Bissell 9400 ProHeat 2X Select Upright Deep Carpet Cleaner

Almost as a joke, I told my husband the other day that he could get me a Bissell 9400 ProHeat Carpet cleaner for my birthday. Guess what? He did.

Not only did the Bissell ProHeat 9400 show up in time for my birthday, but my husband put it together the same day and cleaned the entire carpet for me the next. How's that for a great birthday gift?

I can't remember the last time we cleaned our carpets. Several years ago at least. They weren't what I would call filthy since we no longer have children at home, and our only pet is a mild-mannered fairly short-haired female called Snoopy. The carpets were pretty matted down though, and had a few stains, probably made when Snoopy gobbled her food too fast and it came back up all over the living room carpet.

Actually, I had been thinking about a new carpet cleaner for a long time. We had rented a Rug Doctor from the grocery store once or twice and had used a professional carpet cleaning company once. The professionals gave it a quick once-over and left it looking worse than when they had arrived. The corners and stairs were not even touched and the price they charged was almost as much as the new Bissell 9400 cost.

You start by filling the Bissell 9400 with hot water from the tap, and the machine heats it about 25 percent hotter. (Unless you turn the heater button off, which you would do if you had really delicate or wool carpets.) The Bissell comes with several accessories, including a gadget which makes cleaning the stairs a breeze. No more lugging the whole cleaner up and down the stairs just to clean the individual rungs. It also gets into corners better than any cleaner I have ever seen, and has an upholstery attachment in case you are into cleaning your furniture, too.

The 12 horsepower motor is really powerful and suctions up most of the liquid after you have shampooed the carpet, so drying time is fairly short. The Bissell cleaner weighs 39 pounds so it is quite a bit heavier than a regular vacuum cleaner, but it is an upright so it is much, much easier to use than the huge boxlike Rug Doctor that is available in most rental places. The cleaner came with a bottle of carpet detergent and some Scotchgard to mix with it to give more lasting protection.

My carpet looks like new and I am delighted. Yes, a Bissell 9400 is a little more expensive than renting a Rug Doctor once in a while, or using a professional service once or twice, but not if you figure on owning it for a number of years.

Rental floor cleaners are getting more expensive all the time, and they are a real nuisance to go after, fill out rental papers, pay deposits, load in the car and drive home before you even get started on cleaning your carpet. Then, after you finish the job, instead of sitting down to relax, you have to repeat the process all over again to return it before the rental time is up. (And I'm counting on becoming more popular with relatives and friends who all of a sudden decide their carpets need cleaning, too, as soon as they hear what I got for my birthday.)

There are lots more good things to say about my new carpet cleaner, but if you really think you might be interested in investing in one yourself, or just want to find out more about them, click on the link below to get all the details, plus some reviews by people who have recently purchased one and who seem to love theirs as much as I love mine.