Hoover's SteamVac Gives You Super Clean Carpets With Quick Dry Time!

I had a Sears's canister steam cleaner for 12 years before buying the Hoover SteamVac Widepath model F5914-900. When cleaning the carpet with the Sear's canister, you would yank on the hose to bring the tank closer as you clean, and the tank would tip then start spewing dirty water out through the top. I finally had enough and felt I got my $375 worth out of it and researched on the latest SteamVacs. After all, having 4 dogs, 2 cats, and 2 teenagers, I had to have a carpet cleaner. I decided that an upright would be a better choice but I was concerned about the small cleaning solution and dirty water tanks after having large tanks with the Sears, but I decided to go for it since the hot water you fill the tank with doesn't stay hot for long with a big canister anyway.

I am not a mechanically inclined person, but for once, I was able to actually assemble a product, the Hoover SteamVac without my husband's help and it actually worked!

I immediately started cleaning the carpet and became excited to see how easy it was to use and how quickly the carpets started drying. With the Sear's canister, it took 24 hours for my carpets to dry; however, with the Hoover SteamVac the extraction of the dirty water is so much more powerful that it only took a few hours for my carpets to dry.

I was amazed that my biggest concern of the small tanks was alleviated because they are small and easier to carry to the sink than that of a large canister. I get approximately 10 minutes of running time before have to refill. No matter what part of the carpet I cleaned, it always shock me to see just how dirty my carpets were when I kept emptying the dirty water tank.

The Hoover SteamVac has 6 rotating brushes with 2 brush speed selections. The motor is 12 amps. It also has a Clean Surge button for areas that need extra solution. The unit also comes with an upholstery/stair tool which I also use to steam clean my carpets and upholstery in the SUV's; a power hand scrubbing tool that you use to clean stubborn small areas or stairs and a bare floor attachment. All the tools have their special place to fit on your Hoover SteamVac and the cord is 24 feet long. It also came with a bottle of the detergent.

After use, cleaning the Hoover SteamVac takes about 5 minutes. The plastic hood does not come off like the power head of my canister did and the manual says to use the unit on a bare floor to remove the debris that collects in it, however, this method does not work, so I still need to buy the special nozzle clean out tool that costs $1.00 plus $4.50 for shipping if you buy through Hoover Company's parts department. Hoover should have provided this little device, especially since it only retails for a dollar. I bought my unit on-line so I didn't know that it needed this little device. So, make sure you buy one, as you will need it. The part number is 39514001 and is called "Nozzle Clean-Out Tool".

Tips: 1) Make sure you don't tip this machine when the tanks have water in them or water will leak out onto the floor; 2) Try to use as hot of water as you can since hot water cleans better than lukewarm water and don't fill it until you are ready to use it. Remember, as with most units, it does not keep the water heated. 3) You don't have to use Hoover's cleaning solution; I buy mine at Home Depot called Zep for carpet extractors and for a gallon I paid $6.99 about 1/2 the price of Hoover's and I have not noticed any difference in it's cleaning abilities; 4) Hoover makes several models of these units. If you have a mid-size to large areas to clean, I would suggest getting a wide path cleaner to save time.

Update 8/30/02: I still love my Hoover steamvac and use it constantly. I bought the special Nozzle clean-out tool at the Hoover store. It cost $2.00. It is a flat piece of vinyl with a "T" at one end. You take the tool and slide it up into your water extraction hood slot and bring out all the collected debris. It cleaned it all out very well.

I also found myself using the steam vac a lot on our vehicles carpets and upholstery. It's been a real money saver and still works great!

This appliance is warranted for 1 year for parts and labor for domestic use.

Update Feb. 2, 2008

The hose inside the unit which is seen when you lower the steamvac down lengthwise now has a hole in which I have duct taped it and it is working fine. Other than that this unit has gotten alot of workouts and still operates beautifully.