Bissell Little Green Machine

Written by

Gregory Han
Gregory Han
A Los Angeles native, Gregory’s interests fall upon the relationship between design, nature, and technology. His resume includes art director, toy designer, and design writer. Co-author of Poketo's "Creative Spaces: People, Homes, and Studios to Inspire", you can find him…read more
published Nov 28, 2007
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It’s been a tough month around our household. A series of bad health incidents was capped off last night when we discovered our cat Eames had urinated on our bed. A small, but noticeable amount of blood was at the center of the large damp spot that soaked all the way down to the mattress itself. This is often the sign of a urinary infection (we think recent overnight guests stressed his system), so now the little fella is at the vet getting tested.

We immediately sprayed the soiled bedding and mattress with some odor neutralizing spray we always keep on hand, and dug out a trusty small appliance we always keep around for exactly these sort of incidents. We only use it maybe 1-2 times a year, but the Bissell Little Green Machine is one of those purchases you never regret investing in.

We’ve got the older model, which has been updated with a new form factor we’re not sure we like, but they operate in the same manner: spray out a detergent and suck it right back up with the dirt or liquid stains. This isn’t a cleaner for large surface jobs, but rather adept at lifting up spot specific stains (like the cat urine we dealt with last night). There’s a satisfaction seeing how much dirt the cleaner can pull out from your carpet and upholstery, revealed after emptying the suctioned liquid receptacle (if not a little disturbing). Our only complaint with our unit is that it’s louder than hell’s bells, sounding like a small jet engine taking off. But then again, we only use it a couple times a year and it does a great job, so we’re not complaining. Hopefully the treated and washed mattress will be fine after it dries today. And more importantly, we hope our friend Eames is on the way to a speedy recovery.