I recently purchased a white couch. I also recently purchased… a puppy. If you, like me, are thinking “OMGWHATHAVEYOUDONE,” there's some solace! And that comes in the form of the Bissell Little Green Portable Spot and Stain Cleaner. A big name for such a little steam cleaner, yes, but to paraphrase a popular poster saying: even though she’s little, she’s still fierce.
I discovered this magical wonder of a machine on TikTok, because where else? I’m sure you remember that earlier on during the pandemic, all sorts of products were going viral and selling out. Tie-dyed white sweatpants? Nowhere to be found for months. CeraVe moisturizing cream? Can’t have it. The same went for the Little Green.
But I was hooked. I found myself devouring video after video of people suctioning dirt and stains out of their couches and carpets, feeling an indescribable sense of satisfaction as I watched them pour the brown, sludgy water out of the reservoir and down the drain.
Naturally, I did some digging. I looked up the reviews on the product page, and found them to be, in a word: effusive. “If they had 10 stars I would give them all...this was the best purchase of the year for me. It turned my couch from disgusting to almost new,” said one. “This machine got all the dirt out, and to think I just found out about it on TikTok!!! #bestquarantinepurchase” gushed another.
Eventually, I got my hands on the machine, and it’s just as amazing in real life as it is on the internet.
So, does the Bissell Little Green work?
It did, and pretty darn well.
I decided to test it on three different surfaces in my apartment: two different sets of couch cushions, and a patch of carpet near the entryway (since it gets the most traffic). None of these were visibly dirty, so any evidence of efficacy was based solely on the results of the dirty water tank.
The machine itself is very simple to set up, and I could have easily figured out how to use it without the instructions packet (but I read them anyway): You just add hot water and the included cleaning solution to the clean tank, turn it on, and get going.
I found that the most efficient method is to first thoroughly wet the entire surface with the spray function, then go back in and suction all the dirt and water up. The instructions also recommend pre-treating heavily soiled surfaces by letting the solution sit for 10 minutes or so before removing.
At the end of my crusade against cushion and carpet grime, I watched with horrified glee as murky, clumpy water poured out from the tank and into the sink. While I didn’t see a visible difference on the surfaces themselves, the spent water told a different story.
There are a few things to watch out for: dirty water can drip out from the tank when you remove it, so be sure to place the entire machine over the sink. The cleaning solution reservoir is also quite small, so it'll require re-filling during a particularly big job, like a large sectional. I also wouldn’t recommend cleaning a large area unless you have the patience for multiple trips to the sink—you’re better off renting equipment that'll handle larger surfaces.
That said, it's lightweight, small enough to stash in an already full closet, and generally very effective. I absolutely cannot wait to use it on more surfaces, and I'm certain our puppy will stain every possible rug and cushion, so we'll have lots more testing to do.
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Written by: Caroline Mullen
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