Bissell CrossWave Pet Pro – Product Review

By Bianca Kapteyn

Bissell Canada sent me their multi-purpose surface cleaner – the Bissell CrossWave Pet Pro Cleaner – for a product review. My initial thought on its arrival was, “I already have a vacuum cleaner. How will this help me, or my busy household?”

I had it out of the box and assembled under in five minutes – a good start. For these like me, who are not assembly-inclined, it’s a breeze. There are just two main parts to insert and attach (handle and water tank). Kudos to the clear and concise “Quick Start Usage Instructions,” which I promise will not make your brain hurt.

The Bissell CrossWave Pro Cleaner does more than suck up dust and dirt. It washes and vacuums at the same time. I’ve tested the multi-surface cleaner on the main floor of my home. The kitchen has Maple flooring, the family room has Cherry flooring, and there’s a wool carpet in the dining area.

In the kitchen – my time spent was under 10 minutes to vacuum and wash at the same time with the ease of pressing a button.

So far, so good. I was pleased with the results – no streak marks using the multi-surface tangle-free brush, instead of the wood floor brush roll (Bissell CrossWave Pro Cleaner supplies both). There was talk of streaking issues in other online reviews, I had wet streaks which disappeared after drying. Perhaps it had to do with the rubber on the brush roll. But it was a non-issue for me.

The Bissell CrossWave Pet Pro is lightweight, weighs approximately five kilograms (11pounds) and is easy to maneuver around with ease from room to room. With a wool carpet in the dining room, and with a flick of a button, it switches from cleaning hardwood to vacuuming carpet in one fluid (to non-fluid) motion.

The family room is the most used common space in the house. Once again, I flicked the button from carpet to hardwood, to vacuum-and-wash. The family room was where my dearly departed dog Otis spent most of his time. Although recently deceased, you would be surprised as to how much of the last vestiges of doggy grit and dander remained. Who knew? He was an ostensibly non-shedding Wheaten terrier.

Cleaning Formulas

There are two formulas available – wood cleaning and Multi-Purpose with Fabreez. I used the wood cleaning formula. Its concentrated, water is added to the mix since I have mainly hardwood floors. I haven’t tried the multi-purpose cleaner.

Clean-Up

It took no time for me to use the multi-surface cleaner in its capacity – just under 25 minutes to wash and vacuum three rooms. Another eight minutes for cleanup, removing and raising the tangle free brush, emptying the dirty water tank, drying and placing the unit on its dedicated storage tray. This produced far better results than a sponge mop and pail.

Specs

Why is this different from anything else on the market? It’s upright and has a two-tank technology that keeps clean and dirty water separated. There isn’t much on the market to compare, perhaps, the closest would be a wet-dry vac.

It also has a strong suction, uses 4.4 amps of power, which is clearly ample power.

Criticism

I am not someone who cares for plastic, as in say, food containers, unless its BPA-free (Bisphenol-A). So I can be biased on this subject. I didn’t like the inexpensive plastic strainer in the Dirty Water Tank. I can live with it, but I wonder about its durability.

Dirty Water Tank

How much doggy grit and dust did the Bissell CrossWave Pet Pro pick up? A surprising amount.

A clump’s worth of dirt, grit and dust had clearly been tracked in from the outside, augmented by the shedding – hair or dander- people and pets do on a daily basis. Gross, but I’m glad removed it from my environment.

I am impressed with this lightweight multi-surface cleaner. It did a thorough job of picking up dust and dirt particles as it washed and vacuumed at the same time.

I can’t see how it wouldn’t make anyone’s life easier, pet owners in particular.