This $120 Bissell Sucked Up All the Pet Hair and Cat Litter My $600 Dyson Left Behind

This may be a shocking and controversial statement, but I do not like my Dyson vacuum.

For years, I dreamed of getting a Dyson vacuum (What can I say? I like a clean house!), but I could never justify the price when my $34 Eureka was cleaning the house just fine. I had a small apartment with hardwood floors and one pet at the time, so it just didn’t seem like a necessary investment.

Fast forward more than a decade later, and I’m sharing a multi-surface, two-story house with three pets, a toddler, and a husband, so the need for a powerful vacuum was becoming more and more of a necessity. I was finally able to get my hands on the Dyson V11, a powerful cordless vacuum that comes with a slew of attachments. Then, just outside the warranty window, it stopped working entirely.

I needed a new vacuum and quick. I decided to go back to my comfort zone and order a simple yet effective corded upright. With more than 59,000 five-star ratings at Amazon, the Bissell CleanView seemed like a safe bet. This is my love story.

Bissell CleanView Swivel Upright Pet Vacuum

I’ll be honest, I’m a full-time shopping editor and product tester, but I didn’t do extensive research when buying this vacuum. It had thousands of ratings and reviews and is ranked #5 in upright vacuum cleaners at Amazon, so that was good enough for me. I needed an affordable yet powerful vacuum that could be on my doorstep in two days, and this one fit the bill.

From delivery and unboxing to that first test run on my 20-year-old carpets, the Bissell CleanView Swivel far exceeded my expectations.

Initial Thoughts

This isn’t my first rodeo with a Bissell vacuum — and certainly won’t be my last. The Bissell Pet Hair Eraser is my go-to handheld vacuum, while the Bissell Little Green Machine regularly breathes new life into my pet- and kid-loved sectional sofa. But let me tell you why I was instantly smitten with this whole-home Bissell vacuum cleaner.

I’m not kidding when I say assembly took maybe two minutes. I inserted the handle into the base of the vacuum and attached two screws using a Phillips screwdriver. After that, I attached the hose and placed the attachments right onto the unit — the best part of an upright, in my opinion.

I barely gave this vacuum a chance to warm up before I put it to work. I first took it for a spin upstairs. The second level of my home has three bedrooms with medium-pile carpeting and a landing with lots of corners and turns that require some smooth maneuverability. I did a thorough cleaning, hitting the baseboards and getting under furniture as much as I could while strategically going over some areas a few times to get those satisfying carpet lines. 

The large-capacity, 0.2-gallon dustbin was FULL. As someone who values their ability to keep a clean house, I was shocked (and disturbed) at how much dust, hair, and debris this vacuum picked up in a single session. I had vacuumed less than a week before — how had my Dyson missed all of this?

Noteworthy Features

I have found that for my home and lifestyle, I prefer a simple vacuum cleaner with strong suction, a large-capacity dustbin, and attachments that can be stored on board. This Bissell has all three plus a few other noteworthy features that, frankly, are just bonuses for me.

• Swivel Steering: The swivel steering on this model is a game changer — and a feature I didn’t know I needed. This vacuum swiftly moves around every obstacle with ease and picks up the unseen hair and debris that gets stuck around and under furniture.
• Triple-Action Brushroll: This is crucial if you have a home with pets and/or carpeting. The brushroll works overtime along with strong suction to remove embedded pet hair, dust, and debris from carpets and area rugs.
• Scatter-Free Technology: Here’s another necessary feature for homes with pets. Scatter-free technology allows me to move from carpeted surfaces straight to tile or hardwood without tossing dry debris around. This is especially useful in the areas where my cats scatter litter and in the kitchen, where my dog leaves remnants of kibble.
• Edge-to-Edge Cleaning: If you live with animals and have baseboards, then you know how quickly dust and pet hair gather along edges and corners. The edge-to-edge cleaning feature provides suction all the way to the edges of the vacuum foot along with mini bristled “brushes” on both sides, ensuring thorough detail work along corners and baseboards for a deeper clean.
• Easy-Empty Dustbin: You don’t have to get your hands dirty with the easy-empty dustbin. The large-capacity tank opens at the bottom with just the push of a button.
• Pet Tools: This vacuum comes with the usual suspects: an extension wand, crevice tool, and dusting brush. But it also comes with a more specialized tool — the Pet TurboEraser. This mini brush is perfect for conquering stairs, upholstery, and anywhere else pet hair accumulates.

The Results

Going from a lightweight cordless vacuum to a heavy corded model was an adjustment, especially in a home with stairs. The Dyson V11 weighs less than 7 pounds, while the Bissell is double that. And having to drag a cord around and move from outlet to outlet is also something I had to get used to again. But for me, it’s worth it.

I like the powerful suction that comes with an upright; I like how effortlessly it moves from surface to surface; I like being able to adjust the carpet height settings; I like that I can just plug the vacuum in and take off (no charging!); and I love that all the attachments store on the machine itself (no need to install a wall mount). And possibly the best yet simplest difference between my Bissell and my Dyson: the on/off button. The Bissell has a big power button you push on and off with your foot, while the Dyson uses a trigger mechanism you have to continuously hold down to operate.

My only complaint is that the Bissell doesn’t handle my Ruggable rugs very well. The suction is too strong, and the rug shifts and wrinkles or gets pulled off the rug pad. (Luckily, I can toss them in the washer!)

Is the Bissell CleanView Worth It?

In short, yes. If you have pets and carpeted floors and are looking for a tough vacuum that can clean deep, embedded pet hair and dry debris, this is a solid pick. It’s also great for those who can’t be bothered to keep a vacuum charged (me!) and aren’t looking for something with a lot of bells and whistles (also me!). Plus, with nearly 150 years of vacuum innovation, I trust the Bissell brand. At a consistent price of $118 at Amazon, the price could not be better for what you’re getting.

Why Trust PEOPLE?

Kayla Kitts is a shopping editor at PEOPLE, specializing in home, kitchen, and lifestyle content. Her career in digital media spans nearly 15 years, but she has been a full-time shopping editor and product tester for the past five years, focusing on bedding, vacuums, mattresses, and other home products that make life easier and more comfortable. When it comes to vacuums, she has personally tested a plethora of models from iRobot, Dyson, Shark, Bissell, Eufy, Black and Decker, Eureka, and more, including handheld vacuums, robot vacuums, vacuums for pet hair, and vacuums for cars.

Kayla’s first real vacuum was a Shark Navigator Lift-Away that she lovingly dragged from apartment to apartment and state to state. She currently owns a cordless Dyson, a cordless Eufy, and an upright Bissell, but the Bissell CleanView Swivel is the one she swears by for a thorough, uninterrupted, whole-home clean. In a home with wall-to-wall carpeting, tile, hardwood, and area rugs, her floors have never looked better.