I tried the latest version of the internet-famous Bissell Little Green. Here's my review

CNN

11-04-2025

Here at Underscored, we're big fans of the Bissell Little Green. So when a miniature version of the TikTok-famous carpet cleaner came out, I was obviously intrigued. How well would it stack up to the original that's won over so many people? To find out, I put the new Bissell Little Green Mini to the test, purposely staining an area rug and thick carpet with everything from red wine to dirt to see how well it can deep-clean those surfaces.
Curious if you should add it to your cleaning arsenal? Keep reading for my full review.
Bissell Little Green Mini Portable Carpet Cleaner
The latest version of the Little Green has all the features we love about the OG (which has been around since 1993!), but in an even cuter miniature size. It's a great choice for cleaning carpets, mattresses, furniture and more in small homes with limited storage space. Its compact size is great for small spaces (and small messes)
My first task while testing the Bissell Little Green Mini was to refresh the middle seat on my couch. I don't have a kitchen table (small apartment problems), so I eat dinner on the couch whenever I'm home. And since I'm a creature of habit, I always sit in the same exact spot — you could tell from the slight discoloration on the lower left of the cushion.
I gave the middle cushion a once-over by spraying the solution and extracting until the appliance stopped sucking up liquid, and that was all it took to refresh it. Is it a super noticeable difference? Not really, but I can tell — and I feel good knowing that if I did spill something, I have a good way to clean it up.
In the future, I'm sure I'll clean the entire sofa at once. However, it's important to know that this machine is definitely designed for small spaces and minor messes. That's because the main difference between the Little Green and the Little Green Mini is their size. The new model is significantly more compact, so it's easier to store in small spaces — you could easily stash it in a cabinet or under the bed. And as someone who lives in a one-bedroom apartment, I appreciated that I didn't have to scramble to make room for another bulky cleaning tool — it easily fits in my cramped closet.
The Little Green Mini also weighs just 7 pounds, compared to the original's nearly 10-pound weight, making it easier to hold in one hand and carry around the house. It comes with a 4-inch nozzle (surprisingly bigger than the original's 3-inch nozzle), which sprays, scrubs and extracts all in one tool. It also has a generous 4-foot hose and 12-foot cord, which allows for plenty of movement without unplugging and finding a closer outlet.
If you're trying to deep-clean anything big (like an entire couch), you'll likely need a lot of passes with this portable carpet cleaner. You'll also have to refill the clean water tank and empty the dirty water tank because they're pretty small — but more on that later.
You can see exactly what it's extracting
Next up, I stained a small, low-pile area rug and a high-pile carpet square with red wine, coffee, olive oil, ketchup, sriracha, soy sauce and dirt. I wanted to see the full potential of the Little Green Mini, so I let those stains set for 24 hours before tackling them with the carpet cleaner. (After all, it's not always possible to clean up messes right away!)
This was how I could really get a good look at how the appliance works. As I passed over every stain with the tool, I was able see exactly what it was sucking up since the nozzle has a clear cover. So while I passed over the red wine stain, the liquid getting extracted was tinted burgundy, while the ketchup and sriracha were bright red. Then once most of the stains were extracted, the tool just suctioned up the remaining water and cleaning solution mixture.
The dirty water tank was also a great visual of how much work this little cleaner was doing. I was honestly shocked by how disgusting the water in the dirty tank was — a true testament to the fact that it was working.
It's easy to set up, use and clean
The Little Green Mini required very little assembly before it was ready to use. All I had to do was attach the hose clip and cord bracket. Then, I simply filled the clean water tank with warm tap water and a bit of the included cleaning formula. That's it! Using it is pretty easy too: Just press down on the trigger to spray the solution, scrub the mess with the tool's bristles and then pull the tool toward you to suction it up.
And once I was done using the appliance, cleanup was simple. I emptied and rinsed the dirty water tank, and I removed the cleaning tool and rinsed its clear cover and bristles. It also came with a HydroRinse Self-Cleaning Tool, which is designed to rinse the hose so gunk doesn't build up over time. Instructions for using it were pretty self-explanatory: Attach the tool to the hose, hold it upright and press down on the trigger for 30 seconds. (It's worth noting that I experienced a bit of leaking while using this tool, which I'll touch on more later.)
A post shared by CNN Underscored (@cnnunderscored) Set-in stains will require pretreatment and a lot of manual work
Unfortunately, the Little Green Mini wasn't able to remove most of the set-in stains from the carpet sample or area rug. The coffee and soy sauce stains definitely showed the most improvement, but the red wine stain looked like it was barely touched — and I gave it many, many passes. (Maybe pretreating it with Wine Away would have given better results.)
Surprisingly, I had just about the same results when I tested this cleaner out on fresh stains. If you're dealing with major messes (especially set-in stains), I'd strongly suggest pretreating them with a dedicated stain remover before attempting to remove them with the Little Green Mini.
It leaks a bit
I wasn't initially concerned about the leaking I noticed while cleaning with the Bissell, but once I was done and tidying up, I saw quite a bit of water on my floor, which made me reconsider. In my experience, the clean water tank started dripping the second I turned it upside down, so I suggest waiting until you're right above the appliance before flipping it over and installing it.
The troubleshooting guide says leaking would really only be caused by a damaged tank or improperly installed cap, but I tried several times and experienced a bit of leaking no matter what I did. I also noticed some water leaking from the hose nozzle while using the HydroRinse tool, so I wish I had used that over the sink.
The tanks don't hold as much as they seem to
Even though the water tanks are pretty big, the size is actually quite misleading. Both the clean and dirty tanks seem like they could actually hold so much more liquid than the max fill lines indicate. I'm sure there's some reason why they can't be filled to the top, but it just feels like there's a lot of empty, wasted space. The clean tank is designed to hold 16 ounces, while the dirty tank can hold 13.5 ounces — and that's significantly different compared to the capacity of the original Little Green, which could hold 48 ounces in the clean tank and 45 ounces in the dirty tank. I had to refill the clean tank twice and empty the dirty tank once while cleaning the area rug. Another reason why the Mini is better suited for small spaces!
Is this appliance a miracle worker when it comes to stains? Definitely not. But still, at just under $100, it's a great portable carpet cleaner for people who live in small spaces or simply don't want to deal with a bulky full-size model. And it has such a small footprint that I honestly won't mind keeping it on hand for the occasional spill or yearly spring cleaning refresh. (And yes, I will update this review with more insights as I continue to use the Little Green Mini over time.)
Should you use hot or cold water in the Bissell Little Green Mini?
Should you use hot or cold water in the Bissell Little Green Mini?
Bissell recommends using warm tap water (140 degrees Fahrenheit max) in the Little Green Mini. During testing, I used warm water from my kitchen faucet, which was about 130 degrees Fahrenheit, according to my Oxo instant-read thermometer.
Does the Bissell Little Green Mini need a cleaning solution?
Does the Bissell Little Green Mini need a cleaning solution?
For best results, you'll need more than just water in the Bissell Little Green Mini — especially if you're dealing with stains. The brand recommends using its Little Green Oxy Spot & Stain solution (a sample bottle comes with the appliance), but you may have success with other types of carpet cleaner formulas. I also suggest pretreating deep stains with a stain remover first.
CNN Underscored has a team of skilled writers and editors who have many years of experience testing, researching and recommending products, and they ensure each article is carefully edited and products are properly vetted. We talk to top experts when applicable to make certain we are testing each product accurately, recommending only the best products and considering the pros and cons of each item. For this story, our home and gifts editor Amina Lake Patel tested the new Bissell Little Green Mini on multiple surfaces to see how well it works.