Welcome to the Vacuum Wars review of the Bissell MultiClean Allergen Lift-Off Pet Slim upright vacuum, one of Bissell’s best-selling upright corded vacuums. We bought one, put it through all our upright vacuum tests, and in the end decided that it’s probably the best Bissell upright that we have ever reviewed.
An Excellent Bissell Upright
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Performance - 8.9/10
8.9/10
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Features - 9.7/10
9.7/10
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Ergonomics - 9.5/10
9.5/10
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Value - 9.5/10
9.5/10
Our Verdict
We highly recommend the Bissell MultiClean Allergen Lift Off Pet Slim for homes with both hard flooring and carpets, as well as for homes with pets. The upright is the highest scoring Bissell upright we’ve tested to date by a decent margin, and a good value for the price.
Pros
- Great debris pickup on all surfaces
- HEPA sealed allergen system
- Tangle-free brushroll
Cons
- Small bin size
Bissell MultiClean Allergen Lift-Off Pet Slim
The Bissell MultiClean Allergen Lift-Off Pet Slim is very similar to the Bissell MultiClean Allergen Lift-Off Pet upright vacuum. The Slim version, the one we are reviewing today, has a smaller head width of about 11.75 inches.
The non-Slim version is 13 inches wide. In practice, this makes the Slim version easier to maneuver in tight spaces. The Slim does have a trade-off however, a shorter cord by five feet.
Shopping for an upright? Check out more upright vacuum reviews and buying mistakes to avoid, too.
Our test results
We do a number of tests when reviewing vacuums. Below are results that are cited in this review and similar reviews we have published.
| Bissell MultiClean Allergen Lift-Off Pet Slim | Average of All Uprights Tested | |
| Debris Pickup Score | 30 | 20 |
| Airflow @ Floorhead | 63 cfm | 20 cfm |
| Airflow @ Hose | 64 cfm | 79 cfm |
| Sealed Suction @ Hose | 72” | 81” |
| Unsealed Suction @ Floorhead | 0.20 kpa | 0.46 kpa |
| Cord Length | 25 feet | 31 feet |
| Dust Bin Size | 0.75L | 2.88L |
| Vacuum Wars Score | 9.3 | 8.8 |
What we like about it
Excellent debris pickup
The MultiClean Allergen Lift-Off Pet Slim performed incredibly well in our debris pickup test, where we see how well it does with its most basic job: vacuuming stuff up.
The Slim has very large front gates, or openings, under the floorhead. This helped it perform exceptionally well on both hard floors and carpet, picking up whatever we threw at it from fine to extra large debris. A performance like this is rare.
Great debris pickup at a more reasonable price
We give numerical scores for these surface debris tests so that we can compare scores with other vacuums. Looking across all uprights we’ve tested in this manner, the Bissell MultiClean Allergen Lift-Off Pet Slim did as well with debris pickup as vacuums two or even three times its price.
Converts from an upright vacuum to a canister
2-in-1 Lift-Off Technology is Bissell’s branded terminology which means you can detach the canister portion of the vacuum from the floorhead. This gives you far more options for above-floor cleaning tasks such as cleaning stairs and other hard-to-reach places.
We highly recommend the MultiClean Allergen Lift Off Pet Slim whether or not you have mostly hard floors or carpets, and no matter how many pets you have, or how long their hair is.
Tangle-Free Brush Roll
Another positive we found on the Bissell MultiClean is its Tangle-Free Brush Roll. This is a rare feature that few vacuums have, and in our tests this Bissell upright did really well with resisting pet and human hair tangles.
When hair does wrap around a brushroll, it can degrade performance and even stop the brush from spinning altogether. Removing hair tangled around a brushroll isn’t difficult, but having to not worry about it at all for the most part is pretty neat.
In the box
HEPA Sealed Allergen System
The next pro is also somewhat rare: the MultiClean Allergen Lift Off Pet Slim has a HEPA Sealed Allergen System. Bissell notes that it traps 99.97% of dust and allergens, citing ASTM F1977 testing at 0.3 microns. For the non-vacuum testing readers out there, what this means is that the Bissell upright was tested to ensure its system works as advertised.
We independently test all upright vacuums with our fog test. In this case we saw no visible fog leaking from the vacuum. This is really good, and not something you get with any upright you might purchase.
Related: There’s an even less expensive Bissell with 10 times more reviews on Amazon. How good is it? See our Bissell CleanView 2252 Review!
Attachments and accessories
The set of attachments that comes with the MultiClean Allergen Lift Off Pet Slim was good too. It comes with the Pet TurboEraser Tool, which is a suction-powered brush for use on upholstery, as well as a Combination Crevice Tool and Dusting Brush.
Other notable MultiClean Allergen Lift Off Pet Slim features
- LED Headlights: Along the front edge of the brushroll there is a series of LED lights. They’re more useful than you might think and are definitely a nice touch.
- Suction Adjustment: The upright has a suction adjustment lever so that you can vacuum even very thick rugs.
- Brushroll On/Off: A brushroll on/off switch allows moving from hard floors to carpets without scattering debris.
- Squeegee on the Bottom of the Floorhead: Suction performance is improved while on hard floors, like tile, laminate, and hardwood, by way of a squeegee that runs the width of the cleaning head, just behind the brushroll.
Versatile, good for pet owners
All-in-all, we found Bissell’s MultiClean Allergen Lift Off Pet Slim to be a very versatile system that can be used in many different ways. A few features make it especially helpful for pet owners, specifically the attachment set and the Tangle-Free Brush Roll.
Specs
| Vacuum type | Corded Upright |
| Bagged/bagless | Bagless |
| Motor | 7 amps |
| Dust cup capacity | .75L / .79 qts. |
| Cord length | 25 ft. |
| Hose length | 7.2 ft. |
| Cleaning path width | 11.75 in. |
| Weight | 15.7 lbs. |
| Powered accessories | Pet TurboEraser |
| Headlight | Yes |
| Warranty | 5 yr. limited |
What could be improved
Moving on to the cons, the MultiClean Allergen Lift Off Pet Slim’s power was a bit low.
Suction and airflow
Its airflow at the head was slightly above average, but all other suction and airflow metrics, such as sealed suction airflow at the hose and unsealed suction, tended to be below average.
However, these lower scores were partially due to its larger front gates that we mentioned as a pro above. These gates allow it to perform better with debris pickup, especially on hard floors, because when the vacuum has larger holes to take in larger debris it also lets in more air, thereby reducing its seal.
Similarly, it didn’t score well at all with the crevice pickup test because of these larger gates.
Bin size, cord length, and handle
Both its cord length and bin size are a little bit below average, but not particularly noticeable. One negative thing was that we wish the handle could detach from the wand like many other vacuums we have tested can. With this upright, you have to take the handle and wand off and then use attachments directly connected to the hose.
Should you buy the Bissell MultiClean Allergen Lift Off Pet Slim?
The Bissell MultiClean Allergen Lift Off Pet Slim is impressive. Though we would consider it a mid-level price range vacuum, it scored well above average with its Vacuum Wars Score at 9.3. The next closest Bissell scored an 8.8, which is also the average score for all the upright vacuums that we’ve tested.
For this reason, and as we said earlier, this is the best Bissell upright that we have tested. We highly recommend the MultiClean Allergen Lift Off Pet Slim whether you have mostly hard floors or carpets, and no matter how many pets you have or how long their hair is. We think this upright will serve you well.
The Bissell MultiClean Allergen Lift-Off Pet Slim is available online, including at the retailer(s) below.
