Steam cleaning is not a quick five minute process. Yet, if you want to save thousands on replacing carpeting in your house, it is a necessary evil.

I purchased this vacuum over a year ago. The steam vacuum is very easy to fill. Simply press a lever on the front and remove the 1 gallon container, add the desired amount of cleaner and mix with water. Once you are done cleaning, you can lay the upright section fully backwards, pull two levers and the dirt collection tank can be removed and cleaned.

Operational Tips
Preclean Floor With A Dyson Animal
If you do this it will keep from cleaning the steam vacuum more than necessary, give the carpet a good cleaning with a strong regular vacuum first.

Patience
The most important thing to say about this vacuum is that you need to keep in mind at all times how to operate it. If you use it improperly, you could be creating a bigger mess than you started with. Since water is involved, it is very easy to over treat the surface being cleaned. To much water on a carpet could make mold and mildew grow in the padding beneath creating a musty smell in the room.

Can you just use water?
Imagine it's halftime during the Superbowl and one of your guests just spilled some beer on your carpet. The Hoover Steamvac can pick up the mess but you have no cleaning solution for it. I am happy to report that the vacuum will clean with just hot water but for those really bad stains you should use the recommended cleansing solutions.

Tile Floor Performance 3/5 stars
The scrub brushes remove collected dirt between tiles, saving hours in backbreaking mopping. The problem is that the vacuum does not get all the water so you must dry it with a towel. I only use hot tap water when cleaning tile floors.

Area Rug Performance 3/5 stars
The steam vac does pull dirt from area rugs. However, any hair in the rug is clumped into little hair balls. I am left wondering how much cleaning is yet to be done when this occurs. I make one steam pass and then pull up the dirt in three following passes. Any less and the area rug is left very damp. Even after three passes the rug is still moist to the touch. A few hours later, the rug does look better but the final appearance is not nearly as good as what this vacuum can do on pile carpet.

Pile Carpet Performance 4/5 stars
The Hoover Steam Vac is at home in pile carpet if used properly. The scrub brushes do wonders to old pile carpet. Take your time, using multiple vacuum passes to get all the water out of the carpet.

Couch / Auto Fabric 5/5 stars
Yes, you can steam clean the floorboards of your car and the cushions of your couch with the attachments. Try not to go overboard, the vacuum can only hold 1 gallon of water!

Needed Improvements
While newer models exist and the following problems should have been addressed, I feel it is important to highlight my concerns with this steam vac.
1) The vacuum does not pick up hair well. Stronger suction can fix this problem somewhat.
2) The vacuum's front suction cowling, after repeated use, collects dirt and hair on either side. To clean I must take out the water collection tank, unscrew a tiny philips bolt, carefully remove the cowling and scrub with hot water. You must do this if you are cleaning organic matter that may smell if the vacuum is left in storage.

Specs
Beltless
Heated cleaning
12 amp motor
Spin Scrub Brushes with three modes: Off, Low, High
Cord reach: 21'
Size: 44 x 19 x 12 inches

Summary
Landlords, RV owners, parents and pet owners are just a few of the people who could benefit from this steam vac. While it has its problems, I still think it is better than physically scrubbing floors all day. Expect to restore color and vitality to any carpet with this steamer! However, cleaning the vacuum itself is a time consuming process that could have been made easier with better design.

Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 150