 "The is one Mean, Steam machine!" | 2010-03-15 |
| - Reviewed By James J. Langdeaux |
This carpet clean is great! I research the crap out of everthing before I buy, so I was skeptical. I cleaned the living room floor first (we just built our home 6 months ago- we have three small children) I could not believe our new carpet could be so dirty.
I would swear they sabotaged the machine and hid dirty in it... Nope, this mahine really cleans that well. I was so excited I had to call my sister! I am not going to go over the pros and cons- other wonderful people have done this for you alreasy. I am just going to say if you purchase this machine, you will not be dissapointed. I have had NO problems with leaking like others have reported, and the craftsmanship seems of good quality to me. |
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| "Totally amazing vs Bissell Pro-Heat2" | 2010-03-12 |
| - Reviewed By Ryan D. Helme |
I had a bissell pro-heat 2 for years that would leave the carpets soaking wet. I always wondered how come so much water was put down and how come so little water came back. I try to think back when I first got it, if it was always this way or just because it is older.
Now on to my review. Before starting the cleaning, I used my vacuum and went over the room until I basically had no more pet hair or dirt coming up. This took quiet along time, but I wanted to make sure that my deep cleaner was cleaning deep stuff and not shallow dog hair and other junk. Finally when I got to that point, I pulled the machine out of the box, followed the directions for assembly, and within 10 minutes it was full of cleaner, hot water and ready to go.
This thing is amazing. It cleans so deep and so well, I was amazed at the dirt that was pulled from the carpets, especially by the entry way. When I say the water was black I mean it was black and when I emptied the water from the dirty container you could actually see and feel the black sludge left over in the dirty container, it was like mud. This machine really can clean VERY deep. The second thing that amazed me was the ratio water that you put down, to what was pulled back up. I took time to measure it and it was very close with very little water left down in the carpet. Compared to the Bissell I had and the carpet companies that come over and clean and put everything up and tell you give the carpet 24 hours to dry, this Hoover is utterly astonishing. I followed the directions to a "T" with how to do the wet and dry strokes and it out performed even my best expectations.
Don't think you have to empty the carpet cleaner chemical after every use, but doing so with the water is a must since this one does not have a water heater like the bissell and needs hot water. As long as the carpet chemicals do not contain any methylated chemicals, the seals will hold out just fine and you can keep it in there. What I would recommend though is that you get a water filter that you can put on your faucet that acts like those Brita filter pitchers.... that way your hot water and those minerals don't leave deposits in the dispensing system after many uses, unless you plan on running some CLR through it on occasion to make sure that those chemicals don't cause issues. I have found that in the past with other carpet cleaners that the cleaner the water the longer this equipment will last.... I remember being able to buy bottled water by the gallon that was distilled and this would be the best water(hence my filter recommendation). I would hate to have to heat up distilled water by the gallon anyways...
Back to the review, this is the real deal, it cleans, and it leaves your carpets so dry I think you will be shocked that 10 minutes after you are done and the carpet is clean and you go to walk on it and to find out that its completely dry... not damp... DRY.
I would give this 110% rating compared to the other machines I have used.... Rug Dr, Bissell and now this.... this wins by a country mile.
********************BIG TIP BELOW FOR DOG/PET OWNERS*************************
BTW, I read the reviews about dog hair getting stuck down in the pickup and how to get it out... this may sound funny but I recommend that you pick up one of those "Turbo Snake" as seen on TV deals.. its promoted by Anthony Sullivan the partner of the late Billy Mays.... I use the sink one to go in from the accessory plug and push down and it pull that hair right out, leave the thing like brand new... So far that has been the most easy way to get 'er done.
Found her on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Turbo-Snake-Original-Units-Included/dp/B002JA5R7U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1268416702&sr=1-1
******************* END DOG/PET TIP :-) **************************** |
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 "It does have problems, but it really cleans" | 2010-03-10 |
| - Reviewed By JujubeMBA from USA |
This is the second of these I've owned. The first one lasted about 7 years between two households. It was really beaten up for the last couple, but it still worked enough to clean the floors.
The problems:
1. On my old one, the plastic on the tanks grew very brittle and started cracking. The handle broke off of the bottom tank and could not be put back on.
2. The tool caddy is flimsy, ill-attached, and pretty much useless. Falls right off with use.
3. Replacement reparts are ridiculously expensive. Might as well buy a new one instead. This is what I did, though I could have managed okay with my old one (the motor worked fine) if I could have just replaced the tanks--but for over $100 that was a dumb idea.
4. It's very heavy. That's probably a necessary for a well-cleaning item, but it does make it tiring to use.
The design has not been improved over the years. The problems of the old version are the same problems of the current version. There are enough minor changes, such as the way the caps thread, to keep parts from being interchangeable, but it's the same machine.
NONETHELESS. This thing cleans. It more than pays for itself over its lifetime, particularly if you split the cost with a friend or family member and share the machine. Even if you can't, it will give extra life to your carpet and avoid the cost of a professional cleaning. I have two small children and two cats, and this thing takes a room with nasty carpet and makes it look lovely. It takes me about an hour to clean a room, most of which time is spent filling and emptying the tanks. The spin-scrub setting works nicely for cleaning laminate flooring.
In spite of the negatives (which I really really wish Hoover would fix), this is a very useful and cost-effective unit. It isn't perfect, but it's easy to use and gives you clean floors. |
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 "Hoover Steam Vac arrived broken" | 2010-03-08 |
| - Reviewed By A2 Leo from Ann Arbor, MI United States |
| I purchased this carpet cleaner as a gift and it was quite embarrassing to get a call that the unit arrived broken and was leaking badly. I have purchased hundreds of items from Amazon and this is the first time that anything arrived damaged. Now we will see how the return process works. |
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| "Cleans like a champ" | 2010-03-07 |
| - Reviewed By Happy from RS, Texas |
Used first time yesterday. Absolutely terrific suction. I moved furniture back in place quite soon -- it really picks up water. I cleaned it afterward except for the nozzle. If it can break -- I will break it -- so I left the nozzle alone since it wasn't clogged. Emptying the return water tank before it gets full should solve some of the weight problem I noticed. The brushes came out for cleaning handily and went back on easily. The return tank is so much easier to clean than my old Bissell. I could see that from the pictures and was one of the reasons I chose this machine. It seems a shame everything is plastic in today's world, but weight IS a consideration, so I'll be careful with mine.
The crud that accumulated in the return tank was truly gross as others have commented. I'll be running it again soon as recommended in the user's manual. It makes sense not to totally saturate the carpet, although I'd bet that the suction would still pick up most of the water.
Money well spent.
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 "Astoundingly bad product" | 2010-03-07 |
| - Reviewed By Kerri A. Hicks from Rhode Island, US |
I have read the other reviews of this product, and I have to say, I am FLABBERGASTED that anyone could actually LIKE this thing. I am a generous person, and I like to give people (and products) the benefit of the doubt. So I will begin by highlighting the one good thing about this carpet cleaner -- it has excellent suction. That's right, it sprays water/solution on the carpet, and it sucks it back up with abandon -- so much so that when I was done with a room, I went back to where I'd started in that room, and the carpet was already pretty much dry. So that's good.
But that's not the only thing that "sucks" about this bucket of bolts.
After just a couple of rooms, the "spin brush" broke. Something must have snapped inside, because the brush nearly fell out -- could no longer make contact with the hole that spins, so the brushes just sit there. Well, OK, I needed to finish cleaning my carpets, I have company coming over. So I got my little Bissell 1716B Spotlifter Powerbrush Handheld Deep Cleaner (I LOVE THAT THING), and cleaned up the obvious dirty areas. Then I used the Hoover to do a basic water clean without the scrubbing.
Mounting the tank is an enormous pain (trying to line up the two spigots, and then get them planted right, and THEN try to get the top to lock in place? Are you KIDDING ME?) I actually ended up spilling/dripping out of the thing MORE cleaner than I ended up using! So if you are unfortunate enough to be cursed with this machine, don't put the solution in until AFTER you mount the tank. You'll save yourself plenty. There's no feedback, no guides, no nothing to help you put the tank in right. GAH. I got cleaning solution all over my hands, and it BURNS. So don't be stupid like me and Hoover, wear gloves.
The thing is heavy. I mean heavy. Feels like 30 pounds EMPTY, so imagine with a half gallon or more of water in it how much it weighs. The handle is uncomfortable and unpadded -- I'm typing right now with a big blister where my pinky meets my hand, because of the pushing and pulling of this cruddy thing. The weight is a bit unbalanced, too, between the top and the bottom, and it makes it feel -- I don't know if rickety is the right word, but it kind of bounces. Like it's not well put together, not well engineered.
Heaven forfend you might have to pause in the middle of cleaning -- you'll wind up with a giant blurp of cleaner and scum on the floor under the machine. So move it to a hard, easily cleaned floor, or put a towel under it, or something. And the whole "SteamVac" thing is a HUGE LIE. There is no "steam" going on here at all. To have "steam" you have to have water vapor. To get water vapor, you have to have boiling water. You aren't allowed to put water in here any hotter than 140 degrees F. And the machine doesn't heat it. As such, THERE IS NO STEAM. Sorry about, you know, PHYSICS, Hoover, but that ain't steam, it's just hot water.
All this, and it doesn't even have a cord reel. Sigh. Can someone recommend to me a GOOD carpet cleaner? |
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Expedited Available
