Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I am extremely pleased with this carpet cleaner! I received it on the 29th and have been a carpet cleaning fool since then. The package arrived in great shape and all of the pieces were present. I was shocked at how easy it is to put together and get started: you literally only have to use one phillips head screw to attach the handle to the machine; everything else comes ready to go! I was cleaning my upstairs carpet within 10 minutes from pulling it out of the box. Several years ago I had a big Bissell machine, and it worked fine, but I was not crazy about the design or using it, and it gave out on me after 2 1/2 years of avg. monthly use. This Hoover is what I got to replace it. Things I love about this machine: 1. Its size & weight: it's about the same size as a large vacuum cleaner, so it's very easy to maneuver around furniture and other obstructions in the room. It's not much heavier than a large vacuum either, even with the water in the tank, so it's not a chore to push it and pull it around. The large wheels on the back really help with maneuverability. My old Bissell was so big and bulky and heavy that it really wasn't pleasurable to use, and I was exhausted after doing one regular-sized room (I'm a healthy 32-year-old woman). 2. The design: the design on this thing is spot on. Both the tanks are extremely easy to remove and reinstall on the machine. I absolutely LOVE the separate detergent compartment. One thing I hated on my old machine was that if I didn't use all of the water / detergent solution in the tank, then I had to toss it and I was therefore wasting carpet cleaning solution. With this Hoover, you can use all of the water, but still have detergent in the compartment, ready and waiting for the next time you need to use it! No waste! I love that the handle for the water / detergent tank is situated higher than the water fill hole, as I'm able to hold the tank and fill it with hot water from my tub faucet without getting any hot water on my hand. The dirty water tank is even better! You literally just lift it off the machine by the handle and then unscrew the cap to pour the contents in the toilet or down a drain. The handle is on top of the tank, and the pour hole is on the front bottom, so you just tilt it and the contents pour out - no accidental sloshes of filthy water on your hands! Also, I LOVE how the dirty tank and the spin head brush can be easily removed and cleaned and then reinstalled on the machine – no screwdriver required! 3. The features: wash / rinse switch, automatically adding detergent to water, upholstery hose and attachment… what’s not to love? I can literally use this machine in every room and on every upholstered / carpeted surface, including my cesspool minivan with 10-year-old carpet, lol (that’s NEXT weekend’s project!) 4. Its functionality: This puppy cleans REALLY well. I was shocked, honestly. The carpet in my bedroom, which hosts my husband and I, our 3-year-old son, and 3 dogs, has not been cleaned in several years and I was ready to tear it out and live on concrete if need be. With this machine, however, we will definitely get several more years out of this carpet before it will need to be replaced. I was stunned at how much crap I was pulling out of the carpet simply with hot water. Seriously… Clean carpet angels singing from the heavens. My husband kept hearing squeals of glee coming from carpeted rooms and didn’t quite know what to make of it. Dirt, dog hair, other dog-related things that I didn’t and don’t want to see… With the wash / rinse switch, you can go over an area several times with clean water to pull out the "easy" stuff before you start using the detergent, which really helps to limit the amount of detergent you use. I will outline my carpet cleaning strategy below. Things I don't love about this machine: 1. Really the only thing that I’m disappointed in is how small the water tank is. I feel like I’m constantly running back and forth to dump and refill the tanks. That’s both a bad thing and a good thing. Bad because it’s inconvenient, but good because that means there’s less hot water in the tank getting cold (as I don’t believe this model has an integrated heater for the water). It’s also a good thing because that’s less weight that you’re having to push and pull around. I feel like the water tanks are easy to lift and move around because they’re not so heavy with water. 2. The design of the dirty tank is such that there are several places inside where a little bit of dirty water can get trapped and will not pour out. You have to tilt it back and forth a couple of times to get most of it out. It’s not a big deal unless you’re OCD like me. Hoover DID, however, design the dirty tank so that it can be disassembled easily and every crevice rinsed out. 3. I feel like this machine uses a lot of detergent. I ordered a bottle of Bubba’s steam cleaner carpet solution (LOVE the smell and effectiveness of it), and I went through an entire bottle just in one room. I figured out that with using several passes of plain hot water to pull out the “easy” stuff, I can cut the detergent with ½ water and make it go twice as far and just as effective, so I’ll definitely be doing that in the future. 4. This is so minor, but I wish that they had positioned the wash / rinse switch in a more user-friendly location. You have to reach around the front of the machine to turn the knob. I feel like it would be better suited near the power button or other “easy” reach location. This is not really a “con”, per se, as I’m thrilled to have the switch regardless, but its location did interrupt my “flow” somewhat. In summary, the Pros FAR outweigh the minor Cons, and I am beyond thrilled with the results. I’m looking forward to years of service and clean carpet with this machine. I will likely be using it to simply “wet vacuum” (using only water) the carpet at least every month or so, especially in my son’s room, since it’s so easy to use. My carpet deep cleaning tips & strategy 1. Vacuum the carpet THOROUGHLY before you start carpet cleaning. I use the wand and the crevice tool to go along every edge and crevice to make sure I pick up anything and everything I can. 2. Use the hottest water you can get, but not boiling 3. Cut your cleaning solution ½ or so with water. The machine uses a lot, and if you’re like me and do multiple passes then it’s going to work just as well. 4. I added 2-3 small spoonfulls of Borax detergent booster to my clean water tank. Borax softens the water, so your detergent will work more effectively. It also helps to ensure that the carpet is “rinsed” well after you wash it. I did one section with Borax and one section without and there was a noticeable difference not only in the appearance of the carpet, but in its softness as well. The section on which I used Borax looks cleaner was softer than the section without it. If you do add Borax, add the powder to the tank before you add water, then fill it about halfway with water and shake / slosh the water around to be sure all of the powder is dissolved. 5. I used the BUBBA'S Super Steamer Carpet Cleaner 32 oz(Use 1 oz Per Gallon Of Water) and absolutely loved it. I feel like it worked better than other carpet solutions I’ve used in the past (major brands), and I love the fragrance. I’ll be curious to see how long the carpets stay looking clean, as many detergents leave behind a reside that over time attracts more dirt and grime to the carpet, making it look dingy and dirty sooner (so you’ll keep buying carpet cleaning solution…) 6. Before I switch the machine over to “wash”, I use at least full tank of clean water (with Borax) to dampen the area and pull out as much “easy” grime as possible. The detergent works better on pre-dampened carpet. I keep going over that area with water until it is coming out closer to clear. My carpet was so nasty that in one section I went over it 4 times with Borax water before I started using the detergent. 7. After going over the section with detergent, go over it at least one time (more is better) with Borax water again to be sure you pull all of the detergent out of the carpet. As I mentioned before, if you leave detergent on the carpet it will attract dirt and grime and make your carpet look dirty sooner. It will also dry and make your carpet feel “crispy,” not soft. 8. After you’ve done all of your “wet” passes, go back and forth over the area several times without pulling the trigger to suck as much water as you can out of the carpet – until you see very little water being sucked into the dirty tank. This obviously reduces the drying time, but also ensures that you’ve pulled out all of the detergent or other cleaner from the carpet and you’re left with soft, plush carpet underfoot.