This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
The Bissell Crosswave Cordless Max Multi-Surface Wet/Dry Cleaner is a remarkably versatile and attractive device which does so many functions so well that you may wonder how you got along without it! It has a number of improvements over the wonderful corded Crosswave cleaner.
What does it do? Vacuums carpets, shampoos carpets, vacuums hard floors, mops hard floors, cleans up all pet hair and “accidents” and serves as a general purpose light-duty wet/dry vacuum! And it does all of this with a very well-engineered, light-weight body that is very easy to maintain. If you hate dragging out a heavy carpet cleaning machine or finding a way to shove it back into a crowded closet, this multi-purpose cleaner will solve that problem too.
Bissell began in 1876 when Melville Bissell invented the first successful carpet sweeper. Queen Victoria gave the company a big endorsement by insisting that her palace be “Bisselled” every week. In 1956 Bissell released its first carpet shampooer. Many improvements followed including a deep cleaning carpet cleaner in 1979 and a series of pet-focused carpet cleaners in the 2000’s. At that time Bissell also became a major sponsor of pet charities, contributing a portion of its sales to pet shelters. Today Bissell is the largest producer of floor care equipment in the U.S. The Crosswave Cordless Max Multi-Surface Wet Dry Vac is their newest entry for home use.
Consider these features:
• Crosswave Cordless Max Multi-Surface Wet/Dry Cleaner (#2554)
• Simultaneously vacuums and washes carpets, area rugs and hard surface floors
• Large non-slip ergonomic handle for effortless control
• Two smart-touch power settings on handle: rugs and floors
• On-demand solution trigger
• LED lights at base and on controls
• 25 minutes running time from 36 volt lithium ion battery
• Swivel head for great maneuverability
• Handle on base to aid in carrying unit
• 10.5 inch wide cleaning path with improved edge cleaning
• Bissell Connect app provides tips, alerts, maintenance tracking
• 28 ounce water/cleaning solution tank
• 19 ounce dirty water tank with automatic shut-off
• Easily removable high-impact clear brush window
• Brush rollers easily remove for cleaning
• Two multi-surface brush rollers included
• Two 8 ounce Multi-Surface cleaner bottles and two 8 ounce Tough Mess/Odor Eliminator cleaner bottles included
• 3 in 1 docking tray (with brush roller and filter stand) stores, cleans and charges unit
• Lightweight! Just 11.5 pounds!
• Two year limited warranty
I have owned a corded Bissell Crosswave PetPro cleaner for two years and use it nearly every day. In my condo the cleaning challenges I face are a 2400 sq. ft. mix of granite and hardwood floors and a sweet little Yorkie who is a bit leaky. The corded PetPro is a wonderful device but when Bissell introduced this model I decided that having a cordless version of my beloved Crosswave would add a very valuable convenience dimension. In many respects it is similar to the corded version but I have found that the great Bissell engineers have made many improvements to an already superb appliance. See the photos of my corded and cordless Crosswaves side by side.
The Cordless Crosswave is very well-packaged and extremely easy to assemble. The box contains form-fitting shock-absorbing materials and the vacuum itself requires just the simple insertion of the handle to be ready for its work. When you remove the Crosswave from the box you will be impressed by the quality of its finish. It looks like the sophisticated high-tech device that it is, but it also looks very solid. The color is a nice combination of black and pearl white with light blue accents. The carpet/bare floor mode selector touch controls have LED lights and the clear brush roller cover also has LED lights which illuminate when the soapy water solution is applied. On the control panel are battery status, WiFi connection, a dirty water tank full warning and the mode (carpet/bare floor) indicators. Below the panel is the button for starting the brush cleaning process.
There are 2 tanks – one for water with a cleaning formula and another tank for the collection of dirt and soapy waste water – so there is no mixing of the two. Bissell includes four 8 ounce bottles of cleaner (Multi-Surface and Tough Mess solutions) to get you started. Note: you can also use your own cleaning solution if you prefer.
What you first notice about the Crosswave is that it is both lighter and quieter than most vacuums. The large and comfortable handle has the key buttons you need to use so it is just a finger press away from immediate use. The roller brush has both a soft mop-like surface and stiff brush elements to mop and scrub in a rotating action, like a paint roller.
Press the power button then use your foot to release the handle from the upright position (which starts the roller spinning), choose cleaning power setting on handle (“Rug” for more soap, “Hard Floor” for less soap), use trigger under handle to release more solution onto floor for tougher spills and you immediately see a row of LED lights illuminating the soapy solution being applied to the floor and being vacuumed up. There is no wear and tear on your hand or wrist due to the light weight of the Crosswave and the very responsive swivel head which makes it very maneuverable for tight corners. It required just two passes on any section of floor, once with soap being dispensed and once without soap, to clean it. It was that simple!
After cleaning your floors, remove the dirty water collection tank, lift up the strainer and dump the contents into a toilet. Then rinse out the tank and its parts in the bathroom sink. (I recommend replacing the stopper in the bathroom sink with a mesh strainer to catch any debris which may remain on the parts.) The Crosswave has a washable filter which will remove allergens, pollen and fine dust. The roller brush has an interesting “self-grooming” detangling system to keep hair from wrapping around the brush. The roller brush removes easily and it was no trouble to clean off any trapped dirt or hair that escaped the detangler. A light rinsing of the collection hose and clear brush roller cover completes the cleaning. This whole process takes just a couple of minutes and then you can place the reassembled Crosswave on the included tray to recharge and air dry.
Bissell suggests cleaning the Crosswave immediately after use by placing it on that stand and activating the self-cleaning function, but I believe that it is actually easier to just disassemble the brush unit and rinse the separate parts in a bathroom sink. The Crosswave is very well-engineered, the parts are easy to clean and disassembly/reassembly is very easy. This will also enable you to sanitize the parts. Prior to buying my corded Crosswave I had used another brand of floor cleaner for 15 years and it was a nightmare to disassemble and clean! The ease of post-use cleaning is another nod to good design by the thoughtful Bissell engineers seeing the problems from the consumer point of view.
So how well does it clean? Hardwood and tile floors: A+, carpets: B on first pass, but that improves to an A if you use it frequently. I found that it did an outstanding job on all of the hard surfaces, cleaning the floor and then pulling up all of the sudsy water and dirt. It left the floor clean, dry and streak-free!
The ease of use afforded by the cordless design cannot be over-stated. As I noted, I love my corded Crosswave but it is annoying to flip the cord out of the way during use and unplug it to move the cord to another outlet when you clean a large room. The battery life is substantial and allowed me to clean about 1,500 square feet before the low battery indicator began flashing.
But the improvements on this Crosswave Cordless Max go far beyond its portability. The roller brush is larger in diameter (see photo) which improves the cleaning process because the brush fibers have more flexibility and can soak up dirty water easier. The mounting points for the brush have been improved to strengthen them and to reduce the dead space on either side. This greatly aids edge cleaning because the brush is now much closer to the wall when cleaning the border of a room.
Maneuverability is better because the new Crosswave has larger wheels and there are numerous well-placed rubber bumpers on the body of the unit to protect your furniture. The open handle also makes the Crosswave easier to manage than the older, closed loop handle.
The actual cleaning process is considerably better on the new Crosswave Cordless Max because the filter fits very snugly and that substantially improves the effective suction power compared to the corded model. Finally, the debris strainer is much better. It completely covers the bottom of the dirty water collection chamber, making it much more effective in collecting larger debris. See photo.
The Bissell Connect app is new and some might find its information features useful. One design element which I wish Bissell would rethink is that the battery is not removable. It would be nice to have the option of charging a spare battery and exchanging batteries when the charge is depleted. But since most will use this cleaner for relatively small jobs, this is not a big issue.
Overall, I am confident that you will be very impressed by the quality of the Bissell Crosswave Cordless Max Multi-Surface Wet/Dry Cleaner and will appreciate its ability to thoroughly and effortlessly clean both your floors and your carpets in your home. Queen Victoria never had the opportunity to have a Bissell Crosswave clean her palace but I am enjoying the royal luxury of using this wonderful cordless floor cleaner and give it five well-earned stars and my highest recommendation!
