Bissell, a company perhaps better known for its vacuum cleaners and carpet cleaners, also manufactures and sells a range of steam mops.
Founded in 1883 by Melville Bissell, the company is now the number one manufacturer of floor care products in North America. It has a market share of 20%. The company was formed as a result of Melville's invention of the first carpet sweeper. Apparently Melville and his wife Anna owned a crockery shop and the carpet sweeper was designed to make keeping the shop clean less of a chore.
The Bissell Steam Mop Range
The following is a list of the models currently available along with a brief summary of their features. Where available, a link is provided through to a detailed review of the product.
Bissell Steam Mop 1867 Series
The 1867 series features 30 second heat-up time (the time between when you turn the unit on and when it starts to produce steam), a 360 degree swivel head, a removable water tank and a cleaning path 9 inches wide. This model retails for around $79.
Bissell Steam Mop Deluxe Hard Floor Cleaner - 31N1 Series
The 31N1 or 'Deluxe' model features a removable water tank, swivel head and carpet glide attachment for 'refreshing' carpets. At 10.25 inches, the cleaning path is wider than the 1867 models. The 31N1 sells for around $70.
Bissell Steam Mop Select - 80K6
As well as a swivel head, the Steam Mop Select also features a dual sided cleaning head. To prolong your cleaning time without the need to swap cleaning pads, this model features a cleaning head which you flip over to get a clean surface. However, unlike the Deluxe model, there is no carpet glide attachment. Retails for around $80.
Bissell Steam Mop Max - 21H6 Series
The main selling point of the 'Max' is it's 12.25 inch wide cleaning head. This wider cleaning path means a greater surface area is cleaned with each pass of the cleaning head. This model also features a swivel head but lacks the carpet glide attachment which comes with the deluxe model. The Max sells for around $100.
Bissell Lift Off Steam Mop - 39W7A
The 'Lift-Off' model is a multipurpose cleaner. You can use it to mop the floors using the cleaning power of steam. Then when you want to clean above floor surfaces you simply take out the detachable 'steam pod' which can be used as a hand-held steam cleaner. This 2 in 1 design retails for around $150.
Bissell Steam & Sweep Hard Floor Cleaner - 46B4 Series
The 'Steam & Sweep' is designed to address one of the concerns which some customers have with steam mops - they don't pick up loose debris very well and work best on a floor which has already been swept.
This model works by placing rotating sweeper brushes at the front of the cleaning head. The idea is that any lose dirt will be picked up by the brushes, then the microfiber pad will do its thing. The unit features a swivel head, removable water tank and a detachable dust bin for collecting dirt and other debris from the sweeper brushes. The Steam & Sweep retails for around $130.
