If you have pets, you know about the cleanup duties. The best thing I own, hands down, is Bissell’s SpotBot. It makes pet accidents a breeze to clean. And frankly, human messes as well.
We have a geriatric dog and he has numerous accidents in the house. We also have a 12-week old puppy that is still not housebroken. Everywhere you look, you see a yellow puddle. The things we do for love! This leads us to presently utilize our SpotBot almost daily. The great thing about the Bissell SpotBot is the ease of use. It’s basically a “plug it in and let it run” little droid.
1. Pick up any solid waste and discard.
2. Use old rags or paper towels to soak up excess fluids. (I do this just to make sure the area doesn’t become over-saturated with the Spotbot running.)
3. Place SpotBot on top of the stain (make sure the water/solution reservoir is filled).
4. Select stain type – “Surface Stain” or “Set-in Stain”.
5. Come back in a couple of minutes to a clean carpet.
The unit will beep upon completion of the area so you can move it, if needed, or put away. It takes about 5 minutes (my estimation) for the whole thing to run through its cycle. There is a function for set-in stains so when I find an area that has a urine stain, I just plop it down and hit the button for “Set-in Stain” and walk away. This option works in the same manner as its default setting, just doubles the cycle.
My parents own the Bissell Pet Stain Eraser and love it as well. However, the biggest difference between the two is with the SpotBot, the unit is spraying the water/solution, scrubbing the area and suctioning the soiled water into a separate reservoir. (In case you’re wondering, the scrubbing doesn’t leave any abrasions to the carpet.) The Green Machine only has the hose option. SpotBot has the hose option as well, but frankly, we hardly ever use it. For a $40 price difference, not having to complete the physical task of cleaning the stain is well worth it.
The SpotBot works on more than just pet stains. When we moved into our new home, in one of the bedrooms there were mysterious stains throughout the dated carpeting which were no issue for the machine. The only stain I have been unable to remove with this machine is rust stains. We are actually on our second SpotBot. After over 5 years of continued use (there wasn’t a week that would go by without us having to use it) water/soap began to leak from the machine. Even with this fact, we purchased another because of how helpful it is. I figured a 5-year shelf life with heavy use wasn’t too bad. We were at a loss while waiting for the new one to arrive. We had to do the unimaginable and clean the accidents up manually with spray and a shop rag. We have become spoiled. I’ve heard that others have had issues with the SpotBot not spraying. Luckily that hasn’t been our experience. I would like to offer Bissell a couple of recommendations on ways to improve the SpotBot.
Add a heat dryer to help shorten the drying process. The suction just doesn’t do the job all the way. Also, multiple sizes options for the area that the SpotBot cleans. The radius usually is fine, but sometimes I wish it were at least two times bigger so I don’t have to run the unit twice (moving it between runs).
Frequently Ask Questions
Q: Are the tanks easy to clean?
A: The tanks are very easy to clean. They detatch and you can rinse them with no problem.
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Q: How do you fill a SpotBot?
A: The tank for the cleaning solution detaches effortlessly. Simply pour in your cleaning solution. Depending on the soap, sometimes adding water can help prolong your soap supply. Simply follow the instructions on the soap bottle.
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Q: Does the SpotBot pick up chunks of fecal matter and vomit?
A: To a degree, it can vacuum small chunks. But this device is more about cleaning the liquid stain. I would definitely clean the mess with a paper towel before placing the SpotBot on it.
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Q: Does the SpotBot have a hose?
A: Yes. I seldom use it, but if there’s a hard to reach area the hose can be used. Ideal for stairs. It is a brush nozzle on the end of the hose (which is about 4 feet long).
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Q: Does it come with soap?
A: My SpotBot did come with soap. But when you use it up, you’ll need to buy more. It’s easy to find Bissell’s detergent, but other brands create soap for it as well.
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Q: Does the SpotBot run on batteries?
A: No, the SpotBot must be plugged in. If you really need it to be more portable, I suppose you could always buy an external battery pack.
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Q: Does the SpotBot need to be assembled?
A: No. The SpotBot is ready to go right out of the box.
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Q: Will the area be dry when the SpotBot is done its cycle?
A: No. There’s a little bit of a wet spot from the cleaning. While it does a decent enough job of vacuuming back the soap and the dirt, it’s not designed to 100% dry the spot.
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Q: Can the SpotBot be used on rugs?
A: Yes. Absolutely.
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