The Bissell Spotbot is as close as we get to having a fully autonomous robot carpet cleaner in 2021. It may not have the capabilities of some of the smarter robot vacuums and mops on the market, but is it still a solid option for pet owners or those with small children? Let’s see, in this review of the Bissell Spotbot carpet cleaning robot.
Who Is the Bissell Spotbot Made For?
The Spotbot is marketed towards pet owners. The Bissell Spotbot is great for quick spot cleaning if your pet has an accident on the carpet.
The Spotbot can also be a great investment for families with toddlers and young children who like to spill things. As a father of 3 such humans, I can certainly appreciate having a quick and easy solution for getting up juice and ketchup stains.
How The Spotbot Works
Fill the water reservoir – Remove the cap and fill the container with hot water. You want to fill it to the marked water line.
Add the cleaning solution – Pour the solution in with the water until it reaches the desired level, which is marked just above the water line.
Vacuum the area – You want to run your vacuum of the area that you’ll be cleaning to make sure all hair and dirt is removed.
Put the Spotbot in place – Place the robot carpet cleaner over the stain or desired area and get ready to start cleaning.
Select the mode – The Spotbot has 3 cleaning modes to choose from: Quick Clean, Deep Clean, and Manual (hose or cleaning tool)
The Quick Clean mode will run the robot carpet cleaner for approximately 3 minutes. The Deep Clean mode will run it for around 6 minutes.
The Bissell has 2 bristled scrubbers underneath that work in a circular motion to break up stains and scrub the carpet. Mixing the cleaning solution and water as they scrub, the scrubbers do a fairly good job at removing stains from most carpets.
After the Spotbot finishes its job, remove the unit and exam the carpet. It will be hard to determine just how clean it is, since it will be wet. Let it try and then give it another look to see how well the Bissell carpet cleaner did.
Bissell Spotbot PROS
- Affordable
- Easy to fill chamber
- Does a good job on new stains
- 3 cleaning modes
- Quiet
- Convenient
Spotbot Carpet Robot CONS
- Not autonomous
- No smart integration
- Has a cord
- Can leave rings where it cleans
- Only cleans a specific area or “spot”
- Can make the carpet’s color look uneven
Does The Spotbot Work?
The Bissell Spotbot does a good job at removing fresh stains and odors from your carpet. The water and solution mix does a good job, when combined with the scrubbing bristles, to break up and remove dirt and grime.
It won’t do as well on stains that have been set into the carpet. That isn’t really a problem with the Spotbot. Most cleaners can’t remove set-in stains.
So overall, yes the robot carpet scrubber does a good job at cleaning specific spots on your carpet. That is also the main problem that I have with it. It is a “spot” cleaner, hence the name, Spotbot.
While it does a great job on the specific spot where the new stain resides, it doesn’t move around to surrounding areas and continue to clean. So what I found was, you often get a freshly cleaned circle that is now a different shade then the rest of the rug or carpet in your room.
I will note that cleaning light colored carpets and rugs seemed to run into this problem more than with the darker gray carpets in our upstairs rooms.
But, regardless, you do have the potential of having uneven color throughout your room, after using the Spotbot. So then you are left with the question – why not just buy a regular carpet scrubber and do the entire room instead of just the affect spot?
And that is really the question that I struggle with. Yes, the Bissell Spot is cheaper than a dedicated carpet shampooer or cleaner, but if you end up needed to clean the whole room to make it look even, is it worth it?
How Much Is The Bissell Spotbot?
There are several models available, with the cheaper ones starting well under $200.
You can pick up bottles of their Bissell cleaning solution for under $10. The bottles will last you a long time, as you don’t need much for each cleaning.
For me, personally, I’d probably just spend the extra cash upfront and get a quality carpet cleaner that I can use on all my carpets and rugs.
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Should You Buy A Brissell Spotbot?
If you have pets who tend to have accidents or occasionally throw up on your carpets or rugs, then the Spotbot can be a good investment. Personally, I’d spend the extra cash and get a good carpet cleaner that can do an entire room at a time.
If the Spotbot could move around on its own, like a Roomba or other robot vacuum, then I’d be on board. Until then, I just don’t think I can justify the purchase of the Bissell Spotbot carpet cleaner.
