Bissell TurboClean Pet XL 3746 Review: A Budget Carpet Cleaner That Punches Above Its Weight

Introduction

The Bissell TurboClean Pet XL, model 3746, is one of Bissell’s more affordable carpet cleaners. After putting it through a full battery of tests, it punches well above its weight for the price. This review covers the pros and cons, what it does well, and where it falls short, so you can decide if it is the right machine for your home.

The TurboClean Pet XL works like most carpet cleaners in its class. You fill the clean water tank with warm water and the included cleaning solution, turn it on, and vacuum back and forth like a regular vacuum. A trigger on the handle dispenses the water solution mix as you make your forward pass, and you release the trigger on the way back. The machine uses suction only to pick up the dirty water. It also comes with a 7-foot hose for above-floor cleaning.

Who the Bissell TurboClean Pet XL Is For

This carpet cleaner is best suited for budget-conscious shoppers who want more than the bare minimum. It is priced around $160, which is about half the cost of Bissell’s premium flagship carpet cleaners and significantly less than the average price across all carpet cleaners tested. It sits very close to ultra-budget options like the Hoover Power Dash Pet, but it offers noticeably more capability for the money.

If you have pets, carpets that see regular traffic, or upholstery and stairs that need occasional deep cleaning, the TurboClean Pet XL covers those jobs without forcing you into a flagship price bracket. It is also a practical choice for anyone who wants a single machine that can handle both floors and above-floor cleaning tasks.

Main Strengths

The biggest story here is value, and that starts with the price. At around $160, the TurboClean Pet XL costs about half as much as Bissell’s premium flagship carpet cleaners, yet it holds its own in performance testing.

The first standout feature is the hose. The 7-foot hose lets you use the machine for above-floor cleaning jobs like upholstery, pet beds, and carpeted stairs. Most carpet cleaners at this price point do not have a hose at all, and having one turns this from a single-purpose carpet cleaner into something a lot more useful. It also comes with a 3-in tough stain tool, a great general-purpose scrubbing tool that works well on concentrated stains.

Another big pro is the tank size. The TurboClean Pet XL has a 1-gallon clean water tank, which is right at the average across all carpet cleaners tested. That might not sound impressive on its own, but a lot of the competition at this price point has tanks half that size or smaller. A bigger tank means fewer stops to refill, which makes a real difference when you are cleaning a larger area. It has a matching 1-gallon dirty water tank, so you are not constantly emptying that either.

The weight is also worth calling out. At 16.5 lbs, the TurboClean Pet XL is actually lighter than average and lighter than a lot of mid-range machines that cost considerably more. It is easy to maneuver, and the handle is well positioned, which makes it comfortable for a full cleaning session.

The cord length is another practical advantage. At 20 feet, it is much longer than what you get on the Hoover Power Dash Pet. It is slightly below the average across all machines tested, but for a machine in this price range, it is a practical cord length that gives you good coverage without constantly swapping outlets.

As far as cleaning performance goes, the TurboClean Pet XL scored right around average on the stain test, where a fixed amount of grape juice is poured on white carpet, left to dry for 24 hours, and then cleaned with four complete back-and-forth timed passes before measuring the result with a colorimeter. An average score might not sound like a headline until you remember that the average here is across 30-plus carpet cleaners, including flagships that cost two or even three times as much. Holding its own against those machines on stain removal at this price is genuinely impressive.

The machine uses Bissell’s four-row deep reach power brush, a single roller design with extra-long bristles. Bissell says this gives it deep reach into carpet fibers, and based on the stain test results, it is doing its job.

Things to Consider Before Buying

The main downside is raw power. The TurboClean Pet XL has a 6-amp motor, which is noticeably below the average across carpet cleaners tested. That showed up in both sealed suction and unsealed suction measurements, where it came in below average.

Now, as the stain test showed, that did not translate into noticeably worse cleaning results. The stain scores were competitive, but it is worth knowing if you have particularly heavy soiling or embedded stains that need real suction to extract the water effectively. For routine maintenance cleaning and moderate stains, the machine performs well, but for deeply embedded dirt, a more powerful machine may be worth the extra cost.

Buying Advice

After adding up all the scores, the TurboClean Pet XL ranked ninth out of 30-plus carpet cleaners tested. That is a genuinely strong result for a machine at this price point. Most of the machines ranked ahead of it cost significantly more.

If you have been shopping in the budget category and weighing this against something like the Hoover Power Dash Pet, the hose alone is a reason to consider the TurboClean Pet XL over similarly priced competitors. When you add the larger tank, the lighter weight, and competitive stain removal performance, it is a compelling package for the money.

Conclusion

The Bissell TurboClean Pet XL is a strong value pick, especially if you have been shopping in the budget category. The hose, larger tanks, lighter weight, and competitive stain removal performance make it a compelling package at around $160. It is not the most powerful machine on the market, but for most homes, it delivers the cleaning results you need without the flagship price tag.