Bissell Little Green Cordless Portable Carpet Cleaner review — stain removal power in a compact package

The Bissell Little Green Cordless Portable Carpet Cleaner is a portable deep cleaner designed to help clean stains and tough messes around your home. It’s suitable for use on carpets and rugs, stairs, pet beds, upholstery, patio furniture, fabric, and more. 

This deep upholstery cleaner offers cordless convenience, plus it weighs less than 8 lbs for easy portability. Its compact design means it’s easy to store away when not in use. With two power settings and a self-cleaning hose tool, this little machine is easy to use. 

Bissell Little Green Cordless Portable Carpet Cleaner review

What I thought of the Bissell Little Green Cordless Portable Carpet Cleaner

The Bissell Little Green Cordless immediately had the feel of a quality carpet-cleaning machine. It’s well-designed and easy to use, and I appreciate the inclusion of the self-cleaning hose tool. 

While the machine only has one brush head attachment, I found it performed well and was still highly maneuverable, even in tight spaces such as stairs. This carpet cleaner's cordless design means it’s easy to pick up and carry through your house. I tested it on a variety of surfaces, including low and medium-pile carpeting, as well as an upholstered chair. 

The machine did a highly impressive job of removing new pet stains (including getting cat pee out of carpet). It could be an excellent tool to have on hand, especially for homes with pets or kids. Or, even if a clumsy adult is wondering how to get coffee stains out of carpet or remove red wine stains from upholstered furniture.

Bissell Little Green Cordless Portable Carpet Cleaner specifications

• Model name: Bissell Little Green Cordless Portable Deep Cleaner
• Model number: 3682
• Dimensions (in.): H13.46 x W13.31 x D9.09
• Weight (lbs): 7.2 pounds
• Battery type: 25V lithium-ion battery
• Wattage (W): 165 Watts
• Modes: Turbo and Eco modes
• Hose length (ft.): 4 feet
• Run time (mins): Up to 35 minutes

Unboxing and setting up the Bissell Little Green Cordless Portable Carpet Cleaner

The Bissell Little Green Cordless Portable Carpet Cleaner arrived in a single box, but the packaging was in excellent shape. It contained protective plastic bags but was free of any Styrofoam. Instead, it relied on shaped and sturdy cardboard packing to hold all of the components firmly in place. 

The machine and attachments were easy to remove. The instruction manual features clear diagrams, making assembly a cinch.

Assembly involved attaching a hose holder to the back, then attaching the cleaning head to the hose. The cleaning head clicked into place easily. 

Next, I inserted the charging cord into the back of the machine and plugged it in. Charging the machine fully takes about four hours. 

Using the Bissell Little Green Cordless Portable Carpet Cleaner

This portable cleaner has a great feel to it. While it’s lightweight, weighing just over 7 lbs, it has a quality, solid feel without being cumbersome. 

Filling the clean water tank was easy. It lifts straight up and away from the machine, and after unscrewing the cap at the bottom. I followed the lines printed on the tank to fill it with water and the Bissell PRO OXY Spot & Stain Solution (available on Amazon), which comes included with the machine. The cleaning supply smells great — clean and fresh without being overpowering or smelling strongly of chemicals. 

The machine is easy to carry through my home, and its compact design means it fits well on stairs and into cabinets for storage. It features a power button and mode function on the top, making its operation and interface very simple.

Using the machine is as easy as turning it on and selecting the power mode. The Eco mode is an energy-efficient mode with a run time of up to 30 minutes. The Turbo mode maximizes suction power and offers a run time of up to 18 minutes. The machine reached 79.2 decibels with the Eco mode and 85.2 decibels with the Turbo mode. 

I found the Eco mode to be surprisingly quiet, and even the Turbo mode wasn’t overpoweringly loud. My cats remained in the same room while I used the cleaner, a testament to its quiet operation. 

Operating the Bissell Little Green Cordless is easy. Once on, you simply need to push the trigger button on the underside of the hose to spray the solution in a straight line. Once enough solution is on the surface, you can let go of the trigger and use the brush head to scrub the stain. Drawing the brush head slowly over the stain will suction up any remaining water, so the surface will dry faster. 

Using the portable cleaner on carpet

I tested this product to clean carpet stains in my home, as well as on an upholstered chair. I began with new stains on a low-pile carpet, resulting from cat hairballs.

I found the Eco mode was plenty strong, and I could almost immediately see these stains start to fade as I cleaned. Because the brush head isn’t a power head, I did have to work at scrubbing the stains, but the tool is comfortable to hold. 

I found the machine easily removed all traces of the stains. In fact, within three hours, the carpet was completely dry, and if I hadn’t marked the areas, I wouldn’t have been able to tell where the stains had been. 

Using the portable carpet cleaner on stairs

I also tested this machine on two old stains, set in a plush carpet on my stairs. I’m not sure what caused either stain. Since this carpet has a taller pile height, I used the machine in the Turbo mode. Even in the close quarters of the stairs, I was able to maneuver the machine and angle the brush head to target the stains. 

The machine appeared to easily remove one stain. The second required more passes, copious amounts of the cleaning solution, and lots of scrubbing. One stubborn stain had been on my stairs for years, and both it, and the newer stain, were completely gone once the carpet dried.

Using the portable cleaner on an upholstery chair

Finally, I tested the machine on an old holiday food stain on an upholstered dining room chair. I have previously used several stain removal products on this chair with minimal results. 

After two rounds of cleaning, the Bissell Little Green Cordless didn’t entirely remove the stain, but it did lighten it. It made a significantly greater improvement in the stain than any products I’ve previously used. More notably, the area around the stain, which I cleaned while scrubbing the stain, is now significantly lighter and cleaner than the rest of the chair. 

It’s evident that this machine has some impressive upholstery-cleaning power, and this test demonstrates it. For what it's worth, I'll be using the machine to clean the rest of the chair and spruce it up as much as possible.

Cleaning the Bissell Little Green Cordless Portable Carpet Cleaner

Cleaning the Bissell Little Green Cordless is a multi-step process, and the machine needs to be cleaned after each use.

The dirty water tank is easy to remove by tilting it outward. The lid pulls off, allowing you to empty and then clean the tank. The lid securely and easily fits back into the tank, and the tank just about aligns itself so you can pop it back into the machine without fuss. 

The HydroRinse tool attaches to the end of the hose and simplifies the process of rinsing the hose. With the machine turned on, you simply need to hold down the trigger for 30 seconds. Water circulates through the hose and the tool, emptying into the dirty water tank. This makes for efficient, hassle-free cleaning.

The brush head requires manual cleaning, but I was pleased to find the cover on the head is very easy to remove. The hose needs to be removed and dried completely before re-attaching to the machine. 

Since the machine needs so much post-use cleaning needed, this machine isn’t ideal when you just need to treat a small stain. It’s something I would reserve for larger stains or for treating multiple stains in one go. For minor blemishes, refer to our stain removal guide.

Is the Bissell Little Green Cordless Portable Carpet Cleaner right for you?

The Bissell Little Green Cordless is a handy machine that’s relatively easy to use. It performed very well on new stains in my home, including pet stains, removing blood stains, or getting makeup out of carpet. Its lightweight design makes it very easy to carry around your home, and it’s compact enough to store away in a cupboard or cabinet when not in use. It would also fit well on most shelves. 

The machine does have its drawbacks. The cleaning process is a bit cumbersome, and since you have to clean the machine after each use, it’s probably not my top pick for cleaning up a single, simple stain. I can see its value for larger stains or multiple stains. 

I think the machine would benefit from multiple brush heads. The included four-inch brush head worked well for most of my testing, but a smaller brush head would have helped clean the chair, and could be used to spot clean a couch. 

All in all, this is a powerful and efficient machine. Its simple, two-button design makes for very easy use, and I believe it’s a great tool for treating new stains. I could see it being an excellent choice for homes with pets and kids, in particular. 

Alternatively, if it isn't right for you, take a look at these alternatives:

Good to know

Instructions
The Bissell Little Green Cordless Portable Carpet Cleaner machine includes an eight-page instruction manual. The instructions are detailed yet straightforward, and they’re accompanied by clear, easy-to-understand diagrams. 

Warranty
Bissell backs the Little Green Cordless Portable Carpet Cleaner with a limited two-year warranty.

Where to buy the Bissell Little Green Cordless Portable Carpet Cleaner?

You can buy the Bissell Little Green Cordless directly from Bissell. It’s also available from Amazon and Kohl’s.  

How we tested the Bissell Little Green Cordless Portable Carpet Cleaner

Bissell sent me the machine and I tested it for two weeks in my house before writing the review. I used the following criteria for the testing process: 

Unboxing: I considered how the machine was packaged and gave bonus points for minimal use of materials like Styrofoam and plastic. I evaluated the process of assembling the machine and looked for clear instructions that assembly simple.

Performance: I evaluated the machine’s performance in my home when used on different types of surfaces, including carpets of varying heights, carpeted stairs, and upholstered furniture. I considered how well the machine removed stains, as well as factors such as how loud it is, and how well it sprayed and vacuumed the cleaning solution. 

Ease of use: I assessed how easy the machine was to operate. I considered factors like the machine’s weight, design, maneuverability, user interface, and overall operation. 

Ease of cleaning: I considered the machine’s cleaning and maintenance requirements, including how often cleaning is needed and how complicated the cleaning process is.