However, some BISSELL models are a little easier to maintain—many new Shark models use non-removable brushrolls that can be a hassle to clean properly. Jamie (she/her) is a parenting and pets reviews analyst at the Good Housekeeping Institute, where she spends her time testing, researching and writing about pet and family products. Prior to starting at GH in 2021, she worked at BuzzFeed and People, covering a combination of product reviews and lifestyle content. She’s a graduate of Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and psychology and a master’s degree in journalism.
This bagless canister vacuum has three cleaning modes and can be used across all types of flooring from carpet and hardwood to tile and linoleum. While we haven’t tested this model in the Lab just yet, our experts appreciate that it has edge-cleaning bristles to get the dust out of hard-to-reach places like baseboards and along the edges of cupboards. Bissell makes post-cleaning tasks easier with automatic cord rewind and a dust cup that is emptied with the touch of a button. Large wheels on the canister make the vacuum easy to pull along as you clean, too. This corded upright has a tangle-free brush roll and a hair spooling system in the dust cup that makes pet (and human) hair pickup — and the inevitable cleaning of the vacuum after — a breeze. It comes with three attachments, and two are specifically for tackling more pet hair messes.
Jodhaira Rodriguez has been testing vacuums and other floor-cleaning appliances in the Good Housekeeping Home Appliances and Cleaning Products Lab since 2021. During recent testing for the 2022 Cleaning Awards, she assisted Carolyn Forté, Executive Director of the Cleaning Lab, in testing 24 of the newest robots, stick, canister and upright vacuums on the market. They tend to perform worse on all surface types than Shark vacuums and struggle more with clearing large debris than most Eureka vacuums, though they tend to be similarly affordable.
While testing, we found that it still has many of the same attributes as some more expensive cordless stick vacs like a long run time, a variety of helpful attachments and variable suction levels. And it tends to be more affordable than high-end stick vacs. The tangle-free brush roll helps prevent hair from wrapping around it while cleaning, and the full-width suction means you’ll find an easier time getting those tight bissell vacuum cleaner corners clean. We also appreciate that it includes a crevice and dusting brush tool so you can remove dirt from even the smallest spaces. When it comes to cleaning products, the Good Housekeeping Institute Cleaning Lab tests everything you need to help keep your home in tip-top shape. Bissell has a history of manufacturing vacuum cleaners from as early as 1867, and we have been testing Bissell vacuums for many years.
The sealed filtration system keeps allergens trapped inside the vacuum, which means less sniffling and sneezing. Our experts appreciate that the dust cup can be removed with the push of one button, and Febreze odor technology in the filter prevents pet odors from building in the device. It also automatically adjusts the height of the brush roll to go from carpets to bare floors and area rugs seamlessly. This cordless stick vacuum is well-loved by our experts for its powerful clean and budget-friendly price. It was a top performer in our recent test of 21 stick vacuums.
The experts in the Good Housekeeping Institute Cleaning Lab have tested hundreds of vacuum cleaners in our Lab and use the same process on all of them to ensure that every product is evaluated correctly. Using a custom-built vacuum testing machine, dirt is embedded into a test carpet, then each vacuum bissell vacuum cleaner is passed over the carpet an equal number of times. By comparing the weight of the empty dust cup before testing and the dust cup’s weight after testing, our experts calculate just how much dirt is picked up by each vacuum. This robot vacuum and mop combo puts automated cleaning at your fingertips.