Bissell 2080 QUICKSTEAMER Upright Vacuum

The main floor of our home is mostly hard woods. However, one room, Her Highness' (our dog's) domain is carpeted, providing her with maximum comfort. Being of the Canine persuasion, her delicate aroma begins to linger within the fibers of the carpet. After a while, this unique fragrance begins to drift from her lair, and into the peasant's quarters (the rest of the house).

Though we are only her loyal subjects, it can be a bit uncomfortable living day to day with this pungent presence. So, we revolted against her and decided to take matters into our own hands. She protested, but being unable to control her subjects, reluctantly conceded to our demands.

Only having one room to steam clean, I had no need to take out a home equity loan to purchase one of those humongous, industrial strength carpet steamers. I was on a quest to find a carpet cleaner that was both affordable and just the right size to do this small job.

There are several smaller carpet steamers out there, but most were either to small, or looked so flimsy that they'd probably fall apart after only a couple uses.

Finally, I found the Bissell Quicksteamer Powerbrush II. It's sturdy enough to take a beating (like having 6 boxes of junk piled on top of it when it's being stored), and small enough to fit our needs.

The Bissell Quicksteamer is light weight (only about 12 pounds when empty), and is about the same size as a regular vacuum cleaner. I like this, because the last thing I want to do is lug a monster sized piece of equipment up from the basement, every time I decided to purify her palace.

With this machine, there's no complicated assembly or disassembly involved, what you see is what you get. On the back of the steamer, about halfway down the "handle" sits the water/cleaning solution tank. You simply lift if off, and fill it with water and cleaning solution. My steamer even came with a bottle of solution to start you off with.

On that tank, there's a "fill line" for the required amount of cleaner, and a "fill line" for where to stop adding water. This is awesome.... no measuring solutions before filling!! (One less thing for my over muddled brain to think about.)

At the base of this steamer (actually, the majority of it's base) is the dirty water tank. This removes simply, as well. You just step on the little gray peddle on the back, to tilt the "handle" backwards, release two latches, and lift the reservoir off of the base. Again.... it's "dummy proof". (Just my style !!) But, this is no job for those with a weak stomach!! Let me tell you, this machine does such an awesome job.....

Off to the sink you go to pour the now grayish concoction of swill and muck that was once pure clean water and detergent. (Man, you'd think that this rug has never been cleaned in it's lifetime!) Inside this tank, there are some plastic "ledges" with slots in them. What their purpose is, I couldn't tell you, except to be a source of aggravation. They provide a perfect refuge for dog hair and rug fuzz to cling onto in a desperate attempt to elude their ultimate destiny. Inevitably, you must reach a few fingers into the small square "emptying spout" and pull out the slimy hairballs, chunk by chunk.

Both the solution tank, and the dirty water tank hold only about a half a gallon of fluid. This too, can be a little aggravating. Now, mind you, the room I'm cleaning isn't very big, but after steaming only about a third of the room, I need to empty the reservoir, and re-fill the water/solution tank. I need to do this three times to complete one room (three trips back to the sink to mush gray toxic matter between my fingers). But, hey... beggars can't be choosers. I wanted a small steamer, so this is par for the course, putrid as it may be.

This machine does not have a built in heating unit, so you have to fill it with hot tap water. Warning, make sure the water is not to hot.... the plastic on the solution tank is thin and becomes very pliable & bendy as well as extremely hot, scorching one's fingers, ultimately causing it to be difficult to hold on to, resulting in the tank slipping from one's grasp, splattering hot water and solution down one's shirt and pants as it plummets to the floor (trust me on this one !!). Word to the wise, as you turn the faucet on, if the water is to hot to run your fingers under it, it's to hot for the solution tank !

Built into the base of this machine, you will find a power brush. This does a wonderful job of digging the dirt and junk out of the carpet. Again, however, when all is said & done and I have a beautifully clean carpet, there's the task of flipping the machine over and digging that gray sludgy goop out of the bristles, as well as the other little nooks and crannies in the compartment that houses the power brush.

So, we've got the good, the bad, and the ugly on the structural components of this baby.... but how well does it do it's job?

In one simple word... AWESOME !!

The power brush digs into the nap of the carpet, helping to lift all those little nasties from their comfortable little homes deep within. You can easily regulate the amount of solution released into the carpet with a little button built into the handle grip. Use very little or none in areas under the desks, or extra heavy duty amounts on the precious little yellow designs Her Highness has left behind during an occasional 3am "accident".

Since this steamer is lightweight and built like a regular vacuum, it's easy to maneuver throughout the room (that is when I'm not getting myself tangled in the cord, as it slithers around my ankle attempting to choke the life out of my foot). It is a bit louder then a regular vacuum, though. As I stated before, the Princess reluctantly conceded to this addition to our family, so while it's in use, you'll find her cowering somewhere in the farthest reaches of the house, under a piece of furniture.

All in all, even with it's few annoyances, the Bissell Quicksteamer is a wonderful machine. I absolutely love how the carpet looks when it's finished (if only it could stay looking that way !!).

I have to say that this is one of the best purchases I've made in a long time (as far as household appliances is concerned, that is. I mean, I would have rather spent the money on a new designer purse or a gold bracelet or something.... but then we'd still be dealing with the suffocating scent of Eau De Canine. So, ya... I guess this was a better purchase then a new "bling" for Mama !!)