How Clean are your Carpets? Take the BISSELL White Sock Test to Find Out! {BISSELL Lift-Off Deep Cleaning System Review}

Considering the amount of dirt that my kids track in and out of our house, the way that they seem to have yet to meet a meal that doesn't result in just as much of it on the floor as in their mouths, and the uncanny way that crayons and markers manage to fall tip-side down, it's pretty safe to say that our floors have seen better days.

It seems that no matter what I do, there continue to be spots and stains appearing on the hardwood and carpet throughout the day. As much as I'd like to say that I immediately get down and start scrubbing them... it just doesn't happen. From the mud to the glue to the jelly, most any mom can agree that stain-fighting is a full-time job.

But... just how dirty is my carpet? Do I really want to know?

Thanks to BISSELL, the experts in clean, it was time to find out by taking their White Sock Test.

Just as the iconic white glove test instantly detects dust on hard surfaces, BISSELL's White Sock Test exposes the unseen dirt that is lurking in carpets. This simple, at-home, do-it-yourself method can quickly and easily test your carpet cleanliness and help you see that vacuuming just isn't enough to clean carpets thoroughly.

After hearing the description, I took a look at this video by BISSELL and found myself even more inspired...


Along with being inspired, I was intrigued (and also a big concerned over what I might find) and ready to put our carpets to the test. After all, we replaced some of our dirtiest carpet with hardwood in our last house remodel, but that still left the rest of the house. But, really. How badly could our hallway, bedrooms and stairs fail this test? They receive foot traffic, but not that much – and not usually with shoes.

With my confidence slightly renewed, Little Sister B and Big Sister E donned our sparkling clean white BISSELL socks and decided to hit up the stairs. As the instructions for the White Sock Test couldn't have been easier – put on a white pair of socks, wet them, and then cut loose dancing The Twist on the carpet for 30 seconds – we were eager to get our groove on and see what happened.

These two are always up for an excuse to show off their dance moves!

After 30 seconds of our best twisting and turning moves, I sat them both down to see just what our white socks would reveal about the state of our carpet.

The results? Oh, yes. They spoke for themselves.

Eeeew!

Now that I have seen for myself that vacuuming alone does leave dirt lurking in my carpets, I can see why the experts at BISSELL recommend a deep cleaning at least twice a year. Even more for homes with pets, children, people with allergies or smokers, as those should deep clean more frequently – about four times a year.

While hiring professionals can end up quite costly, BISSELL has a great selection of Carpet Deep Cleaners that can provide the results you're looking for anytime you want them. As I was thoroughly disgusted by the amount of dirt that was clearly sitting in my carpets, I was more than ready to pull out the BISSELL Lift-Off Deep Cleaning System and let it work some magic.

Providing two machines in one, the BISSELL Lift-Off Deep Cleaning System is a combination upright deep cleaner for entire rooms and a portable spot cleaner for hard-to-reach areas together in one convenient machine. Whether you're focusing on the carpet in your dining room, the upholstery in your living room, or are looking for a way to be prepared for all of those unexpected messes that happen in life, this is one cleaner that can do it all.

Knowing that we had a long list of places that needed a deep cleaning, I pulled the pieces to the Lift-Off Cleaner out of the box and was ready to get to work.

Any initial concerns that I had about a complicated or time-consuming assembly quickly dissipated when I saw that the Lift-Off Cleaner came nearly completely put together! After inserting the handle into the base and tightening the screws, I was ready to remove any dirt and grime hidden in my carpets.

Right away it was easy to see that the 12 rows of 2X DirtLifter Powerbrushes and the built-in hot water heater (which heats the water as well as the cleaning solution) were features that would easily maximize the overall cleaning performance of the Lift-Off Cleaner.

While the upright base includes Surround Suction for powerful edge-to-edge floor cleaning, the ability to lift off the removable spot cleaner is a brilliant idea on BISSELL's part. I knew that deep cleaning our stairs wouldn't be an issue and I already had my sights set on the interior of our cars, not to mention the ground-in spots on our couch.

I was able to simply lift this portable, lightweight portion by the carry handle and bring it right to the stairs to get started. The long, flexible hose and 3" Tough Stain attachment made it easy to do spot and stain cleaning, not to mention made it possible to get into every last hard-to-reach area there was.

Using the BISSELL Lift-Off Deep Cleaning System really couldn't be much easier and I love seeing it spray, scrub and suction my carpets and upholstery clean! Whether pulling it out for regular cleanings or just having it on hand for the accidental spills, there is really no need to pay an overpriced cleaner to come into my home again. This Deep Cleaner retails for $259.99, but will easily have paid for itself after one use!

In fact, after seeing the results of our first BISSELL White Sock Test, I decided to give it a second try once we had used the Lift-Off Cleaner to check the difference. Pulling on one more pair of crisp white socks, the girls once again did The Twist, but this time at the end of 30 seconds we found...

Those clean white socks are exactly what I want to see!

How clean are your carpets? BISSELL is letting you in on the action of the White Sock Test as well and giving you the opportunity to win some great prizes for doing so... did someone say $15,000 Home Makeover?

That's right! Visit the BISSELL White Sock Test contest page on Facebook and upload a photo from your own White Sock Test to be entered to win a $15,000 makeover for your home. Remember, all you have to do is get a clean white sock, wet it, and then find the most "lived upon" area of your carpet do The Twist for 30 seconds. Snap a photo showing what your sock looks like afterward and you'll be set to enter!

But that's not all. BISSELL is also hosting an Instant Win Game for a chance to win home cleaning products such as this great Lift-Off Deep Cleaner, a SpotBot Pet, $25 Visa gift cards and more. There are no photos required for this portion, simply sign in every day (yes! Enter daily!) between now and June 10th, click to send your virtual BISSELL cleaning and you'll be entered to win!

When it comes to clean, no one knows more than BISSELL! For more details about their White Sock Test and accompanying contests, visit BISSELL on Facebook. To learn more about their innovative, high quality deep cleaning products, visit www.bissell.com.

(I was provided with a Lift-Off Deep Cleaning System for review and was compensated by BISSELL for my participation in their White Sock Test. However, all thoughts and opinions expressed are honest and my own.)