How To Maintain a Bissell Carpet Cleaner

Got a Bissell Carpet Cleaner? This article will teach you how to clean it, change the belt, and disassemble it properly. Remember this machine is NOT as easy to work on as it looks.

Cleaning

1. Remove the clear plastic cover. 
2. Remove the two screws at the front (red arrows), pry up the top (red arrow) and then pry out the front above the screw holes.
3. Use a wet rag to clean the rubber gasket as well as the main suction route in the middle.
4. Remove the brush: turn the machine upsidedown and look for a screw on each side behind the brush.
5. Remove the screws, pull the red plastic holders out and then you can free the brush from its holders and belt. The holders need to be really clean because they tend to wear out, killing your machine. After use on dirty car carpets, use a garden hose to clean this area without disassembly. Try not to spray water into the motor cooling holes of the base of machine.

Belt Replacement

1. Open the side access hatch to see the belt inside that runs the pump and the brush. To remove or replace the belt, remove the brush as in step 2 above.
2. Reach in where the brush goes (on the access hatch side) and slip the belt over the pulley on the pump. It should be about 3.5 inches long when pressed flat and is marked P/N 0100623.

Disassembly

1. Unscrew the flow indicator (blue arrow) and remove the little red wheel and white filter below. 
2. Remove the four screws (red arrows). There are no screws or tabs underneath; just lift the top off. You may need only a little vacuuming to clean up the inside, but the hoses appear to be easily removed for cleaning or replacement. If the heater has become clogged with lime deposit, open up handle area, remove hoses from heater and use very small drill bit to drill out inlet and outlet. then open heater and clean out insides.
   • When replacing hood, notice the tab at the front and make sure it is engaged. also, put a small box under the back wheels to lift the base up to the hood. if you don't, the screw holes will break out when tightening them. the only repair to this is replacing the hood at about $30.00.
   • Note: The small red filter on the left goes into the top of the water tank (ie. red basket pointing up), NOT into the machine like the photo shows (ie. basket setting in the hole).

Tips

• Keep it clean. The soap dispenser uses too much soap and tends to gum up the insides, so mix the soap with water (a 50 50 mixture) or put it in the water tank instead. It will not squirt unless the soap dispensor has something in it, so put water in it when rinsing. The machine works well with water and ordinary laundry detergent in the tank and water in the soap dispenser.

Warnings

• NEVER us Oxyclean or vinegar; it attacks the plastic tubing and causes failure.
• Try not to leave the machine out in the garage in the cold. It will freeze and as soon as you turn it on, the belt will burn out because of ice in the pump. Let it thaw for 3 hours before use and open the side hatch to be sure the pump turns.