Bissell Spotcleaners help and tips

drumr_102

drumr_102

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I purchased one of Bissell's Proheat spot cleaners and enjoy being able to see how much dirt is being extracted, but I'm having a few hang ups with the machine. Wondering if AGO has any suggestions from experience of these machines or carpet extracting in general...

My biggest problem was wicking. I think the machine puts out too much water in ratio to how much it sucks up. I did an endless amount of passes without spraying water, but the carpet still took too long to dry. I wasn't able to get all of the dirt out nor was I able to get all of the water out. I'm wondering if the problem was that there was still dirt in the carpet or the fact that the carpet was still so wet/took so long to dry.

I've seen people happy with their machines on here so I don't want to give up on it yet. I also already have a steam cleaner that I use for stains and I was able to get rid of the wicking with that, but extracting took way too long by itself to be doing both methods for every car.
 
Wicking is caused by carpet that dries too slowly. The tips dry 1st and draw water up from the "roots"

Try doing the extraction at the beginning of the detail and then place a bot fan in the vehicle to dry more rapidly
 
I can't get the cleaning solution to come out of mine. I have to spray it on with a trigger bottle.. :/
 
dlc95 said:
I can't get the cleaning solution to come out of mine. I have to spray it on with a trigger bottle.. :/
Click to expand...

Try running vinegar through it a couple times; scrub all the openings w/ a toothbrush & vinegar.
Also, ther is a gentlemen on google who dedicated his life showing you how to modify these bissells and repair them. Awsome dude, went above & beyond.
 
many times I will run the cars heater for a bit so hot air is blowing on the floors. If I do seats, then I'll do a center vent setting. I the summer, on a sunny day, I'll likely just pull it out of the garage with the windows down in the full sun.

Have you tried only using the machine to rinse only? I am assuming you might be using a cleaning solution actually in the machine tank? I usually mist water on the spot, spray on the cleaner diluted in a spray bottle, then agitate with an upholstery brush. Then I use hot water only in the bissell to rinse/extract then extract one more time without additional water. I don't seem to have any issues with excessive moisture left behind.
 
allenk4 said:
Wicking is caused by carpet that dries too slowly. The tips dry 1st and draw water up from the "roots"

Try doing the extraction at the beginning of the detail and then place a bot fan in the vehicle to dry more rapidly
Click to expand...

wdmaccord said:
many times I will run the cars heater for a bit so hot air is blowing on the floors. If I do seats, then I'll do a center vent setting. I the summer, on a sunny day, I'll likely just pull it out of the garage with the windows down in the full sun.

Have you tried only using the machine to rinse only? I am assuming you might be using a cleaning solution actually in the machine tank? I usually mist water on the spot, spray on the cleaner diluted in a spray bottle, then agitate with an upholstery brush. Then I use hot water only in the bissell to rinse/extract then extract one more time without additional water. I don't seem to have any issues with excessive moisture left behind.
Click to expand...

I used folex and agitated, then used the extractor, but it took a ton of passes to get a passable amount of dirt out (which took too much time) and after only extracting water for quite some time I switched to my wet/dry vac and tried to suck more water out with that. Then I used the blower side of the vac to further dry it. I didn't have a fan to leave on it though. I figured since it was in the 60's and sunny (:dblthumb2: to Texas weather) that it wouldn't be an issue.

The rinse/extract then extract one more time was what I was hoping to accomplish with the Bissell, but there was just SO much more dirt to get out.
 
dlc95 said:
I can't get the cleaning solution to come out of mine. I have to spray it on with a trigger bottle.. :/
Click to expand...

How long did you have it before that started happening?
 
I have only used hot water in my Bissell and have had great results. Like previously stated I start with the interior first, vac, agitate, vac again, then folex, agitate again, then one round with the Bissell spraying water, and one round not.
 
expdetailing said:
Try running vinegar through it a couple times; scrub all the openings w/ a toothbrush & vinegar.
Also, ther is a gentlemen on google who dedicated his life showing you how to modify these bissells and repair them. Awsome dude, went above & beyond.
Click to expand...

Thanks!

Will do.
 
drumr_102 said:
I used folex and agitated, then used the extractor, but it took a ton of passes to get a passable amount of dirt out (which took too much time) and after only extracting water for quite some time I switched to my wet/dry vac and tried to suck more water out with that. Then I used the blower side of the vac to further dry it. I didn't have a fan to leave on it though. I figured since it was in the 60's and sunny (:dblthumb2: to Texas weather) that it wouldn't be an issue.

The rinse/extract then extract one more time was what I was hoping to accomplish with the Bissell, but there was just SO much more dirt to get out.
Click to expand...

So are you saying you are spraying the Folex on the dry carpet? I would get the carpet wet first. Sometimes I'll mist it with water first with a trigger sprayer, or sometimes I'll use the sprayer on the Bissell and hit it with some hot water first...depends on the soiling. Then I spray with cleaner, then agitate with brush (usually some type of crosshatch pattern to get all sides of the fibers)...then you know the rest from my post above. Again, have had great results. Sometimes it is just finding the right technique.
 
wdmaccord said:
So are you saying you are spraying the Folex on the dry carpet? I would get the carpet wet first. Sometimes I'll mist it with water first with a trigger sprayer, or sometimes I'll use the sprayer on the Bissell and hit it with some hot water first...depends on the soiling. Then I spray with cleaner, then agitate with brush (usually some type of crosshatch pattern to get all sides of the fibers)...then you know the rest from my post above. Again, have had great results. Sometimes it is just finding the right technique.
Click to expand...

Why?

Wouldn't that just dilute the Folex?
 
wdmaccord said:
So are you saying you are spraying the Folex on the dry carpet? I would get the carpet wet first. Sometimes I'll mist it with water first with a trigger sprayer, or sometimes I'll use the sprayer on the Bissell and hit it with some hot water first...depends on the soiling. Then I spray with cleaner, then agitate with brush (usually some type of crosshatch pattern to get all sides of the fibers)...then you know the rest from my post above. Again, have had great results. Sometimes it is just finding the right technique.
Click to expand...

No I have been making it wet with folex and agitating, then spraying with hot water (sometimes with more agitation) then extracting
 
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