Hoover SteamVac Carpet Cleaner with Clean Surge, F5914-900
by Hoover
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List Price: Our Price: $139.83 You Save: $40.16 (22%) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Category: Home See more product details |
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of Hoover SteamVac Carpet Cleaner with Clean Surge, F5914-900
Customer Review: Great for its price! -comparing to Rug Doctor
Summary: 5 Stars
This is the first steam vac I own. We used to rent a Rug doctor so I just like to compare it with Rug Doctor. We were thinking of buying Rug Doctor because it cleaned pretty good and it was the only steam vac we tried.(We didn't know anything about other carpet cleaner) I'm so glad I didn't spend over $400 for that.
1. No matter how great the vac is, it should be easy to use so I can grab and use it immediately. My idea of steam cleaning the carpet is "Do it often". It is just like laundry. If you leave stain on your clothes too long, it is very hard to remove it.
This Steamvac is easy and light(very important for me) to use. It is Way lighter than Rug Doctor. I'm small(5feet and 100lb). It is almost impossible to carry Rug Doctor to up-down stairs and even 2 steps down out to our garage. This Steamvac is much lighter and I can carry it fine.
3. Hand tool is easier to use. After I used Rug Doctor hand tool, my whole hands and fingers were sore because I had to grab the lever tight. If you used it, you know what I mean. This steamvac's hand tool is very easy to use and easy to grab to steam clean the stairs and couch....I spent a lot of time to clean the car mats and I felt fine.
Connecting the hose challenged me at first. I couldn't figure it out but it was actually very simple.
4. Less Noisier. I wouldn't say super quiet (well....it can't be.) but it is definitely better.
5. When I used it for the first time, I forgot to set the brush to "power scrub" and left it on "spill pick up" . So the Steamvac just sprayed hot water+ detergent and immediately picked it up. When I saw the water, I was very impressed.-brown water! (We don't wear shoes in the house and I vacuum the floor pretty often!)
And then later I found out what I had done. So the second time, I used "power brush" and it did impress me.
I cleaned our car mats with hand tool power brush and the water was BLACK like coca cola. It was kind of embarrassing. (I have 4 kids)
So I would recommend this Steamvac for many reasons. I know Hoover has more Steam Vac with all kinds of different functions but I think the more functions they have the higher chances they break down.
This Steam Vac is simple but good enough to clean carpet.
There is one thing I like to tell HOOVER though.
I spent A LOT OF TIME to research and found out that there were millions of model numbers for the pretty much same Steam Vacs. I don't understand why Hoover made it so confusing. Their model numbers were exactly the same except the last digit or last 2 digits. So they look different but they were all the same.
Anyway, Now I don't set a day for steam cleaning but just grab my Steam Vac and clean my carpet. For $130, it is worth it.
Customer Review: FIVE-STAR VETERAN ENDORSEMENT
Summary: 5 Stars
In January 2000, I bought an earlier version of this HooverŽ SteamVac and it has been one of the most reliable appliances I've ever owned. Back then I even purchased an extended warranty for it, but could have saved on that expense, because the carpet cleaner NEVER SKIPPED A BEAT while being routinely used 5-6 TIMES A YEAR FOR TEN YEARS. I started it up a month ago to do some spot cleaning, and while it still works, the suction would automatically shut off when the recovery tank was only half full. I also could not locate the source of a tiny drip that occurred when it was not running. Finally, it seemed as if the suction was not as strong as it once was. Wow, after A DECADE of faultless service, it was time to replace my beloved carpet cleaner that was finally showing its age.
So I wasn't surprised to see the overwhelming consumer praise for this descendent of my old HooverŽ model on Amazon, and its #1 position as their best-selling carpet steamer. I shopped around, but with free shipping couldn't find a better deal than Amazon. I ordered it on Friday and rec'd it the following Wednesday - fast. It comes partially assembled and I assembled the rest in about 15 minutes - very easy. I put it to work right away and was WELL PLEASED with its performance. There are a few design changes and some functional improvements to my old one - most notable is the more powerful suction. Writing this review two hours later, the carpet is nearly dry.
As a veteran HooverŽ SteamVac user I whole-heartedly endorse this carpet cleaner, and can offer these suggestions for best results:
>> As Hoover suggests, be sure to vacuum your carpet very well before you start cleaning them. Loose fibers, pet hair and other debris will visibly hang up in hood. No doubt this will interfere with the overall performance. I didn't bother vacuuming once and had to fish the debris out of the hood with a pipe cleaner - lesson learned
>> Keep up with the carpet cleaning - it's just easier. I don't clean ALL my carpets all the time - I do a lot of spot/traffic cleaning. I've tried to take short cuts and use spray cleaners on small spots and have noticed that the solution residue left behind after it dries is like a dirt magnet. It's just so easy to bring out your carpet cleaner and really pull the spots OUT as opposed to just re-arranging them in the carpet.
>> Use a genuine pre-treatment/spot solution (if needed). I used ResolveŽ spray carpet/spot cleaner once to pre-treat spots and heavy traffic areas, and was shocked to see the foamy suds it created in the recovery tank. No harm done, but another lesson learned. Invest in Hoover's spot and stain spray if you have some set-in stains or heavy traffic soil, but you'll be surprised what the regular cleaning solution will get out.
Customer Review: Excellent machine which demands some attention to detail
Summary: 4 Stars
We've owned the Steam Vac F5914 for just under two weeks now, and were somewhat nervous because of the presence of some very negative reviews here on Amazon. Rest assured, you who are deciding, this IS a worthwhile machine to purchase.
Assembly is not much of a chore, mainly snap together with a couple bolts to assemble. Accessories are acceptably contained on the rear of the machine and all the controls are in easy reach. Other reviewers mentioned, and it bears repeating, that when assembling the upright and solution controls, you really need to press down firmly on the triggers. . . you have to engage their gaskets properly or it will leak. Some folks report hearing an audible, even startling "CLICK" sound, tho we did not. May be slight manufacturing differences between units.
Clean solution tank is a breeze, simply fill, close and snap in place (As an aside, 2T of oxy clean in the tank makes a fine carpet cleaning solution, for considerably less money than the branded solution)
The recovery tank is where people get in trouble. In order to create suction, there must to be proper seal on several gaskets. . . if your hoover seems not to be picking up solution, trust me. . . 9 out of 10, you have the pick up tank together wrong. Pay special attention to the little interface tube at the front. . . this is designed to allow the tank to pull from the floor nozzle, or to swivel out of the way and let you put the upholstery hose in place. . . it is EASY to have slightly out of alignment if you don't know to check for it. 1/4 of an inch off, and there's no suction.
Do not let this dissuade you however, once you know what to look for, it is second nature to push everything in place. Once the suction is properly working, the recovery capacity is AMAZING on this unit. The floor extraction pulls over 90% of the solution back up, and our carpets dried in under an hour. (it IS winter, and we use a woodstove, so the air is quite dry)
The upholstery attachment pulls less solution back, due to a combination I suspect of the more porous nature of couches, and the smaller suction nozzle. Scrubbing works very well however, and you get 2 attachment ends to choose from. Again, make sure you have the hose connected correctly to the recovery tank, or your suction will lack.
Though I am waiting for the bare floor attachment still, the unit also does an excellent job on bare floors as is. Scrubbing cleans muck well, and a slow pass gets our tile entry nearly dry. (available online, look for part 90001331, check http://search.store.yahoo.net/cgi-bin/nsearch?catalog=buyitnow64&query=90001331)
Good price, good features, good performance, demands attention to detail. WELL worth your money.
Customer Review: Does professional job and dries in only 3 hrs but cheaply made
Summary: 4 Stars
I purchased this hoover steam vac a few weeks ago. It was easy to assemble out of the box. It really does an incredibly amazing job at cleaning my carpet. The carpet looks brand new after cleaning. Even though I regularly vaccum, it picked up tons of black water out of my carpet. Scary. I was most impressed by how the machine is able to suck up 90% of the water and how the carpet is completely dry in no more than 3 hours later. That is even faster then most professionals. Plus it is really cheap. Also the brushes are not too rough on my carpet, even in full speed. To clean one room though be prepared to empty the dirty water tank 3-4 times and to fill the clean solution tank twice. I found that it pays to do another run with clean water to pick up remaining dirt as the manual suggests. The manual is OK but does not do a good job in explaining how to properly close the dirty solution tank and how to attach the hand held cleaner to the unit. It is kind of important to close the dirty solution tank correctly since failing to do so will cause the unit to not have suction.
I only gave it four out of five stars since it has a major disadvantage. It is very obvious that the machine is cheaply made. When I took it out of the box, I noticed that in the box a peice of plastic chipped off from the corner of the clean solution tank. It did not affect the function of the unit and I glued it back on. However, it should not have cracked off before it was even used. That is a sign that it was not built strong enough. Similarly, the locking mechanism that holds the machine straight up until you press a peddle to release it is not sturdy at all and has a good 2 inch give right out of the box. All parts are made out of plastic. Also, like many other reviewers noted, the machine leaks. It does not leak when the machine is on, but does so when the machine is off and you wish to put it away. I did the whole trigger locking proposal explained by the first reviewer but it does not work. If you try to turn the machine off and store it with the clean tank even partially full, in 10 minutes, you will noticed the contents slowly start to leak out of the bottom. You must store it with all tanks empty. Hoover secretely knows that this machine will slowly leak if you store it since in their manual they write that the machine must have all tanks emply before you put it away. This is also a sign that the machine is cheaply made since the seals are leaky. Despite these negative qualities, I highly recommend this machine to anyone wishing to clean their carpet since it does a professional job for very little money and is very easy to use. As long as you empty the tanks before you put it away and be gentle you should have no problems with the machine.
Customer Review: GREAT CARPET CLEANER!! REVIEW FROM AN ALLERGIC CLEAN-FREAK!
Summary: 5 Stars
I am a TOTAL clean freak! I have a housekeeper come clean my place one a week (just a 2 bed apartment) and I still clean ALL the time and am always buying and trying new products. You can eat off all my floors.
I just got this Hoover SteamVac from Amazon, after looking at the others and realizing that the smaller size is better for me than the larger Platinum one because I don't have a large house and a lot of room for storage.
Well I can't speak for the assembly because I'm totally clueless when it comes to that and I paid the maintenance man $20 in my building to put it together but it looked pretty easy.
Like I said, I'm a total clean freak and also highly, highly allergic to most pollen, trees, dust, cat dander, dogs etc. I also own the very best vacuum with a Hepa filter ($900 Miele Calisto). I noticed after I would get my carpets cleaned professionally once a month, after I vacuumed and changed my vacuum bags in my Miele they were full of fine white powder. I had no idea what this was and I realized it could ruin my vacuum's motor. I came to the conclusion, after researching on the web, this fine white dusty powder my vacuum was sucking up and sticking to the nozzle and everything was the carpet shampoo residue when it dried.
So I got this Hoover steam Vac and used only hot water with it, and WOW tons of shampoo, white frothy residue was in the dirty water tank when I was done. I hate, hate using alot of chemicals to clean, especially because I am allergic and I was shocked to see how much powdery crap was lodged in my carpet, especially since I clean my carpets professionally once a month. My carpets are basically spotless to begin with but now I plan on doing it myself with this Hoover Steam Vac using only very hot water. Next time I might add a little of the detergent that came with it but hot water also does the job. Try adding boiling hot water to the clean water tank if you want to kill more germs and dander in the carpets. You will be very happy with this machine and I'm happy I'm finally using no more chemicals to clean my carpets and having no more white residue I vacuum up after, which I'm sure is also bad for your lungs.
Also, I like the long cord length, and I used the machine for 15 min straight without having to refill it. Make sure you dry pass it backwards a few times though, to really get all the water out of the carpets. The carpets dried relatively fast as well. I can't speak for getting out any major stains, I didn't have any, but when I emptied out the hot water tank, lots of grey dirty water came out.
The price is very reasonable, considering it costs me $100 just to have my carpets cleaned once, and it comes with a bottle of carpet shampoo.