Bissell 20431: The Perfect Solution for All Your Cleaning Needs

These days, manufacturers have improved the suction power of uprights, making them an ideal choice for many households. On top of that, these lightweight and convenient machines tend to be more affordable than the canister. So if you’re looking for a decent upright vacuum cleaner, you’re probably in the right place.

But, which one is the most suitable? Given the fact there are numerous options from many brands, getting overwhelmed is inevitable. While there is no simple answer to the above-posed question, you can hardly go wrong if you pick a reliable brand such as Bissell.

Bissell has been taking care of our floors for more than a century, so they know how great it is to enjoy a warm, cozy, and clean home with your family. Recently, the company also created the  Bissell Pet Foundation as part of their efforts and commitment to providing better shelters for homeless pets.

There are certain vacuums in Bissell’s product lines that a percentage of your purchase will be contributed to this fund. Is Bissell 20431 one of those? Yes, it is! Now, if you think about it, if you purchase a pet vacuum from a well-known brand that cares this much about our four-legged friends, you know that your house floor is in the right hands!

Bissell 20431 PowerGlide Via: Amazon

Before going into the details of Bissell 20431 Powerglide lift off pet plus upright bagless vacuum, let’s take a look at its pros and cons first.

Pros

• Reasonably-priced

• Lift-off canister in a 2-in-1 design

• Convertible to handheld

• Swivel steering

• 30-feet power cord

• Built-in attachment storage

• Large capacity dustbin

• Long reach extension wand

• Brush roll-on/off control

• Washable filter

• Collapsible handle for compact storage

• SmartSeal Allergen System

• Febreze Pet Odor Eliminator to keep the area fresh

• Five-year warranty

Cons

• Not a compact machine

• The cleaner head doesn’t have height adjustment

• The length of hose is limited (only 6’)

• The hose handle is inconvenient when vacuuming in tight spaces

Bissell 20431

Key features

The unique lift-off feature

This 18-pounds upright vacuum comes at the dimension of 12.5 x 12.5 x 45 inches, which makes it look like a heavy and bulky machine at first glance. But fret not! Since its canister is lifted off, you do not have to worry about having back pain after lugging a large-sized machine around the house.

This particular feature gives you the ability to vacuum stairs, furniture, ceiling fan, and other hidden corners. Also, if you are thinking of purchasing a handheld machine to clean your vehicle’s interiors, you might save some of your money with this Bissell Powerglide vacuum. Take a look at this video to see how this feature works:

For most of us, our cars are one of our most significant investments aside from our house. So we always want to look after it as carefully as possible. We usually have regular checkups like inspecting the tires, checking the brake fluids and engines, changing the oil or replacing windshield wipers.

However, cleaning the interior is sometimes unintentionally neglected since it takes a lot of time. The excellent news is that the Bissell Powerglide lift off pet plus upright vacuum has the flexibility you need to get down into the most narrow crevices of your vehicles.

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So how to lift the canister of this Bissell vacuum off? Simple! You only have to push the big green button to release it off. Now what is left are the cleaner head and the spine. Once the canister is detached, it weighs only 8.6 lbs, allowing you to have the freedom to move it around with ease.

The Cleaner Head position

It comes at 12.5” width with a suction area of 10.30’’ wide, which means the total area of direct suction is large. This feature allows users to vacuum different house areas without extra passes, which means you can save time on the cleanup and spend more time on other meaningful moments with your family and loved ones.

If you compare the cleaner head of PowerGlide 20431 with the CleanView series, the difference is significant. In comparison, the latter’s brush roll belt is installed roughly 3/4 across the cleaner head, the former’s belt on the right side. Also, its suction hose is centered. What does this mean? Well, it means the suction is provided more evenly  thus  cleaning efficiency and speed are improved.

A triple-action brush roll with on/off brush switch

What is the most critical factor to consider when choosing a vacuum cleaner? While most of you might say that suction strength is the first detail to look at, professional engineers’ opinions might change your mind: a high-performing brush roll does have its importance as well.

Bissell Powerglide 20431upright vacuum has the triple action brush roll, which effectively lifts and removes embedded dirt and pet hair from carpeted floors. Its external bristles quickly push debris into the brush roll’s path, allowing you to clean the furniture surfaces much more thoroughly than those traditional machines.

If you’ve come across other Bissell upright vacuum reviews, you might have known that this triple-helix brush roll is the unique selling point of its CleanView series.

In this Bissell Powerglide lift off pet plus upright vacuum, you have the best of what CleanView series have, added with the on/off control in its brush roll. If you wonder why this is such a big deal, it significantly improves the machine’s performance across multiple surfaces.

If most of your house is hardwood, you might be worried about your vacuum's scratches on your timber floor. Simultaneously, this concern is rational, as some vacuums are more suitable for hard surfaces while others are specially designed for carpeted floors. With PowerGlide 20431, your hard floors are always in good condition while your extra thick carpet and rugs are not damaged after being vacuumed.

   ➜ RELATED: Bissell Crosswave: A Great Wet-Dry Vacuum For Limited Storage

Smart seal allergen system

Bissell 20431 is not equipped with a HEPA filter. So if you insist on a vacuum with this filtration system due to several health concerns, other alternatives might work better for your needs. The HEPA filter can trap microscopic particles and are usually recommended for homes where people suffer from allergies or respiratory-related diseases such as COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), chronic bronchitis, asthma, or pneumonia.

Instead, the machine is installed with a smart seal allergen system that traps dust, dander, and allergens inside the vacuum, which means small-sized particles can not find their way back into your home. You can take a look at this link to see how this system works:

Febreze Pet Odour Eliminator Filter

Pets are lovely, but we all know that they have a distinct doggy or catty funk, which is not very pleasant. Regular bathing and grooming would minimize this odor, but if these tricks aren’t helpful, we might have no choice but to keep your four-legged friends outside in their canine cabana.

The excellent news is Bissell does know how to design vacuums for pet owners. So far, they are the only one manufacturer that introduced an odor elimination filter, which, true to its name, eliminates odors and freshens your space while you are cleaning. So why not arm yourself with a Bissell Powerglide 20431 so that you can enjoy the company of your canine and feline indoors without getting frustrated with their smell?

Ease of use

Bissell Powerglide lift off pet plus upright vacuum is convenient to use for different users as it is easy to lift off and use as a handheld machine. Pets love to snuggle on the sofa, chair and leave their fur anywhere they sit. So having a compact and handy device to get rid of their hair quickly is what all pet owners need.

While many pet owners love to have a handheld vacuum because of their lightweight and small size, their tiny dustbin is one of the biggest cons. The average dust cup capacity of some of the best handheld vacuums on the market from well-known brands such as Dyson, Shark, Black, and Decker is only around 0.10 gallons.

Bissell Powerglide 20431 is a 2-in-1 machine that works perfectly as a portable handheld when lifted off, and its dustbin size is 0.20 gallons (0.75 liters). So once you have this machine in the house, you might not even need a handheld anymore. If you think of buying a full-sized vacuum and a handheld, we hope this Bissell 20431 review might help you save some of your house cleaning budget.

When it comes to user convenience of this Bissell upright bagless machine, it would be a mistake not to mention its variable suction controls right on the handle. There is a grey band around the hose that you can use to adjust the suction strength while vacuuming. Simply decrease or increase it accordingly, depending on your needs when cleaning multiple surfaces.

Even though this control is just a small detail, it significantly improves your user experience, especially when you need to deep clean or declutter your house. Compared to the Bissell CleanView series, this design difference shows customers a lot about the continuous innovation in Bissell product lines.

Last but not least, the machine also has a top handle that goes up and down. Although this feature does not seem to be a big deal for some people, it means a lot for small storage space. Moreover, having a couple more inches on the top can be useful while you’re vacuuming hard-to-reach spots.

Performance

Bissell Powerglide lift off pet plus upright vacuum performs excellently on different floor types. So our Bissell 20431 review will take an in-depth look at how it cleans up your floors. Read on to find out more!

Bare floor

The machine picks up dust, dirt and pet hair on timber and tiled surfaces with ease. The spinning brush roll is perfectly designed to vacuum small to medium-sized debris. Even though it struggles a bit with large pieces of dog food, it manages to pick them up just after a few passes.

Low and high pile carpet

Bissell 20431’s suction and agitation works excellently in picking up different types of debris quickly. It sucks up even the most stubborn hair accumulated in the carpet. For larger debris such as crumbs, it takes only two passes to clear most of them up.

Thick carpets with a height of 0.75’’ or above can be a challenge for Bissell PowerGlide due to its lack of height adjustment. So the device is a perfect choice for low to medium carpet, but for a high-pile rug, you might need a little more patience, as pushing and pulling the vacuum can be a bit awkward.

Bissell 20431 seems not to have the right agitation to pick up debris between the thick carpet fiber or rugs. The manufacturer recommends users to turn the brush roll off while vacuuming the thick carpet. So you can try this solution to see if it works and leave us your comments down below.

Attachments 

Multi-use tools or 2-in-1 crevice tool and dusting brush

True to its name, this tool is a combination of crevice tool and dusting brush. While the former is perfect for pointed suction, the latter is ideal for awkward or hard-to-reach corners. Now, what’s better having both of them in one? Bissell’s engineers have invested their efforts in improving user experience, haven’t they?

You can attach this tool into the extension wand to vacuum stairs, hidden spots, or under the furniture. Getting rid of dust from crown moldings, ceiling fans, or high-up light fixtures is not a challenge anymore thanks to the flexibility of these multi-use tools.

Tangle-free Pet Turbo Eraser tool

If you have active dog breeds like Australian Shepherds, Belgian Malinois, Golden Retrievers, Siberian Husky, or Jack Russell Terriers, you know how full of energy they are. They love physical activities and are a perfect fit for owners looking for a running buddy. If you take them out for a walk, they will enjoy a good run.

If they are indoors, however, they climb up and down the stairs or upholstery surfaces every day. This pet turbo eraser tool is a motorized brush tool that helps you to clean pet fur on these areas effectively. In case they get clogged, fixing them is also an easy job.

Pet Hair Eraser tool

Bissell 20431 Powerglide lift off pet plus upright bagless vacuum is genuinely engineered for the home with pets. The machine comes with various pet cleaning tools to tackle pet hair, and the pet hair eraser tool is one of those.

It can be attached to the hose to suck up thick clumps of pet hair nestled on multiple surfaces. You only need to move the tool from side to side to pick up pet hair on sofa, chairs, cushions, or bed sheet covers. Alternatively, you can also use it without the vacuum for quick touch ups. Homeowners with pets know how essential it is to have a handy tool like this for regular cleanups around the house.

We also notice that this helpful tool comes with Funk Fresh to release pet odor. You can take a look at this video to see how it works:

Long-reach extension wand

Most vacuum cleaners have extension wands, so you’re probably asking yourself why we even mention this tool in this Bissell 20431 review. Well, the reason is this machine’s wand allows you to reach high areas to get rid of dirt and spider webs quickly as it is longer than those from its competitors on the market.

Maintenance

Maintaining Bissell PowerGlide is straightforward. We will provide you with a quick instruction guide on keeping the critical components of your machine in good condition, starting from the filter.

Filter

There's a pre-motor washable foam filter, and post-motor filter in the Powerglide lift off pet plus upright vacuum. Bissell recommends users clean the pre-motor filter every few weeks. This recommendation is, of course, dependent on how frequent you vacuum. But it is best to ensure that you maintain your machine regularly to ensure its optimal performance and longevity.

First, pull off the machine to release the canister, and pull up the tank to see the pre-motor filter right inside the lid. Now, give it a proper rinse under cold water with mild soap. Squeeze out the water once finished.

As with all other machines’ filters, we always recommend our users to let the filter completely dry before putting it back. In case your vacuuming frequency is high, consider purchasing an additional filter for back up while waiting for your washed filters to get dry.

Second, to clean the post-motor filter, you will need to get to the tank's bottom. Simply pull the tab to open, twist it counter-clockwise to remove it, and tab it onto your dustbin to get rid of the accumulated dirt. This filter is not designed to wash, so do not attempt to rinse it or it will be damaged.

If it is so filthy that a shake doesn’t help to remove all of the debris, you can use a handheld vacuum to clear up the embedded dirt. To get a better demonstration of how easy cleaning these two filters is, take a look at this clip:

Pet TurboEraser Tool

Pet TurboEraser Tool is powered by air flowing through the vacuum. Given this, it’s essential to keep it clean from debris or hair so you can have its best performance. The good news is Bissell makes this tool easy to take apart.

First, you will need to rotate the grey collar to orient its notch opening to the center, then lift the cover plate off and clean it. Second, remove debris or tangled hair from the brush roll. Do pay attention to its surrounding parts to see if anything gets stuck in there as well. When returning it to the original position, make sure the belt is on the right track.

Pet Hair Eraser Tool

We love to have our pets indoor as they’re part of our family. While they are our warm and lovely companions, they can leave hair on furniture fabrics and bed sheets. So the pet hair eraser tool does a great job in removing pet fur from delicate surfaces.

Simply press the tab on the front of the tool, and it will easily open. Tab or shake it on your dustbin to clear up debris and pet hair. You can also use a piece of dry and clean cloth to wipe the inside part of this tool. Even though cleaning this tool up doesn’t take much of your time, its effects on the machine’s performance can be huge.

Alternatives

#1- Bissell pet hair eraser - An excellent alternative for homes with pets

Bissell pet hair eraser comes at about the same weight as Bissell 20431. It has the tangle-free brush roll that prevents hair from wrapping around - thus avoiding tangles. The machine also comes with an easy-to-empty dust canister that only requires a single press to release dirt and debris.

Uniquely made for pet owners, this Bissell vacuum cleaner comes with three pet hair cleaning tools: LED-lit crevice tool to suction up dust in hidden and tight spaces; a 2-in-1 pet brush to clean up dirt and pet fur on delicate surfaces; and a pet turbo eraser tool to get rid of the dust on stairs and upholstery areas.

Bissell pet hair eraser Via: Amazon

This affordable Bissell machine is also known as another name: Bissell 1650A, so they are different names for the same vacuum. If you’re in the market to shop for it, do not confuse them. 

#2- Bissell ProHeat 2X Revolution Pet Pro 1986 - An excellent alternative for both pet fur and pet messes

Pets are lovely, but we sometimes wishthey could be less messy. Unfortunately, we can’t ask them to behave like adults. These furry friends leave behind traces of hair. Their odor, food remnants, and muddy paw can also create a mess in any room of your house.

But, you still love them and want to have them indoor with you.

So you probably need a machine to pick up their fur, get rid of their odor, and messes. Are there any machines for all of these requirements? The answer is yes!

Bissell ProHeat 2X Revolution Pet Pro 1986 has two brush rolls that can clean multiple stains on carpeted and hard floors. The machine is installed with the CleanShot Pretreater that shoots cleaning liquids directly on the toughest stains to leave you a sparkling, mess-free home.

Bissell ProHeat 2X Revolution Pet Pro 1986 Via: Amazon

Besides that, its low profile allows you to vacuum under cabinets, sofa, bed, couches, and many more. Pets shed hair in places that sometimes you can’t even think of. Given this, equipping yourself with a vacuum that can help you get under furniture without having a back pain would be what many pet owners want.

#3- Shark Rotator Truepet Powered Lift Away NV752 - A slightly lighter vacuum for pet hair with a HEPA filter

This Shark machine is an upright with exceptional suction power to suck up pet hair on multiple floors effectively. Now, if you ask what “powered lift-away” means, then it’s the 8-lbs lift-away pod that is light enough to move around without feeling like vacuuming the stairs, car interiors, or the entire house is a back-breaking chore.

Noticeably, this high-rating Shark vacuum has three nozzle settings located right on the vacuum handle. It is quickly switching from high pile and area rug to low pile carpet and timber floor. More importantly, it comes with a series of attachments, allowing you to vacuum various surfaces with ease.

Shark Rotator Truepet Powered Lift Away NV752 Via: Amazon

You will find in their accessories bag a 12’’ crevice tool, a dusting brush; a True Pet Mini motorized brush that perfectly fits in the palm of hand for quick cleanups, a pet upholstery tool to remove pet hair on delicate fabrics, and a hard floor genie with a microfibre pad.

Now you might be asking if you would need all of these tools. The answer is yes, they are all necessary accessories to tackle dirt and debris in different areas of the house, from stubborn in-ground pet hair accumulated in a carpet to dirt and debris on the hard floor to thin cats hair on leather surfaces.

Conclusion

As reviewed above, Bissell Powerglide 20431 is a versatile upright pet vacuum that excels in pet hair cleaning. It is convenient and easy to use with the lift-off technology that works like a handheld. So you get the power of a full-size machine while also enjoying the convenience of an easy-release portable vacuum.

This 2-in-1 device has the triple-action brush roll that works perfectly in removing pet hair. Its attachments and extended wand are useful in picking up small to large debris in various areas in your house.

With a cord length of 30’’, this Bissell upright gives you the flexibility and mobility you need so that you do not have to make any mid-clean adjustments. Now you can cover a large area in one sweep.

We hope our Bissell 20431 has provided you useful information to make a well-informed decision. All in all, this machine is the choice for homeowners with pets that do not have big budgets for a vacuum cleaner. If you’re interested in other devices, take a look at three options that we have reviewed above as alternatives.