What is BISSELL? Explore the 150 year old family brand’s history, its pet foundation, Pet Proven testing, and standout products.
Key Takeaways
- BISSELL began in 1876 when Melville Bissell patented a sweeper for the family’s crockery shop.
- Empty the Shelters has helped nearly 400,000 pets find homes since launching in 2016.
- Pet Proven is BISSELL’s own certification, testing machines 500+ hours against fur, yuck, and trails.
- BISSELL.com orders over $100 qualified for free shipping and the Donate $10, Save $20 offer.
BISSELL is a family owned home cleaning company based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It was founded in 1876, and in 2026 it marks 150 years in business.
You probably know the name from carpet cleaners and vacuums. What surprises most people is the other side of the company: a pet foundation that has helped nearly 400,000 shelter pets find homes through a single adoption program since 2016.
That pet focus runs deeper than charity. It shapes how BISSELL tests its machines and even which products it now makes.
Below, you’ll learn where BISSELL came from, how the BISSELL Pet Foundation works, what the “Pet Proven” badge on its boxes actually means, and which BISSELL products stand out today.
BISSELL at a Glance
| Detail | Information |
| Founded | 1876, Grand Rapids, Michigan |
| Founders | Melville R. Bissell and Anna Sutherland Bissell |
| Ownership | Private, family owned, fifth generation |
| Headquarters | Walker, Michigan (Grand Rapids area) |
| Main categories | Carpet cleaners, vacuums, steam and hard floor cleaners, cleaning formulas, pet care |
| Charity link | BISSELL Pet Foundation, founded 2011 |
In short, BISSELL is a 150 year old, family run cleaning company that grew from a single carpet sweeper into a full home care brand with its own pet foundation.
How a Crockery Shop Started a Cleaning Company
The Sawdust Problem (1876)
BISSELL didn’t start as a cleaning company. It started as a crockery shop.
In the 1870s, Melville and Anna Bissell ran a small shop in Grand Rapids, Michigan, selling china and crockery. Sawdust from packing materials kept ending up on the shop’s carpet, and cleaning it was a constant chore. So Melville built a better carpet sweeper and filed a patent for it on September 19, 1876.
Customers and friends noticed the sweeper and asked where they could buy one. Production started on the second floor of the shop, and a new business was born.
Anna Bissell Takes Over
Melville died in 1889. Anna stepped in to run the company, and she is widely recognized as America’s first female CEO.
She didn’t just keep the business going. She defended BISSELL’s patents and sold its sweepers across North America and Europe. She served as president until 1919 and as chair of the board until 1934.
Growth, Setbacks, and New Machines
The early years weren’t smooth. In 1884, a fire destroyed BISSELL’s first factory. The loss was about $100,000, and insurance covered only $14,000. The company rebuilt using the value of its patents.
It then grew fast. BISSELL even says Queen Victoria wanted her palace “Bisselled” every week.
Key moments from those years:
- 1876: Melville patents the BISSELL carpet sweeper.
- 1884: A fire destroys the first factory, and the company rebuilds.
- 1889: Anna Bissell becomes the head of the company.
- By 1900: BISSELL is reported to be the world’s largest carpet sweeper maker, producing 1,000 units a day.
- 1956: BISSELL launches a manual carpet shampooer.
- 1979: BISSELL introduces its first carpet deep cleaning machine.
That last step set the direction for the company you know today. The shop that started with a sweeper now makes the deep cleaners, vacuums, and formulas that fill store shelves across the US.
BISSELL Today: 150 Years and Still Family Owned
A century and a half after that first sweeper, BISSELL is still owned and run by the Bissell family, now in its fifth generation. It’s described as the seventh oldest privately held manufacturing company in the United States.
Mark Bissell became chairman and CEO in 2007 and led the company for nearly two decades. In 2026, as BISSELL marks its 150th year, leadership is changing hands.
Adam Madigan will become CEO on October 1, 2026. He has spent nearly 15 years at BISSELL, most recently as president and chief operating officer, and worked in marketing and supply chain roles at Procter & Gamble before that. Mark Bissell will stay on as executive chairman, and Max Bissell remains part of the leadership team.
The family name stays on the door, and the family stays in the building.
The BISSELL Pet Foundation: Where the Pet Focus Comes From
How the Foundation Started
The BISSELL Pet Foundation began with one dog.
Cathy Bissell adopted Bear, a six year old black lab, from her local Humane Society. That experience led her to found the BISSELL Pet Foundation in 2011. Today it is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit focused on helping shelter pets find homes.
Empty the Shelters
The foundation’s best known program is Empty the Shelters, launched in 2016.
The idea is simple. During each event, adoptions at participating shelters are low fee or no fee, because the BISSELL Pet Foundation reimburses the shelter for every pet adopted. That removes one of the biggest barriers for families thinking about adoption, and it frees up space for shelters that are running out of room.
The results are large and well documented:
- Since 2016, Empty the Shelters has helped nearly 400,000 pets find homes.
- The program has worked with more than 909 organizations across 49 states and Canada.
- During the May 2026 event alone, more than 16,073 pets from 335 shelters in 39 states went home with new families.
Local governments confirm the impact at the ground level. Maricopa County in Arizona, for example, reported that more than 500 dogs were adopted from its shelters during the July 2026 event.
How Buying BISSELL Connects to the Foundation
BISSELL uses the slogan “Every Purchase Saves Pets,” and the company backs it with money. BISSELL says it has donated more than $45 million to the foundation since 2011.
BISSELL also credits product purchases, together with the foundation’s work, with saving more than 1,169,924 pets.
It helps to know how this works in practice. Your purchase doesn’t trigger a set donation per item. Instead, BISSELL’s sales fund the company’s ongoing support of the foundation. BISSELL also runs specific donation programs tied to certain products or actions. Its official terms cap those product triggered donations at $1,000,000 per year.
For shoppers, that means the link between buying a BISSELL machine and helping shelter pets is real. It’s just best understood as company wide support, not a per product donation. That pet focus is also why BISSELL now tests many of its products specifically for pet messes, which we cover next.
What “Pet Proven” Means on a BISSELL Box
Shop for a BISSELL machine and you’ll see a “Pet Proven” badge on many product pages and boxes. Here’s what it actually means.
Pet Proven is BISSELL’s own certification program. BISSELL created the tests, runs them, and decides which products earn the badge. It launched on October 1, 2024, with about 27 new and existing products certified.
The program grew out of a 2022 BISSELL study of 7,500 people. BISSELL asked pet owners which cleaning jobs mattered most to them, and three problem areas stood out:
- Fur: pet hair, dander, and allergens.
- Yuck: pet accidents and stuck on messes.
- Trails: dirt, litter, crumbs, and muddy paw prints.
BISSELL then built its own pet performance tests around those three areas. Certified cleaning machines go through more than 500 hours of testing in labs and real homes. BISSELL says some of that testing uses real pet messes, including actual cat urine.
There’s also a higher tier. The Pet Proven Ultimate badge marks products that meet BISSELL’s highest standard for pet mess cleanup.
For shoppers, the badge is most useful as a filter. It tells you which BISSELL machines the company designed and tested specifically for pet households, and which of the three problem areas each one targets.
Machines and Formulas Designed Together
BISSELL doesn’t test its machines with plain water. When a machine goes through Pet Proven testing, BISSELL formula is in the clean tank, because the company treats the machine and the formula as one system.
According to a BISSELL engineer, the teams that design the machines and the teams that make the formulas work in the same building, which lets them develop and test the two side by side. That’s why BISSELL recommends pairing each machine with the formula it was tested with.
What BISSELL Makes: The Product Range
BISSELL’s range still starts where the company made its name: carpet. It sells both upright carpet cleaners for whole rooms and portable ones for spot cleaning stairs, upholstery, and car interiors. Its vacuum lineup covers upright, stick and cordless, robot, canister, and handheld models, plus manual sweepers, a direct link back to the 1876 invention.
For hard floors, BISSELL makes steam cleaners and wet dry vacuums, including its CrossWave line. It also sells its own cleaning formulas, some under the Woolite and Febreze names, designed to be used in its machines. Buyers can set up automatic formula refills through BISSELL’s Auto Replenishment program.
The newest category is Pet Care, launched in May 2026. And if you’d rather rent than buy, Rug Doctor rental machines now operate as “Rug Doctor by BISSELL” after merging with BISSELL Rental.
Four BISSELL Products Worth Knowing
These four products show the full span of what BISSELL makes today, from its best known spot cleaner to its newest move into pet care. Each one ties back to something covered above, whether that’s the Pet Proven testing, the carpet cleaning roots, or the 2026 Pet Care launch. Prices are listed as we found them on BISSELL.com or in BISSELL’s own announcements, so check the current price before you buy.
Green Portable Carpet Cleaner
The Little Green is BISSELL’s compact spot cleaner for the messes a full carpet cleaner is too big for: stains on the couch, spills on stairs, muddy paw prints, and car interiors. BISSELL says it has sold over one million units, and it carries BISSELL’s Pet Proven badge, which makes it a practical pick for pet households that deal with small accidents often.
- Earned BISSELL’s own Pet Proven certification after 500+ hours of testing in labs and homes.
- 4.5 foot hose and 15 foot cord for reaching stairs, pet beds, and car seats.
- 48 oz tank capacity, so you refill less often during bigger cleanups.
- Comes with a Spraying Crevice Tool, a 3″ Tough Stain Tool, a HydroRinse Self Cleaning Hose Tool, and an 8 oz trial bottle of Little Green Formula with OXY.
- Rated 4.4 out of 5 from 1,372 reviews on BISSELL.com.
Price: Listed at $129.99 on BISSELL.com, with an offer price of $94.99 at the time of checking (September 2026). The offer’s end date isn’t stated, so confirm the current price before buying. BISSELL.com purchases can be returned within 30 days of delivery for a refund.
Revolution ExpressClean
The Revolution ExpressClean is BISSELL’s newest upright carpet cleaner, launched in September 2026 for whole room deep cleaning. It’s built for pet households that want two options in one machine: a thorough Max Clean Mode for tough pet messes and a faster Express Clean Mode for routine refreshes. It carries BISSELL’s Pet Proven badge and went through 500+ hours of testing in labs and homes.
- Max Clean Mode combines suction, agitation, and BISSELL formula to pull embedded dirt and odors from carpet fibers.
- Express Clean Mode is for maintenance cleaning, with BISSELL citing about a 30 minute dry time (tested on new carpet with protectant; results vary).
- Clean Out Cycle with included FreshStart formula rinses the machine to help prevent odors.
- Included hose and Self Cleaning 2 in 1 Tough Stain Tool turn it into a spot cleaner for stairs, pet beds, and upholstery.
- Box includes three 8 oz formulas: PRO MAX Clean + Protect, PET PRO OXY Urine Eliminator, and FreshStart Clean out.
Price: $229.99 on BISSELL.com (checked September 2026), with Affirm payment options available. It qualifies for BISSELL.com’s free shipping on orders over $100 and its 30 day return window. As a new launch, it had no customer reviews yet at the time of checking.
CleanWell Self Cleaning Litter Box
The CleanWell is BISSELL’s first automatic litter box and the lead product in its Pet Care line, launched in May 2026 for the company’s 150th anniversary. It’s for cat owners who want to stop daily scooping and keep litter odor contained. BISSELL developed it with a Pet Care Advisory Board of veterinarians and animal behaviorists, and it went through 500+ hours of testing in labs and homes.
- OdorVault Technology uses a magnetic seal to lock odor and waste inside the bin.
- SmartStop safety technology stops the machine when it detects an obstruction.
- XL waste bin holds up to about 20 days of waste in a one cat home.
- App lets you track your cat’s litter box use and get real time waste level alerts.
- Rated 4.3 out of 5 from 39 reviews on BISSELL.com, with 87% of reviewers saying they’d recommend it.
Price: Listed at $399.00 on BISSELL.com, with an offer price of $299.99 at the time of checking (September 2026). The offer’s end date isn’t stated, so confirm the current price before buying. It qualifies for free shipping on orders over $100, and BISSELL.com purchases can be returned within 30 days of delivery for a refund.
HydrateWell Automatic Water Fountain
The HydrateWell is a continuous flow water fountain for cats and the lower priced entry into BISSELL’s Pet Care line, launched in May 2026. It suits cat owners who want fresh, moving water available all day without refilling a bowl every morning. Like the CleanWell, it earned BISSELL’s Pet Proven badge after 500+ hours of testing in labs and homes.
- 2.7 liter tank provides up to 14 days of water between refills.
- SlimeShield Antimicrobial Technology is designed to prevent slimy buildup in the bowl.
- Five layer filtration cleans the water as it circulates.
- Runs at under 30 dB, and the integrated pump keeps cables out of the water for easier cleaning.
- Rated 4.4 out of 5 from 139 reviews on BISSELL.com, with 93% of reviewers saying they’d recommend it.
Price: $30.99 on BISSELL.com (checked September 2026). It sits below the $100 free shipping threshold on its own, so pairing it with another BISSELL.com item may make shipping free. BISSELL.com purchases can be returned within 30 days of delivery for a refund.
Current Ways to Save at BISSELL.com
BISSELL.com had several savings options running when we checked on September 29, 2026. A few of them work together, especially on bigger purchases.
- Free shipping on orders over $100. It applies automatically, with no code needed.
- “Donate $10, Save $20.” Add a $10 donation to BISSELL Pet Foundation at checkout and get $20 off an order over $100.
- Product offers. The Little Green Portable Carpet Cleaner was offered at $94.99 (listed at $129.99), and the CleanWell Self Cleaning Litter Box at $299.99 (listed at $399.00).
- Auto Replenishment. BISSELL cleaning formulas showed 10% off when you sign up for automatic refills.
- Email sign up. BISSELL.com offered 10% off a first purchase for new email subscribers.
For example, a $229.99 Revolution ExpressClean clears the $100 mark for both free shipping and the donation offer.
Offers were active when this article was written. Check BISSELL.com for current terms.
Buying From BISSELL.com: What to Know
BISSELL.com offers a 30 day money back guarantee. You have 30 days from the delivery date of your BISSELL.com order to return it for a refund, which gives you time to test a machine on your own carpets, floors, or cat before deciding it’s the right fit.
BISSELL products are also sold at Amazon, Walmart, and Target. If you buy from one of those retailers, that store’s return policy applies instead of BISSELL’s, so check it before you order. The offers covered in the section above apply only on BISSELL.com.
Once your machine arrives, two tools on BISSELL.com are worth knowing about.
The first is product registration. Registering your machine connects it to your details for support and warranty questions.
The second is BISSELL’s recall lookup, linked at the top of the site under Product Safety. You enter your model number, such as 1400B for the Little Green, and the tool shows whether that model has any safety notice. It takes less than a minute, and it’s a good habit for any appliance you own, whether it’s brand new or has been in your closet for years.
Summary
BISSELL has grown from an 1876 carpet sweeper built in a Grand Rapids crockery shop into a fifth generation, family owned home care brand. This guide covered four of its products: the Little Green Portable Carpet Cleaner at an offer price of $94.99, the Revolution ExpressClean at $229.99, the CleanWell Self Cleaning Litter Box at an offer price of $299.99, and the HydrateWell Automatic Water Fountain at $30.99.
The BISSELL Pet Foundation sets the brand apart, with its Empty the Shelters program helping nearly 400,000 pets find homes since 2016. That pet focus carries into BISSELL’s own Pet Proven certification, which puts machines through 500+ hours of testing against fur, yuck, and trails. The CleanWell and HydrateWell show the brand extending that focus beyond cleaning into everyday pet care.
Shoppers spending over $100 on BISSELL.com can combine free shipping with the Donate $10, Save $20 offer, and they have 30 days from delivery to return a purchase. Owners of any BISSELL machine can also enter their model number in the site’s recall lookup to check for safety notices in under a minute.
