This powerful steam cleaner is perfect for pet homes - should it set up your deep cleaning routine?

There comes a point in every home when a standard mop and bucket just don’t cut it anymore. Whether it’s muddy paw prints, mystery kitchen spills, or that one patch of floor that never quite looks clean no matter how hard you try, shopping for one of the best steam cleaners is the obvious next step. Heat, power, and the promise of actually lifting dirt rather than just pushing it around – what’s not to like?

Enter the Bissell CrossWave HydroSteam Pet, a machine that aims to go further. Not only does it harness the deep-cleaning power of steam, but it also doubles as a full-strength, corded vacuum. In theory, that means no more dragging out multiple appliances or doing the classic “vacuum first, mop later” routine that somehow becomes a full afternoon’s work. It’s an all-in-one solution designed for busy households, particularly those with pets, children, messy adults, or all of the above.

I don't know about you, but I've got to the point where reliability tends to trump gimmicks, and given Bissell's brand reputation for getting the job done properly, I was eager to put it to the test. Here's how I got on...

Bissell CrossWave HydroSteam Pet Floor Cleaner review

• RRP: £340
• Dimensions: H111.8 x W27 x D25cm
• Weight: 5.67kg
• Power: 1100V
• Water tank capacity: 1 litre
• Settings: 3 cleaning modes (SteamWash, xArea Rug and Hard Floor Mode) plus self-cleaning function
• Warranty: 2-year guarantee

Unboxing Bissell CrossWave HydroSteam Pet

The Bissell CrossWave HydroSteam Pet didn't arrive with much fanfare: there was no extra outer shipping box, just its retail box wrapped in plastic. Now normally, that would be an instant gripe for me as someone trying to cut down on single-use packaging. But, in fairness, it was pouring with rain on delivery day, and that plastic layer probably saved the machine from arriving sad and soggy.

Digging into the box, you'll find the main body, handle, water tanks, and a rather sizeable stand. There are no extra tools or nozzles that you might find with handheld-floor cleaning hybrids. The Hydrosteam also comes with two bottles of solution: one pet-safe cleaner for your floors, and one for cleaning the machine itself. And although this is suitable for use on area rugs, there's no carpet glider.

The stand, in particular, raises a few questions at first glance – it’s bulkier than expected, with an extra side section that seem designed for storage (and, *spoiler alert*, I never got to the bottom of what those compartments were for). Still, everything feels well packed and protected, which inspires confidence right out of the gate.

Who would the Bissell CrossWave HydroSteam Pet suit?

This is, to all intents and purposes, a workhorse, rather than a stunning Dyson or Shark. Like most steam cleaners, it's corded, but with 7.5m of spool the cable is plenty long enough to move around a large, medium-sized house.

Given its size and power, this cleaner is best suited to larger homes, ideally ones with a dedicated storage cupboard for it. You'll want to use it on expanses of tiles and vinyl, as it's most suitable for sealed surfaces. You're unlikely to want to lug it up or downstairs often given its weight, but it is handy for refreshing carpets on occasion.

The CrossWave HydroSteam Pet, as the name suggests, is perfect for pet owners and also ideal for anyone with a family – either in residence or visiting frequently – as it can deal with liquid spills and solid debris like cereal with ease.

It's less suited to smaller homes with limited storage space and predominantly wood floors. And as we keep emphasising, it's weighty, so if you aren't able to lift heavy objects, I'd give it a miss.

What is the Bissell CrossWave HydroSteam Pet like to use?

Functionally, the layout is intuitive. There are two water tanks – the 'dirty' tank positioned lower down at the front and a 'clean' tank that slots down into place higher up at the back . I gave the instructions a quick glance to make sure I was on the right track, as it can be confusing at first.

Controls are simple and accessible: a green trigger under the handle dispenses water and solution and it doesn't require much hand strength to operate. Near the top of the handle there's a power button, and a function button that cycles through three modes – SteamWash, Area Rug and Hard Floor Mode. As you change modes, illuminated icons on the cleaning head indicate what's been activated.

Testing on a tiled kitchen floor

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Once it was first set up, I consulted the instruction manual to understand the measurements on the clean tank. The idea is that for light cleaning, you fill to the lower lines – first with water and then topping up with detergent. The instructions suggest using water up to 60 degrees C, as you'll get better results. So I filled from the hot tap after letting it run for a few seconds.

I first trialled the Bissell on my ceramic-tiled kitchen floor, which meant SteamWash setting was safe to use. At first, the steam icon will flash for about fifteen seconds as it gets up to temperature. As soon as it goes solid, you're ready to go.

So off we went, vacuuming and steaming simultaneously. My first impressions were hugely positive. The Crosswave is super-powerful and has a light to show the way as it cleans. Dirt was sucked up instantly: I threw a handful of cereal on the floor and it picked every last piece up .

For a chunky vacuum, it's got decent edge clean up, too, but don't expect it to get right up there. In our dirty bootroom, which is currently undergoing renovation, dried mud lifted right off quickly, but as you can see, you'll need another solution to get right next to walls and doors.

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Back in the kitchen, next we threw down some liquid spills, including pesto, and then cranberry sauce and coffee, that we let sit for a couple of hours.

The fresh pesto disappeared instantly, with absolutely no residue after one pass. The cranberry sauce and coffee were picked up after a few swipes, but the Bissell couldn't touch the coffee that had run into the grout. I ended up having to scrub it out with some specialist cleaner and a toothbrush.

In conclusion, while the steam cleaning is very impressive, you do need a specialist tool to get into floor grout, and so I wouldn't particularly recommend the Bissell in this regard.

Testing on vinyl

I also tried the Bissell on the vinyl floor of our downstairs bathroom. If anything, it was even better here, picking up dirt quickly and with no grout to contend with.

The powerful suction meant it would cling to the floor and give a really intense steam clean. My only slight issue was when using the steam function it would occasionally throw out dirty water onto the floor. Of course you can quickly vacuum this up, but it was irritating.

Testing on carpet

My last big test of the Bissell was on my tired bedroom carpet, which is shortly to be removed but meant I could be pretty brutal in my stain testing, I again tested it with coffee and pesto spills, and xxxxx.

Overall, I was really impressed with this, but I should warn you of a few niggles.The biggest is that it's heavy and noisy. Using a sound meter app, I measured it to be around 89dB most of the time while vacuuming. Given many of the robot vacuums I'm testing are 74dB on their highest setting (yet still powerful and great at mopping), that's loud.

I did also have the occasional splutter of dirty water and the expense of using Bissell's own-brand detergents. You'll have to pay £23.99 for the Bissell Pet-Safe Solution from John Lewis. It's my main bugbear with these cleaners – that if you want to use detergent you'll need to use the manufacturer's recommended solution, or void the guarantee.

And of course, unlike a lot of steam cleaners, it doesn't have the tools to shoot steam at grout or into tight corner. However, I think the powerful vacuum, which negates the need for having two appliances, makes up for that.

Cleaning the Bissell CrossWave HydroSteam Pet

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Removing the dirty water tank and emptying the Bissell is very straightforward. It’s simply a matter of pressing a catch, lifting out the lid (which is also a filter) and emptying the water down the sink. I didn’t struggle with reassembling it afterwards either. You might – like me – also have the odd problem when loading the fresh water/detergent tank. Sometimes water would start to leak out before I'd manage to lock it in place. If you're speedy though, it shouldn't happen.

If your Bissell needs a deeper clean, there’s a self-cleaning function. Again, this needs a special fluid (you get one bottle with your purchase) and pour this into the steamer tray, following instructions. The dirty water tank needs to be emptied and cleaned too and then you place the cleaner in its stand. Then, it takes around 35-40 seconds and will basically run the vacuum steamer at full power, drawing the cleaning fluid up through the roller into the dirty water tank.

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After the first run, the roller still looked a little dirty, so I pressed the button again to repeat the process. Once done, the Bissell deemed itself to be clean enough – in other words, it refused to let me run the function a third time. The dirty tank was now filled with about an inch of dirty brown water to convince me the job was done.

The brush roller looked much cleaner, although I would still need to manually wash down its cover to remove a collection of muddy grime and hair. Given how everything – the roller, cover, the roller itself, the dirty water tank and its strainer and the filter – are all so simple to remove and replace, maintenance is a doddle. It's a five-out-of-five stars in this regard.

Should you buy the Bissell CrossWave HydroSteam Pet?

After a month living with the Bissell CrossWave Pet, I've been pretty impressed. It's great in terms of cleaning power and picking up those spillages quickly and efficiently, with no mess left behind. It's also brilliant at mopping up dried on mud near doorways, and sucks up large pieces of debris with no problem at all.

There is, of course, the elephant in the room: the price. The CrossWave HydroSteam pet is close to £400 at full price so it's a significant investment when compared to other steam cleaners. And as robot vacuum-mop hybrids improve, I'm increasingly tempted to spend my money there.

But for now, since such automative options cost double or more the price, the Bissell is a steady and sensible choice, particularly if you have a larger home, and are cleaning up after pets and/or little people.