Momma Has A New Toy -- Hoover SteamVac Widepath LS
Written: Jul 19 '01 (Updated Jul 22 '01)
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Pros: Six rotating brushes, great suction, upholstery attachment with rotating brushes
Cons: Price, Noisy
The Bottom Line: I highly recommend the Hoover SteamVac Widepath LS. If you can get past the cost, this is a great Steam Cleaner with many wonderful features.
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| loves2run's Full Review: Hoover F6024 SteamVac WidePath Upright Vacuum |
WHY I NEEDED A STEAM CLEANER
I ADMIT IT! I burned up the motor in my older model Bissell Steam Cleaner. I caught a string on the roller and before I knew it, there was smoke and then nothing. Big Oops!! When my husband came home that evening, I put on a pouty face and gave him the puppy eyes as I told him what I had done. He decided he would check it out and see what he could do to possibly repair it. Once he got it open, it wasn’t a pretty sight; burned wires and smoke charred parts. My husband pronounced it dead and told me we could try to find someone to do an overhaul on it, or we could buy a new one. I was never happy with this steam cleaner (that had nothing to do with burning the motor up, really! [smiling innocently]), the dirty water tank was a pain to take off and put on, plus it was hard to clean. The whole thing was a pain to use, the only reason we bought it in the first place was because it was on sale. We had white carpet in Hawaii, if you have never been to Hawaii then let me tell you white carpet and red clay/dirt do not go together. We needed a steam cleaner and it fit our budget, so we bought it. I told my husband I thought it was best we bought a new steam cleaner; you know how hard it is to find a good repairman for things like this! (another innocent smile)
SHOPPING AROUND
I wasn’t in a big hurry to find a replacement steam cleaner being a month or so after the Bissell went to steam cleaner heaven we moved into military housing. The carpets in the house we accepted had been cleaned prior to our moving in. Plus, my two children have been taught food and drinks stay in the kitchen or dining area, not in the living or bedrooms. Even though the carpets get dirty just from walking on them, I’ve never had to worry about Kool-Aid® stains or ground in potato chips. I was taking my time to decide what I wanted. I pretty much had my mind set on a Hoover® because of the rotating brushes, I was just deciding on which model I wanted and hoping to find a sale.
NO TIME TO WAIT FOR A SALE
A little over a month after moving into housing, we decided we would like to adopt a puppy. We have an 11 year-old Doxie and he was so much more energetic when my sister-in-law would bring her Lab-Mix to play with him. We went to the Humane Society and found an adorable 3 month-old Dalmatian-Lab-Mix. In case you were wondering, she has the looks of the Lab, however, three of her siblings looked like the Dalmatian. After adopting Peekaboo, we needed a steam cleaner and fast! I still find it funny how a puppy can mistake blue carpet for green grass! (LOL)
MOMMA’S NEW TOY
I bought the Hoover® SteamVac™ Widepath®™ LS Model. There were many reasons on making this choice, however, price was not one of them. This was one of the more expensive models, but I feel it has been money well spent. It cost $299.00 at my local Navy Exchange. I could not find this model at my local Wal-Mart or K-Mart. I did ask about another similar model, (Silver Model), I had seen at the other stores and the salesperson at the exchange told me they had ordered that model and was shipped this one instead, (the LS Model).
•Wider Than Most Models
As I said, there were many reasons for choosing this Hoover® SteamVac™ Widepath™ LS Model, one was the fact it was wider than most models. It has six rotating brushes whereas the Silver Model only had five. This steam cleaner would clean a wider area, thus saving me time when cleaning the carpets.
•Rotating Brushes
I really like the idea of rotating brushes instead of a roller brush. I figured there would be less chances of getting something wrapped around a brush and burning up the motor!
Tanks
The clean solution and recovery tanks are both a breeze to remove and replace. Not to mention the recovery (dirty water tank) is extremely easy to clean once you are done. The opening is nice and big so that it is easy to rinse completely out. No leaving dirt behind in this tank.
Upholstery/Stair/Scrubber Attachment
Another feature that really impressed me was the upholstery attachment. It has rotating brushes, it also has a scrubber pad that you can change out with the brushes to clean dried spills on your floor or scuff marks. All attachments have a place on the SteamVac™ itself, so no need to find extra storage space for these. I found they stay where they are suppose to when using the steam cleaner. I wasn’t constantly putting attachments back on the machine as I was cleaning. With my Bissell, I would waste time replacing them till I finally gave up and just took them off.
Clean Surge Button
There is a special button on the Hoover® that allows you to dispense extra solution to your high traffic areas, the “Clean Surge Button”. Quite simple to use and it works well. I just use this in lieu of pretreating.
Bare Floors
This steam cleaner can also be used to on bare floors, (however not for use on hardwood floors), or to pick up spills.
There were so many things I really liked about this Hoover® SteamVac™ that the high price just didn’t seem to matter.
ASSEMBLY
I personally was not responsible for assembling the Hoover® SteamVac™ Widepath™ , I let my husband have the honor. It seemed to me that he was able to put it together fairly easy and it was ready to use within 30 minutes.
INSTRUCTION MANUAL
The Hoover® SteamVac™ Widepath™ LS Model comes with a complete instruction manual with instructions printed in English, Spanish and French. The manual explains all the parts and how they work. It also gives instructions on how to fill the solution tank with solution and water along with explaining how to clean not only the recovery tank but the lint filter screen and also the nozzle. You will also find instructions on the correct way to use the steam cleaner on your floors, carpet, stairs and upholstery.
OTHER NOTEWORTHY FEATURES
On/Off Pedal and Handle Release Pedal
The on/off pedal is located in on the bottom on the left side of the unit where you can easily turn it on and off with your foot. You will find the handle release pedal is the same area just on the opposite side of the steam cleaner.
Cleaning Mode Indicator
The Hoover® SteamVac™ Widepath™ comes with a cleaning mode indicator on the unit. It tells you if you are set for “floor” (includes carpet) or “tool” (tool is when you are using the upholstery/stair/scrubber attachment). I guess I didn’t read the instructions as thoroughly as I thought because the first time I went to use it, I couldn’t figure out how to switch it from tool to carpet. I pulled the manual back out and read the information under this feature again. ”Deep Cleaner Automatically diverts solution from FLOOR to TOOL when handle is raised from the operating to the upright position.” In other words, if you are using the Upholstery Attachment as I was, once you are through with the attachment and return it to its storage area on the steam cleaner and depressed the Handle Release Pedal it automatically changed to “floor”.
Recovery Tank Automatic Shut Off
This SteamVac™ automatically shuts off the deep cleaner suction when the Recovery Tank is full. You will notice the reduction in suction and know it is time to empty the tank. Keeps the guesswork out of it.
Brush Speed Selector
You get three agitator brush settings with this steam cleaner, Hi, Lo and Off. You would use Hi to do a normal cleaning of your carpets or bare floors, Lo is to do a gentle cleaning of your carpets and floors, and Off is when you want to clean carpets or floors with out using the brushes. You have to manually change the Brush Speed to the setting of your choice before you start to clean.
Clean Solution Tank/Measuring Cup
The cap on the Clean Solution Tank is also a measuring cup so that you can pour in the correct amount of solution for the job you are doing.
Not a Feature, But Noteworthy
I have noticed using this SteamVac™ that my carpets are dry within an hour. Do not think it is because I am going lightly on the water/solution, because I saturate the carpets, this machine has a great suction system! You can actually see the water/solution as it is being sucked up into the recovery tank. It is quite impressive.
WHAT I DON’T LIKE
Potential Waste
With the Hoover® SteamVac™ Widepath®™ LS Model Steam Cleaner, the solution is mixed with the water right from the start. With my Bissell, it had a separate container for the solution and it got mixed with the water as you cleaned. If by chance you had solution left over, you could pour it back into the bottle and not waste it. With the Hoover®, once you fill the solution tank you have to hope you use it all or take the chance on wasting solution.
Noise
This SteamVac™ is noisy. The sound almost reminds me of a siren on a police car. The first time I used it, I was constantly turning it off to go look out the door to see what was going on outside. It finally dawned on me after doing this several times and seeing nothing that it was the steam cleaner.
WAS IT WORTH THE MONEY
Yesssss!!!! I am extremely pleased with my Hoover® SteamVac™ Widepath™ LS Model Steam Cleaner. It does a wonderful job of getting puppy urine stains out of carpet along with the normal dirt from everyday walking on it. It is extremely easy to use and the carpets look great weeks after using it. I personally did not pretreat any of the stains before using the steam cleaner and all the stains came out the first try. My carpets are dry within an hour after cleaning which is something that I appreciate. Never fails, when you have wet carpets, the one item you need is across the room, so you either have to wait or walk on the wet carpet. I am happy to say, Peekaboo is now completely housebroken, so the steam cleaner is not being used quite as often as before.
I have not used it on bare floors as of yet. So I cannot attest as to how well it will do on those.
RECOMMENDATION
I highly recommend the Hoover® SteamVac™ Widepath™ LS Model. I have since gone back to Wal-Mart and have seen these in the store. I did not take a notice of the price there though. I am truly satisfied with this product and have told everyone I know how wonderful it is. Matter of fact, my sister-in-law just purchased one and she too highly recommends it!
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 299.99
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Epinions.com ID:
loves2run
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Member: Donna
Location: Texas
Reviews written: 84
Trusted by: 189 members
About Me:
Wife, Mother, Mary Kay Independent Beauty Consultant, Volunteer, Avid Reader
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