Side by side

BISSELL Big Green vs Rug Doctor Pro Deep Compared: Rug Doctor’s powered upholstery tool is extra, whereas Big Green includes a hose tool

Quick verdict

Go with BISSELL Big Green for its large clean-water tank and the hose and stain tool that come with it. Go with Rug Doctor Pro Deep for its back-and-forth, rental-style workflow and its clear warnings about the tank or brush. Look closely at the accessory bundle, because Rug Doctor's motorized upholstery tool is sold separately.

Before you buy

Why, and what it costs you

The clean tank is 16.7% bigger

Big Green takes an extra quarter gallon of solution.

Where this comes from

(1.75 − 1.5) ÷ 1.5 × 100 = 16.67%. How much area that covers depends on how heavily you apply it.

The catch

BISSELL Big Green Professional Carpet Cleaner

It's a heavy, commercial-style machine to haul around, and it claims a lot of closet space.

The catch

Rug Doctor Pro Deep with Oxy Bundle

You have to buy the motorized upholstery tool separately.

BISSELL Big Green Professional Carpet Cleaner

BISSELL Big Green Professional Carpet Cleaner

Why pick it
  • You want one purchase to cover whole rooms and upholstery
  • You'd like more solution before the clean tank needs a refill
The catch
It's a heavy, commercial-style machine to haul around, and it claims a lot of closet space.
See price & reviews on Amazon
Rug Doctor Pro Deep with Oxy Bundle

Rug Doctor Pro Deep with Oxy Bundle

Why pick it
  • Clear indicators for empty solution and brush jams appeal to you
  • The Pro Deep controls suit you, and you're fine buying an upholstery accessory separately
The catch
You have to buy the motorized upholstery tool separately.
See price & reviews on Amazon

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Comparison updated , Product data updated , Amazon.com / United States

What this page compares

Big Green 86T3 and Rug Doctor Pro Deep, compared on tank refills, the upholstery tools in the box and how heavy the machine gets during a full cleaning session.

Day to day

How each one fits your routine

A professional size on Big Green does not come with onboard heating

BISSELL states outright that Big Green has no heater. When you are buying a machine specifically to heat the solution as it cleans, big tanks and professional branding do not satisfy that need. The Pro Deep evidence that was reviewed does not confirm a heating function either, so check before you choose. When heated solution is not essential, weigh the reach and tank differences that are there, following the manufacturers' filling directions.

Where this comes from

The aim here is to exclude a capability nobody has shown. It does not rank cleaning quality. Water temperature allowed at filling is not the same as a machine that keeps or makes heat during cleaning.

An upholstery nozzle in the box and an optional powered tool are not the same thing

The six-inch stain tool that comes with Big Green means the package you chose can extract from upholstery that allows it, with no basic accessory to buy afterward. Pro Deep's motorized upholstery tool is optional. Go with Big Green if the nozzle in the box handles the job. Go with Pro Deep only if that powered mechanism is the reason you prefer it, and only after you confirm the attachment and budget for it. Neither package has been shown to remove fur from fabric better.

Where this comes from

This looks past whether a tool is present and separates extraction through a supplied nozzle from an optional motorized mechanism. Attaching a hose does not turn the main machine's floor brush into a powered sofa brush.

Which one fits

Pick the situations that sound like you

  • Full floor and sofa cleaning

    Big Green comes with the hand-tool setup that Rug Doctor sells on its own.

    BISSELL Big Green Professional Carpet Cleaner
    Better fit
    Rug Doctor Pro Deep with Oxy Bundle
    Depends
  • Open rooms, nothing upholstered to clean

    Each works with a back-and-forth routine and big separate tanks.

    BISSELL Big Green Professional Carpet Cleaner
    Good
    Rug Doctor Pro Deep with Oxy Bundle
    Good
  • Want a warning when a job stalls

    Pro Deep signals when the solution runs out and when the brush jams.

    BISSELL Big Green Professional Carpet Cleaner
    Good
    Rug Doctor Pro Deep with Oxy Bundle
    Better fit
  • Have to bring the cleaner over to a fresh spill

    Their commercial-style bodies and the weight of the water make them clumsy for small accidents.

    BISSELL Big Green Professional Carpet Cleaner
    Caution
    Rug Doctor Pro Deep with Oxy Bundle
    Caution

In practice

Differences you will notice

The clean tank is 16.7% bigger

Big Green takes an extra quarter gallon of solution.

How we worked this out

(1.75 − 1.5) ÷ 1.5 × 100 = 16.67%. How much area that covers depends on how heavily you apply it.

Needing one less fill depends on the size of the job

Big Green handles a 3.5-gallon solution job in two fills, while Pro Deep needs three.

How we worked this out

Ceiling(3.5 ÷ 1.75)=2. Ceiling(3.5 ÷ 1.5)=3. Stops to empty the recovery tank are not counted.

The tool in the box affects what you are buying

The kit listed for Big Green already handles hand-tool cleaning.

How we worked this out

The manufacturer lists a nine-foot hose and a six-inch stain tool. For Pro Deep, the motorized tool is listed as a separate item.

Option A
BISSELL Big Green Professional Carpet Cleaner

BISSELL, 86T3

Big Green Professional Carpet Cleaner

Large tanks, a long cord and a nine-foot attachment hose come on this heavy upright extractor.

Best for
You want one purchase to cover whole rooms and upholstery

Facts we checked

  • Clean-water capacity: 1.75 gallons
  • Upholstery setup: 9-foot hose and 6-inch tool included
  • Cleaning direction: Forward and backward passes
  • Status guidance: Conventional operating checks
Option B
Rug Doctor Pro Deep with Oxy Bundle

Rug Doctor, 90028

Pro Deep with Oxy Bundle

Both directions work for cleaning on this rental-style upright, which has two 1.5-gallon tanks.

Best for
Clear indicators for empty solution and brush jams appeal to you

Facts we checked

  • Clean-water capacity: 1.5 gallons
  • Upholstery setup: Motorized upholstery tool sold separately
  • Cleaning direction: Back-and-forth cleaning motion
  • Status guidance: Solution-empty and brush-jam lights

Spec by spec

Where they really differ

Where BISSELL Big Green Professional Carpet Cleaner and Rug Doctor Pro Deep with Oxy Bundle differ
SpecBISSELL Big Green Professional Carpet CleanerRug Doctor Pro Deep with Oxy BundleIn practice
Clean-water capacity1.75 gallons1.5 gallonsEach Big Green fill gets you an additional quarter gallon.
Upholstery setup9-foot hose and 6-inch tool includedMotorized upholstery tool sold separatelyIf you will clean furniture, compare what the whole kit includes.
Cleaning directionForward and backward passesBack-and-forth cleaning motionNeither locks you into pull-only room cleaning.
Status guidanceConventional operating checksSolution-empty and brush-jam lightsWith Rug Doctor, two kinds of interruption are easier to spot.
Clean-water weight addedAbout 14.6 pounds at full fillAbout 12.5 pounds at full fillBesides capacity, tank size changes how the machine handles.

Trade-offs

What each pick costs you

With BISSELL Big Green Professional Carpet Cleaner

  • The wide commercial-style head is slow to turn around in a small furnished room.

With Rug Doctor Pro Deep with Oxy Bundle

  • While in use, the machine gets much heavier once a 1.5-gallon fill goes in.

Decision guide

How to decide

A large clean-water tank plus an included hose and stain tool point to BISSELL Big Green. A back-and-forth, rental-style workflow with clear tank and brush warnings points to Rug Doctor Pro Deep. Verify the accessory bundle, since Rug Doctor's motorized upholstery tool is sold separately.

01

Some interruptions go away with a bigger tank, not all

Big Green's clean tank holds 1.75 gallons, compared with 1.5 gallons on Pro Deep. A job that uses exactly three gallons takes two fills on both. At exactly 3.5 gallons, Big Green still takes two fills and Pro Deep takes three. Emptying the dirty tank, overlap and how you spray can add extra stops, so you can't turn capacity directly into rooms cleaned.

02

Add up the cost of the full floor-and-sofa kit

A nine-foot hose and a six-inch stain tool come with Big Green. On Rug Doctor, the motorized upholstery tool is listed as a separate purchase. When sofas and stairs are part of your routine, compare the cost of the full basket, tools included. When all you need is open-floor cleaning, a tool kit you won't use shouldn't drive the decision.

03

Water adds to an already heavy appliance

Empty, Big Green weighs 42 pounds. Fill its 1.75-gallon clean tank and about 14.6 pounds of water go on top, which brings it to roughly 56.6 pounds before any recovered water or extra accessories. A 1.5-gallon fill adds around 12.5 pounds to the empty body of Pro Deep. Treat these as floor-cleaning machines you place with care. They are not portable stain cleaners to carry from spill to spill.

Check these before you buy

  • Check exactly which accessories the Rug Doctor Amazon bundle lists.
  • Measure your closet storage space and the path to each floor.
  • Before either machine goes upstairs, empty the clean and recovery tanks.

What this page can’t tell you

  • The fill examples start from a set solution volume. They do not use a measured room size.
  • Without a matched extraction or dry-time test, no performance winner can be named.

By the numbers

What the data shows

What we found across the carpet cleaners we compare, plus the checked facts behind each finding.

Show the facts and the math
Models in the comparison
2 models
Sources
5 covering these models
Product data updated
The facts and sources behind each product in this recommendation
ProductNeeds it meetsFacts we checkedSources
BISSELL Big Green Professional Carpet Cleaner
  • You want one purchase to cover whole rooms and upholstery
  • You'd like more solution before the clean tank needs a refill
  • Clean-water capacity: 1.75 gallons
  • Upholstery setup: 9-foot hose and 6-inch tool included
  • Cleaning direction: Forward and backward passes
  • Status guidance: Conventional operating checks
  • Clean-water weight added: About 14.6 pounds at full fill
  • According to Big Green 86T3's official FAQ, it has no heater.
  • A six-inch tough-stain tool comes with the Big Green.
Rug Doctor Pro Deep with Oxy Bundle
  • Clear indicators for empty solution and brush jams appeal to you
  • The Pro Deep controls suit you, and you're fine buying an upholstery accessory separately
  • Clean-water capacity: 1.5 gallons
  • Upholstery setup: Motorized upholstery tool sold separately
  • Cleaning direction: Back-and-forth cleaning motion
  • Status guidance: Solution-empty and brush-jam lights
  • Clean-water weight added: About 12.5 pounds at full fill
  • An onboard solution-heating function is not established by the reviewed Pro Deep specifications.
  • A motorized upholstery tool, bought separately, is offered for the Pro Deep.

Ready to buy

See today’s price and what owners say

Open either model on Amazon for the current price, customer reviews and delivery options.

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