Mark_A.'s Full Review: Hoover F5411 SteamVac Jr. Canister Vacuum
Hoover's portable SteamVac Jr. represents their line of steam cleaners at the lower end of the price spectrum. This unit is meant for spot cleaning jobs and works fine on upholstery, but you will never do a whole carpet with this little guy, for that you will need an upright. The SteamVac Jr. is capable of good spot cleaning performance at an affordable price point. I will outline the features, strengths and weaknesses that I experienced while using this steam cleaner, and present the conclusions that I have drawn from them.
Features: This unit is a two canister, flexible hose steam cleaner that jets hot tap water from a nozzle that is positioned directly before the pick-up head. Its basic function is to jet hot, detergent laden water onto the work surface, and during the course of pick-up head travel, it removes most of the solution as well as dirt and suspended particles. As negative pressure is applied to the hose, water/detergent/soil is picked up by the head and travels up the hose to a manifold, where gravity separates it from the air flow and deposits it into a receptacle. Further filtration is provided by a foam solids separator that keeps foreign objects out of the impeller assembly. Detergent application is metered by a hand operated trigger on the lower side of the suction hose near the pick-up attachment. A four amp electric motor provides the negative pressure for water/dirt removal. The hose is about five feet long, and the unit features a generous power cord. The unit generally functions as advertised, and it does an ample job of removing soil from carpet and upholstery.
Strengths: This cleaner offers considerable value for the money. It also offers more detergent capacity than handhelds and nearly rivals uprights in that department. The long power cord cancels out the need for an extension cord in some applications, adding to its convenience. It is compact, and it should store easily in the bottom of a broom closet, pantry, or linen closet. The quality of build is good, but some design improvements could enhance its utility.
Weaknesses: Spray metering trigger. This crude set up is basically a simple one way valve with trigger actuator. The property of the detergent solution is such that after continued use, fouling of the trigger/valve assembly is unavoidable, necessitating rinsing and cleaning to restore function. I hated this problem. A sticky valve keeps detergent spraying onto the work surface after you have selected to stop spraying. This is not good for upholstery work, where soaking the upholstered area would quickly soak the padding underneath, a situation you would rather avoid. At many moments I had to thrust the pick-up head out of the car so as to avoid soaking the seats because the trigger would not stop spraying, then I had to fiddle with the trigger. Motor power. I believe a more powerful motor would promote this unit's image and utility. A little more suction would get seats almost touch dry, the ideal situation. More power would also alleviate the repetition necessary to get good results with the unit, having to run the pick-up over and over the same areas to get them fully treated. More power would probably even save energy in the long run. Redesign the pick-up head so that it is unobstructed. The current design has a support in the middle that hair and other garbage hangs up on, decreasing pick-up head efficiency. You'll have to get a toothpick to clean it out. Yikes.
Some tips: If you are a homeowner, I'd recommend you consider an upright. Most uprights come with hand tools, so the downside is that you'll have to drag your big machine out for small jobs. That's OK by me, I will get the big machine out to pick up wine spills or other messy liquid spills while they are still wet. You'd be amazed at how much of that kind of mess these machines recover from the carpet and the pad. The big machines also have the big 10 and 12 amp motors for the ultimate in performance, and the big plus: you'll be able to area clean your carpet. Another tip, no matter how you go, use scalding hot tap water. Turn up your heating tank for an hour before using your machine, that, or buy one that heats water internally. Scalding hot water works the best. Finally, use a little less detergent than recommended. You don't need the amount they recommend, and it leaves residue. Freshwater rinse if you have time. Detergent residue will attract as much dirt as anything else, I promise.
Conclusion: Steam cleaners are very useful appliances, and I recommend every home/car owner have one. If you are in the market for a portable, consider you options and think about an upright for the most versatility and power. The SteamVac Jr. will offer good results at a fair price, and if that is what you are set on, I think that you will be pleased with it as a middle of the road performer and a good value for the money.
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