A Trusted Friend in a Complicated World

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As a home editor, I’m completely obsessed with the best vacuums and stain removers. I love a clean home, but I have five young children and two dogs—and well, stuff happens. I watched the Bissell Little Green Machine go viral on TikTok and was roped in by how effortless it made stain removal seem.

With its built-in spray cleaner and strong suction, it seemed unique from other vacs on the market. So I decided to give it a try to see if it’s strong enough to quickly resolve red wine stains and those awkward mattress stains that come with the parenting territory,

Spoiler alert: It’s everything I’d ever hoped for, rivaling my other favorite cleaning products, The Pink Stuff and the Tineco iFloor vacuum mop combo. It’s so good that it has well over 26,000 perfect Amazon reviews, beating out some of the most popular handheld vacuums and vacuum mop combos. It even got old coffee stains out of my favorite expensive throw rug.

Bryce Gruber for RD.com

The Bissell Little Green Machine is an easy-to-use vacuum with a built-in carpet and upholstery cleaner. It’s small enough to be toted easily from room to room, and its various attachments make targeted cleaning simple. The device removes spots and stains from just about every upholstery fabric surface you can think of. It’s even one of the best car vacuums to keep on hand for fabric interiors.

The device boasts a large water tank capacity that holds a whopping 48 ounces of water for easy, continuous spraying. The motor is so strong that its suction can lift old pet stains on furniture and the weird, gunky stuff that’s been caked into your carpets for what seems like forever. The best part? This amazing little machine is affordable, too.

I put the Bissell Little Green Machine to work on a high-traffic area rug in the den that’s prone to kid-related spills and stains. I also tested it on an antique Turkish kilim rug that suffered an unfortunate pet accident, and on the fabric upholstery of an overworked pickup truck. In each scenario, the Little Green Machine worked like a stain-removing dream, taking less than five minutes to fully remove disgusting stains that seemed all too permanent.

The key to getting the machine to work its best is to remove all dirt and debris first (like removing pet hair with a ChomChom roller), and then spritzing the stained areas with a trusted stain-removing agent like Folex Carpet Spot Remover. I allowed the stain remover to soak into both my den’s area rug and the truck’s seats for a good five minutes before using the Bissell Little Green Machine’s water spraying function for further soaking. The dried-in coffee stains lifted almost instantly with the strong suction.

I didn’t use any stain removing chemicals on my antique, handmade Turkish rug, though. It’s over 200 years old and dyed with natural vegetable pigments that make me fear the strong chemicals of over-the-counter products. Instead, I sprayed the pet urine-soaked portion of my carpet with plenty of warm water and ran the Bissell over it repeatedly until every bit of stain and odor was whisked away. It worked like a charm on my delicate rug, and the color was preserved perfectly.

Bryce Gruber for RD.com

One of the Bissell Little Green Machine’s best features is how portable it is. It’s lightweight and small enough that even kids can help out with household chores. The large tank capacity makes cleaning bigger areas a simple task and offers enough stain-fighting power to easily cover all five upholstered seats and floor mats in my family’s extended-cab pickup truck. The spray function is also impressive, cutting down on scrubbing time by allowing stains to briefly soak so the yucky stuff can be sucked up.

The included stain-removing attachments also work well. I reached for the self-cleaning hose attachment time and time again. It makes cleaning most surfaces a sort of fun spectator sport, as you watch the dirty fluid get sucked up in real time. Gross—but gratifying.

What we like about the Bissell Little Green Machine:

What to consider about the Bissell Little Green Machine:

Is the Bissell Little Green Machine good for carpeted stairs?

Yes! It’s ideal for carpeted stairs and other small or hard-to-reach areas with high traffic.

Can the Little Green Machine be used on a mattress?

Yes—just make sure you allow your mattress to fully air dry before putting a protector, sheets, or other items back on.

Does it come with a floor brush attachment?

No, because the Bissell Little Green Machine is better suited for smaller spaces and area rugs than large rooms.

Can you use vinegar in the water tank?

Bissell does not recommend using vinegar in the Little Green Machine, as the acidity can potentially damage its components. However, many reviewers note that if a stain-removing solution is sprayed directly on your focus area and then sucked up in a diluted way, the machine continues to work well.

“This has made my list of top five Amazon purchases EVER,” writes verified Amazon purchaser Ivy. “I have two Australian shepherds and make extra money by dog sitting. As you can imagine, my couch takes a lot of damage from the constant flow of pups. These cushions have been vomited on, stepped on with muddy paws, and licked until damp (I know; disgusting). I had planned to use it as a spot cleaner, but after watching the dirty water come off of the ‘clean’ areas of the cushion? I’m considering just cleaning the whole couch!”

Brittany, another verified Amazon purchaser, says, “I am absolutely obsessed with this thing. I wish I had more rugs to clean, and if you have pets, this is an absolute must. No spray-on carpet cleaner in the world is going to get your carpet and rugs as clean as something that actually sucks the dirt, spills, and stains up and out of the material. It really is that simple. Overall, this thing is amazing, and I would recommend it to literally everyone.”

If you like truly clean carpets and upholstery, the Bissell Little Green Machine is one of the best purchases you can make. It not only soaks and scrubs the stain itself, but sucks away all the dirty water and cleaning fluid immediately after. Fair warning though—the addictive nature of this device will have you cleaning things you never expected to clean. Before you know it, a whole hour will go by and all of your car’s upholstery will look factory fresh.

Head to Amazon to get your own Bissell Little Green Machine, where it has well over 34,000 reviews and a nearly perfect rating. It’s also available at Walmart and directly on Bissell’s site.

You’ll want to order yours quickly, though, because every time it goes viral on TikTok, it tends to sell out.

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