a programmed mode with a swipe of the manual brush to suction up additional liquid. The brush is excellent for cleaning larger areas or in corners where the SpotBot can’t reach. An alternative is to clean larger areas with overlapping cleanings with the circular SpotBot, a practice that reminds me of the Venn Diagrams from my middle school teaching days.
Thoughts and Observations
The clean solution tank holds four cups of liquid. If one follows the guide lines on the clear tank, one would use one cup of water and three combined cups of the soap solution and OXY-GEN. That’s putting a lot of cleaner in one’s carpet. I don’t like the idea of leaving soap residue in the carpet fibers to attract dirt later. With this in mind I use half the recommended amount of cleaner and achieve superb results. When a particularly stubborn stain forces me to increase the amount of cleaner in the solution, I go over the area a second time with clear water. Even after first rinsing the tank thoroughly, soapy water fills the collection tank from the previously cleaned carpet area. It entails some extra time and work, but I recommend following up every cleaning with a rinse of clear water. It extracts soap residue from the carpeting and cleans the SpotBot’s plumbing to boot.
The two tanks are extremely easy to remove and reposition on the SpotBot. I’d like to see a flat bottom on the clean water/solution tank so one can rest it on a flat surface while filling it with solution. I try to remember to remove the cleaner’s lid before adding water to the tank to avoid cradling it in my arm while unscrewing a container’s lid.
Spotty is not excessively noisy, but of average vacuum volume. While going through its cycles, it sounds like a vacuum and washing machine running simultaneously.
The cycle ending beep chimes continuously for half an hour until the stop button is pushed. It can be annoying, but that’s a minor complaint.
And Finally
As someone who’s used the SpotBot more times in a week than many will in a year, I highly recommend this carpet-cleaning marvel to anyone with pets, small children, or frequent spillers.
It has far exceeded any and all expectations I had and has been a blessing for our carpet.
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