Bissell has been cleaning American homes since long before “vacuum cleaner” was even a household phrase — the company traces back to 1876, when Melville Bissell patented a mechanical carpet sweeper to help his wife manage sawdust tracked into their small Michigan shop. Nearly 150 years later, Bissell is still a family-led business best known for two products that show up in an outsized number of American homes: the compact Little Green portable cleaner and the all-in-one CrossWave wet-dry vacuum.
What keeps Bissell relevant against newer, flashier vacuum brands is how precisely its products solve specific, common messes. Little Green exists to handle the spill, the pet accident or the car seat stain that a full-size vacuum can’t reach, while CrossWave vacuums and washes hard floors and area rugs in one pass instead of requiring a separate mop. That focus on real household problems — plus a long-running commitment to animal welfare through the BISSELL Pet Foundation — has built unusual brand loyalty for a cleaning-appliance company. The current lineup is browsable at Bissell’s official site.
Who is Bissell?
Bissell was founded in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in 1876 and remains headquartered there today as a family-owned business now run by the fourth generation of the Bissell family. The company built its early reputation on the carpet sweeper before expanding into carpet cleaning machines, vacuums and, more recently, robot vacuums and pet care products like water fountains and self-cleaning litter boxes.
Two product lines anchor the modern Bissell catalog. Little Green is a compact, portable carpet and upholstery cleaner built for spot-cleaning spills, pet messes and stains on furniture, stairs and car interiors. CrossWave is a wet-dry vacuum system that vacuums debris and washes hard floors or area rugs simultaneously, eliminating the need to vacuum and mop as separate steps. Around those two anchors, Bissell also sells full-size upright and portable carpet cleaners, stick and upright vacuums, robot vacuums, and steam cleaners.
What Bissell does best
A few things consistently set Bissell apart from broader vacuum and cleaning brands.
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Spot-cleaning that actually works
Little Green heats its own cleaning formula and applies real suction power in a compact, lightweight body, making it genuinely effective on fresh spills and set-in stains alike — not just a watered-down mini vacuum.
Two-in-one hard floor cleaning
CrossWave vacuums and washes hard floors and area rugs in a single pass, using separate clean and dirty water tanks to avoid redistributing dirty water back onto the floor.
A genuine commitment to pet owners
Formulas, brush designs and entire product lines are engineered specifically around pet messes and odors, and the BISSELL Pet Foundation channels company giving toward helping shelter pets find homes.
A full cleaning ecosystem
Beyond Little Green and CrossWave, Bissell’s catalog covers full-size carpet cleaners, stick and robot vacuums, steam cleaners and cleaning formulas, so households can standardize on one brand across most cleaning tasks.
Products and pricing at a glance
| Line | What it is | Typical price |
|---|---|---|
| Little Green | Portable carpet, upholstery and car-interior spot cleaner | $99–$139 |
| CrossWave | Wet-dry vacuum that cleans hard floors and area rugs in one pass | $229–$349 |
| Upright carpet cleaners | Full-size machines for deep-cleaning wall-to-wall carpet | $179–$399 |
| Stick and upright vacuums | Everyday vacuums for carpet and hard floors | $129–$349 |
| Robot vacuums | Hands-free vacuuming for daily carpet and floor upkeep | $199–$399 |
What customers say
Bissell’s customers skew heavily toward households managing pets, kids or both, and that shows clearly in what they praise most. Owners consistently describe Little Green as the machine they reach for the moment something spills, crediting its suction and heated cleaning formula for lifting stains that a quick blot-and-scrub can’t fully remove. CrossWave owners frequently mention how much faster their hard-floor routine becomes once vacuuming and mopping happen in a single pass.
Customers also call out Bissell’s purchase policies as a reason they feel comfortable buying directly from the brand: a 30-day money-back guarantee covers most direct purchases, and orders over $100 ship free. Many pet-owning customers specifically mention the BISSELL Pet Foundation and its shelter-support programs as part of why they choose Bissell over other cleaning brands when they have a choice.
Who Bissell is best for
Bissell is an easy recommendation for pet owners who need a reliable way to handle accidents, odors and embedded fur, whether that’s Little Green for spot cleaning or a full upright carpet cleaner for deeper, whole-room jobs. Households with hard flooring and area rugs are well served by CrossWave, which removes a separate mopping step from the cleaning routine entirely. Bissell is also a strong fit for shoppers who want to buy from a long-established, family-run brand with a visible charitable mission rather than a newer direct-to-consumer startup.
Price and value
With Little Green starting around $99 and CrossWave topping out near $349, Bissell keeps its two signature products solidly in the accessible, mass-market price range rather than pricing them as premium purchases. That affordability, combined with how specifically each product solves a real household problem, is where Bissell’s value proposition is strongest — buyers aren’t paying for unnecessary features, just effective, purpose-built cleaning tools. The 30-day money-back guarantee and free shipping on orders over $100 further reduce the risk of trying a new product.
Verdict
Few cleaning brands pair this much practical, problem-solving engineering with this much genuine goodwill, which is exactly why Little Green and CrossWave remain staples in households that actually use what they buy.
Frequently asked questions
Yes u2014 Bissell's Little Green and CrossWave solve specific, common household messes effectively and affordably, which is why they remain some of the most recommended cleaning products in their categories.
Bissell offers free shipping on orders over $100 and backs most direct purchases with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Warranty coverage varies by product, with most Bissell machines backed by a limited manufacturer's warranty available through the brand's support site.
Bissell's CrossWave excels at combined hard-floor vacuuming and washing, while Tineco's Floor One line leans further into smart sensors and self-cleaning docks u2014 both are strong choices depending on how much automation you want.
Bissell was founded in 1876 and remains headquartered in Grand Rapids, Michigan, as a family-owned company.
It's Bissell's charitable foundation dedicated to helping homeless pets find homes, supported in part through the company's pet-focused product sales.
Little Green is a portable spot cleaner for stains, upholstery and car interiors, while CrossWave is a larger wet-dry vacuum built to clean entire hard-floor rooms and area rugs.
