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For most of my adult life so far, I’ve been limited to a handheld vacuum. First, I lived in a dorm suite with five other girls, so — as you can imagine — we had no extra space for anything much larger than that. Next, I upgraded to a studio apartment in NYC, and even though it served me well, it was lacking in the storage department. My handheld vacuum stayed with me, and it was all I used for the next two years. At long last, I recently moved into a place that has an actual living room and more than one closet! So, before we even secured furniture, the first big purchase me and my roommate landed on was a full-size vacuum.
Thankfully, it was delivered quickly, because even though our new place was “cleaned” before we moved in (yeah, right), it was more than a little grimy — especially when it came to the floors. Needless to say, my Swiffer WetJet was just not cutting it. But the Bissell CrossWave Vacuum-Mop has been a total lifesaver and has made our apartment feel way more comfortable and clean as we got used to the new environment. I’m sure we’ll be using it for years to come.
Design Features That Stand Out
According to my roommate who built the CrossWave when it arrived, assembly is wildly simple, which is always a major bonus. But, of course, the most noteworthy aspect of this machine is in its name — it can vacuum and mop simultaneously and seamlessly with its Dual Action Brush Roll that has an impressive speed of 3000 RPM. You can even switch from one function to the other at the press of the button on the handle. It can tackle area rugs, bare floors, sealed hard floors, and sealed wood floors, so believe me when I tell you that you won’t need any other floor-cleaning device once you add this to your arsenal. And, if you know us here at AT, you know we love a good space-saving, 2-in-1 product.
The CrossWave can do it all — and in way less time, too, since you don’t have to clean up the debris before making your floors sparkle. It also always dispenses fresh solution, since there’s both a clean solution tank and a dirty water tank. (Plus, I guarantee you’ll be stunned at just how much dirt it collects).
First, it’s important to convey the state of the floors I was working with — anyone familiar with living in NYC knows how much dirt can be tracked in (hence, why many of us take our shoes off at the door). But this was beyond the level of grime I expected. Before my movers arrived with my bedroom furniture, I furiously went through three Swiffer WetJet pads and was still picking up dirt. I kept noticing my feet turning black on the bottom every time I walked around without my house shoes on — even after Swiffering! So gross.
The Bissell CrossWave swooped in to save the day, though. I went over the kitchen tiles first and then the living room — it was shockingly easy to maneuver from place to place. The vac-mop’s not necessarily all that slim, but I didn’t find myself struggling to move it around the large area I was covering. But after I’d gone over the hardwood and tile with the vacuum and mop functions running at the same time, the water was nearly opaque with how much grime it picked up.
My roommate even went over the same areas the next day several times, and the water looked similar each go around — even when I thought the floor looked clean. I’m seriously impressed with how fast and effective the CrossWave is, and even though we aren’t dealing with the level of dust, dirt, and debris we were the first week we moved in, it’s made cleaning up smaller messes a breeze. Plus, we don’t have to avoid walking on just-cleaned floors like we would with any traditional mop, because it dries in a pinch.
This may totally be an error on my part, but when I was vacuuming my rug, there were a few instances where I accidentally gripped too low on the handle and pressed the mop button. My rug got slightly damp in some places, but it didn’t take too long to dry. No harm, no foul — just make sure to mind the button if you don’t want to mop and vacuum at the same time!
Should You Buy the Bissell CrossWave Wet-Dry Vacuum?
Even though the CrossWave is the first “real” vacuum I’ve owned, I don’t think I’ll ever need to buy another with how well it’s served me so far. (I can finally ditch my Swiffer!) And, I’d recommend you snag this vac-mop if you’re on the hunt for something that: