A portable carpet cleaner is a handy appliance to have. While a great full-size carpet cleaner is really what you need for deep cleaning large rooms and long hallways of carpet, the best portable carpet cleaners can quickly suction up liquid spills and clean away fresh messes from carpets, rugs and upholstery before they turn into stains.

Bissell's Little Green Portable Carpet Cleaner is one of the first portables we tested in the Good Housekeeping Institute Cleaning Lab almost 20 years ago, and it's still a top pick in our testing for its outstanding performance and ease of use. And after becoming a TikTok and social media sensation in recent years, it's clearly a consumer favorite and more popular than ever for good reason.

I've been testing cleaning appliances and products for over 40 years, and I think the Bissell Little Green Portable Carpet Cleaner is a worthwhile investment for keeping the soft surfaces in your home and car clean and stain-free. We also had GH Deputy Editor Jessica Teich give the machine a try to see if it could clean pet messes (like dirt, peanut butter and pet accidents) from her white carpet and blush pink couch (yikes).

At a glance

Bissell Little Green Portable Carpet and Upholstery Cleaner

Little Green Portable Carpet and Upholstery Cleaner
  • Weight: 9.65 lbs.
  • Cord length: 15 ft.
  • Hose length: 4 ft.
  • Tank size: 48 ounces
  • Attachments: 3-inch stain tool, self-cleaning hose tool
  • Warranty: One-year limited
a person sitting using a bissell little green machine on the stairs

Why I like it

✔️ Great cleaning power

The Little Green's strong suction quickly and easily pulls wet spills from carpets and fabrics without abrading them like rubbing or blotting with a cloth can. Plus, the cleaning solution dispenses uniformly and works without the need to oversaturate the carpet or chair cushion which can also cause damage.

a hand holding a bissell's little green
Good Housekeeping / Jessica Teich
The Little Green in action.

"I evenly misted the soiled parts of my couch and rug with the cleaning solution and carefully worked the suction brush over the offending areas, watching in equal horror and delight as stains and dirt spots lightened before my eyes," said Teich. She used it on a fabric couch and a Ruggable area rug and was shocked by how much dirt came up from the very low pile.

The Little Green doesn't feature a rotating brush, but the multiple rows of stationery brushes on the stain tool effectively work the cleaner into stains well enough to dissolve them. In the Lab, we tested it with great success removing fresh and 24-hour set-in red wine, blueberry pie filling, spaghetti sauce, tea stains and more. "It totally erased a peanut butter stain on the side of my couch, and while the Little Green didn't lift old, stubborn, set-in stains entirely, it definitely lessened their appearance," said Teich, who sprayed those stubborn stains with additional cleaner and let it sit before suctioning a second (and third) time.

Finally, rinsing is an important last step to remove any residual stain and cleaner. Failing to do so can leave a dirt-trapping sticky residue behind on your fabric or carpet. With the Bissell Little Green, rinsing is as easy as filling the clean water tank with fresh water and thoroughly spraying and suctioning the area for the most complete clean. "Even a quick once-over gave my carpet and couch a noticeably fresher look," Teich continued. "I didn't even realize how gross and dingy they'd looked until I got to cleaning — and now, I can't unsee it."

✔️ Easy to use

All it takes to use this appliance is to dilute the cleaner with water in the clean water tank, plug it in, turn it on and it's ready to go. "I barely needed the user manual," said Teich, who said she typically struggles to understand new appliances. "Really, all you need to do is turn the machine on with the flip of a switch, press the trigger on the handle to dispense the cleaner and then work the brush over the dampened area to lift up the gunk." The machine operates more loudly than she expected, but watching fur, dirt and debris visibly rush into the dirty water tank was "grossly satisfying," she said.

a hand holding a glass of liquid
Good Housekeeping / Jessica Teich
a hand holding dirty water from the bissell little green
Good Housekeeping / Jessica Teich

When it was time to empty the machine, our testers loved the large, easy-to-grab top handle which made it easy to lift and carry. Both water tanks are easy to remove and replace, and the hose — though not the longest we've seen — does make it easier to reach into tight spaces. "I had no problem toting the Little Green around to every corner of my 8x10 rug," said Teich, "though I do wish the hose was a little longer. Still, the long power cord made it easy to move the entire machine with me as needed."

✔️ Easy to store

a dog lying on a bed next to bissell's little green
Good Housekeeping / Jessica Teich
Hound for scale.

Thanks to its oval footprint, wraparound hose and cord loop, Bissell's Little Green is a cinch to store. Its streamlined design and slim profile mean that it's simple to set on a shelf or closet floor and even during use, it sits neatly on a stair step or slips between the front and back seats of the car to better reach where other bulkier cleaners can't, although it may be a little bulky in smaller apartments or spaces.

Teich, who lives in a studio apartment, found she was tight on places to store the Little Green — which measures 8.25" x 17.25" x 12.5" — while she was testing it. "Though it's named 'Little,' I was surprised by how substantial the machine looked in my teeny apartment," she said. "I appreciated its cord wraps and onboard storage for the hose, but I struggled to find a convenient place to stash it in my studio — though I realize that, in most homes outside of NYC, this may not be an issue!"

✔️ Easy to maintain

It's important to empty and rinse the dirty water tank after each use and that's easy to do on most portable cleaners, but debris can also remain trapped in the hose. Leave it there and you risk the growth of odor-causing bacteria which can cause it to smell during storage, and worse, re-deposit old residue the next time you use it. Bissell's Little Green comes with a hose-rinsing tool specifically designed to flush the hose between uses to eliminate odors and ensure a clean cycle every time.

bissell little green portable carpet cleaner review a tester removing a carpet stain
Jodhaira Rodriguez/ Good Housekeeping
Testing Bissell’s Little Green Carpet Cleaner in the GH Cleaning Lab.


The takeaway: Is the Bissell Little Green worth it?

Absolutely! For less than $100 on sale, Bissell's Little Green Portable Carpet Cleaner is a handy, convenient and effective way to promptly address carpet stains and clean upholstery more often. And the better you take care of your home's soft surfaces, the better they will look and the longer they will last.

"I was so impressed with (and simultaneously grossed out by) the Little Green's grime-lifting power," said Teich. "At under $100, it's a steal. Even if I wasn't a pet owner, I would absolutely buy this for myself to keep my soft surfaces clean if I had the storage space!" The Bissell Little Green line also offers models with assorted attachments and cordless and heated versions and they've just launched the Little Green HydroSteam Pet which we hope to test soon.

GET BISSELL'S LITTLE GREEN CARPET CLEANER

Headshot of Carolyn Forté
Carolyn Forté
Home Care & Cleaning Lab Executive Director

Carolyn Forté brings more than 40 years of experience as a consumer products expert to her role as executive director of the Good Housekeeping Institute's Home Care and Cleaning Lab. Using deep analytical testing and writing expertise in appliances, cleaning, textiles and organizational products, she produces cleaning and home care advice for GH, has authored numerous books and bookazines for the brand and partners with the American Cleaning Institute to co-produce the Discover Cleaning Summits. She holds a bachelor's degree in family and consumer sciences from Queens College, City University of New York.