Starting A Detailing Business On A Budget? -- The Bissell Little Green Machine can help.

Q

Quenga

New member
So I stopped detailing as a full-time business, but always like to encourage others who want to start their own, but may lack the funds, to find cheap alternatives.

This $100 machine helped me get my first detail, and after several more, paid for a bigger professional unit that cut my time dramatically. IF you can buy a big machine, go for it. If you can't, this thing gets the job done and will put cash into your pocket. Yes, it broke after heavy use for about a year, but it paid for the professional unit that carried me throughout the rest of my short detailing career.

Bissell Little Green ProHeat

 
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I used 3D Citrus Degreaser and Folex. The degreaser mainly because there were oily/greasy spots on the carpet, and Folex is my main cleaner.
 
Take care to hold the head near the suction side (over the gap where it attaches to the hose). If you do not, then eventually the head will break off because there is a sharp corner designed into the hose nozzle which forms a crack. The replacement part is next to impossible to find.
 
Yes! Great advice. I had to tape up that area just so it would stop making so much noise.

The build quality isn't perfect, but good enough.
 
Just out of curiosity, what would the next step up in machines be worth spending the extra coin on? (i.e. there may be more expensive machines that don't necessarily justify the added cost vs. performance over the Bissell)
 
Still have my machine however looking into the Mytee Tempo because of the much better suction and pressure sprayer, price isn't to bad for an industrial unit. Would love the Mytee Lite II but it requires 18A and my outlets don't supply that as most don't here in Canada. Only downfall is the Tempo doesn't have heat.. Will most likely just put hot water into the tank.
 
House of Wax said:
Just out of curiosity, what would the next step up in machines be worth spending the extra coin on? (i.e. there may be more expensive machines that don't necessarily justify the added cost vs. performance over the Bissell)
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It really depends what you're using it for. The biggest unit I'd get for a mobile business is the Mytee Lite. If I had a shop and did multiple cars, I might get a bigger unit for the capacity.

I will say that the pump PSI, for me, never mattered. There are much better ways of increasing your capacity, however, so I can't justify the bigger units.

Between the Little Green and the Mytee, I think a standard Bissell stand up carpet cleaner would be the next step. Larger capacity and vacuum, and dual purpose of doing house carpets. You'd be amazed at how many people (mostly friends / family) will pay a few bucks to have their home carpets cleaned. I never charged much, but that's mostly how I paid for my detailing gear.


kylemstn said:
Still have my machine however looking into the Mytee Tempo because of the much better suction and pressure sprayer, price isn't to bad for an industrial unit. Would love the Mytee Lite II but it requires 18A and my outlets don't supply that as most don't here in Canada. Only downfall is the Tempo doesn't have heat.. Will most likely just put hot water into the tank.
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You definitely want to go with hot water, it seriously does make a huge difference. Sometimes I could clean carpets without any pre-treatments with just the hot water. Cold water wouldn't do it... I tested many, many, many times with many different combos. I wanted the most effective and efficient way to detail cars.


I would look into a "Bucket Heater" -- they are about $20-40 and use 1000 watts. Fill a 5-gallon bucket of water and plug in the unit while you do the pre-vacuuming and other cleaning. I haven't used it yet, but it's on my list of new tools since I sold my other units.
 
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