Bissell MultiClean Allergen Lift-Off Pet Review

While our tests reveal that the Bissell MultiClean Allergen Lift-Off Pet is a thoroughly average midrange vacuum cleaner, the Lift-Off feature that lets you detach the canister from the floor cleaner head makes this machine more versatile. By lifting off the canister — which seems to be Bissell's answer to the Shark “Lift-Away” design — we could walk around the house and use the wand to suck up dust and cobwebs above our heads, as well as clean stairs and pet beds with its included attachments. However, A major drawback is that it can't be attached to the wider floor head, limiting the area you can clean at once.

Performance Comparison

Carpet Performance

We begin carpet tests with a mix of sand, rice, and Cheerios to simulate common household debris. Spread over a large portion of both carpet types, gives us the needed space to clean like we're at home.

Before Testing After Testing

Low Pile

This midrange vacuum collected 86% of the debris, just slightly below our average collection rate.

The Bissell Lift-Off Pet didn't exactly disappoint or wow me with its average performance, but I did learn how others can maximize its abilities: Try to attack every mess with forward passes. On my forward passes, it sucked up debris fairly well, but back plowed miserably on the reverse, leaving a pile of Cheerios and rice that I had to turn around to get head-on. With more time than this test allows, I believe I could have sucked up more material with forward passes.

High Pile

Tall pile carpets have a dense, shaggy texture that enables dirt to hide discreetly, making the vacuuming process more challenging. As the fibers fold over, they trap debris, hindering its removal by the vacuum. To address this issue, vacuums need a powerful brush roller to agitate the fibers sufficiently, allowing the suction to capture the debris.

The Lift-Off Pet collected a below average 44% of our test material.

Before Testing After Testing

This model made a dent in the mess but couldn't get more than half of it up. Even if you vary your stroke pattern on shaggy rugs, I'm not confident that this machine can collect all the small heavy debris like sand and rice that can work deep down into the fibers.

Overall Carpet Cleaning Performance

As our chart reveals, the Bissell MultiClean struggled to meet our average scores on the carpet.

However, on low pile carpet I discovered that this machine is far better on forward strokes than reverse strokes. It has some fairly tall head gate openings that let Cheerios and larger debris through, and the suction also seems to work better moving forward. For those willing to modify their stroke patterns, this could clean typical carpets with extra passes.

For about the same price, consider the Shark Navigator Lift-Away Deluxe NV360, which easily collects more debris on the carpet — and, as I'll reveal next — is much better on hardwood, too.

Hardwood Performance

As vinyl and hardwood floors become more common, vacuums that transition between surfaces are in higher demand. For homes with both area rugs and hard floors, a versatile vacuum can make cleaning quicker and easier. We evaluate vacuum performance on hard surfaces by testing collection rates, gap and crevice cleaning, and suction along wall edges.

For our hard surface test, I measure, weigh, and spread 1/2 cup each of sand, rice, and cheerios over a 27-square-foot hardwood area. By using the same materials for hardwood and carpet tests, I can more readily identify differences in vacuum performance across surfaces. Each vacuum is given 24 seconds to collect as much debris as possible before I re-weigh the collected amounts.

Cleaning Performance

Unfortunately, the *Bissell MultiClean Allergen Lift-Off Pet is far less capable on hardwood than on carpet. It collected just 69% of our overall test debris, well below average.

When I tested this machine on hardwood, I used the manufacturer-recommended setting, which stops the brush roller from turning. With this kind of approach, the vacuum has to rely solely on the suction power to jostle the material and suck it up. It's tough without a spinning roller, even one that is usually slowed down to help with the agitation of the settled debris. This showed as it left a layer of sand throughout the area, especially when moving in reverse. When I picked up the vacuum to weigh the results, there was a small pile of sand underneath, too.

Crevice

Transitions between flooring types and tile floors with deep grout lines often gather dirt. Our crevice test checks how vacuums handle these stringent areas.

The Bissell MultiClean only collected 4% of our sand in our crevice test, an abysmal showing. The only plausible explanation for this failure is the tall head gate openings on the cleaner head. While they allow large debris to pass through on carpet, they significantly weaken the suction seal on our bamboo test mat, making it virtually ineffective.

Consequently, I don't recommend this machine for those with tile floors. If you do need to suck up dirt from crevices, you'll likely need to use the crevice hand tool and not the floor nozzle.

Edges

The edges of walls have a tendency to accumulate dirt, and crumbs frequently end up under furniture. Some vacuums are outstanding at this job, while others face challenges in accessing debris in one of the directions and sometimes both.

This model sucked up most of the coffee grounds in the head-on pass, but failed to collect coffee on the parallel pass, only just skimming a small amount. Cleaning a long hallway with a hard floor won't work well, but if you need to nab some crumbs under the toe-kick area below your kitchen counters, a head-on approach should get them.

Overall Hardwood Cleaning Performance

The MultiClean Allergen Lift-Off Pet performed far below average on hardwood floors.

If you're looking for a vacuum that can easily and effectively clean hardwood floors, this is not the vacuum for you. Instead, I recommend the Shark Navigator Lift Away Deluxe if you want to stay in the same price range — or the outstanding Shark PowerDetect AZ4002 if you're willing to pay more for a premium experience that automatically adjusts brush roller speed and suction as you transition between floor types.

Pet Hair

Considering the difficulty of our pet hair tests, any machine that earns an above-average score is likely to be a workable solution for average pet hair owners and their cleaning challenges.

Before Testing After Testing

On low pile carpet, the Allergen Lift-Off Pet left the carpet looking nice and clean! There was some hair wrapped around the brush roller, but not all of it, which was a good sign. Pretty nice job overall.

Before Testing After Testing

Again, not bad! The “Tangle-Free Brush Roll” did allow some of the long hair to make it to the dust bin, but I still experienced hair wrap, which is common across most of the vacuums I've tested. One of the few vacuums to seriously reduce and sometimes eliminate long hair wrap is the Dyson Ball Animal 3 Extra but it does more than twice as much as the Bissell MultiClean.

Filtration & Suction

The test the filtration and suction of vacuums to assess their quality and performance. Proper filtration is important because vacuums with inadequate filtration can release small particles into the air, potentially affecting indoor air quality and health, particularly for individuals with heart or lung conditions.

A vacuum's suction power is also important, as it determines its efficiency in removing deeply embedded debris from carpets and crevices. Evaluating a vacuum's suction capacity helps to understand its performance in tests, explaining why it may perform well or poorly in different cleaning environments.

Filtration

Each test begins by creating a standardized room environment by operating three air purifiers overnight to eliminate any inconsistencies. We monitor air quality with two Dylos air quality monitors to verify that our testing room is at a baseline level without a high particle count. On the following day, I disperse 1/3 cup of household flour on the floor, deactivate the air purifiers, and run the vacuum over the flour for 30 seconds.

Dylos sensors effectively detect and count particles of various sizes, from 0.5-2.5 microns to larger than 2.5 microns. For reference, pet dander is usually under 1 micron, while pollen can range up to 100 microns. If a vacuum releases small particles, it may not handle pet dander well, which is crucial for those allergic to it.

Our monitors recorded no significant deviations from the room's baseline during testing. Dylos classifies air quality spikes from 0-75 as excellent. In general, nearly every vacuum with a HEPA filter has performed well in this test.

Suction

The Bissell MulitClean Allergen recorded a relatively low, below-average suction score of 174 pascals.

Ease of Use

While many uprights look very similar, their ease of use can significantly differ. Certain models may be difficult to maneuver, whereas others perform exceptionally well on carpets, glide effortlessly across hardwood floors, and navigate around furniture with minimal effort.

Our evaluations assess the usability of each model, which is critical for individuals with intricate home layouts or concerns regarding physical strength, balance, or chronic discomfort.

Maneuverability

In our laboratory, I perform a comprehensive maneuverability test on each vacuum and conduct tests in home environments. This procedure involves navigating cones, maneuvering vacuums under furniture, transitioning vacuums to and from different floor types onto and off rugs and mats, and evaluating any specific features affecting their movement.

I like the handle selection switch that lets me stop the brush roller when moving to hard floors, but it's not seamless like the Shark PowerDetect automatic system. It struggled to climb onto our bamboo test mat, and even though it had a swiveling head, I found it hard to push when turning. The Lift-Off system allows for mobility with hand tool attachments and the wand, but it cannot connect to the powered floor head, preventing the canister style that makes cleaning under furniture easier.

Incidentally, Bissell also manufactures a “Slim” version of this vacuum. The biggest difference between the two is that the Slim model has a narrower, 11.75-inch wide cleaner head versus the regular version's 13-inch wide head. The Slim version may be more maneuverable.

Maintenance

What annoyed me the most when cleaning this vacuum was the inability to remove the roller from the head. I had to manually remove wrapped hair by awkwardly cutting and picking at it, which I find frustrating.

Upholstery & Attachments

With advancements in vacuum attachments, using hand tools connected to vacuums has become a popular method for cleaning and dusting furniture.

I evaluate the effectiveness of the included attachments and test their upholstery cleaning capabilities. This involves sprinkling coffee grounds on a throw pillow and using the most suitable attachment to clean it.

Overall, I was able to clean off about 75% of the coffee grounds, which is about average. The suction-powered brush roller in the tool seemed underpowered to me and didn't seem to spin particularly fast. Still, a little agitation is usually better than no agitation for cleaning pet beds or carpeted stairs.

Should You Buy the Bissell MultiClean Allergen?

With extra time and attention to forward passes, the Bissell MultiClean Allergen Lift-Off Pet can likely deliver an average performance for most households on carpet. Its Lift-Off canister feature does slightly extends its versatility, while its solid pet hair abilities and HEPA filter make it a suitable option for households with pets. Those who want a vacuum to clean hardwood floors should look elsewhere.

What Other Upright Vacuums Should You Consider?