jo.com's Full Review: Hoover Steamvac F5805 Upright Wet Washer
Revised 9/29/00
I have two dogs and a living room with white carpeting. Rather than replacing the carpeting, which came with the house, or abandoning the dogs, which is never going to happen, I shopped for a steam vacuum cleaner.
We needed a carpet cleaner that would save the rug from dog and other accidents, as well as the effects of traffic flow through the living room. Our house is set up so you walk right into the living room; it gets a lot of traffic. I won't ask people to take off their shoes! I read reviews and compared prices. I decided on the Hoover Steam Vac model 5860 and purchased it on the internet.
The cost of this was $189.00. I know that sounds like a lot of money. We thought about buying a carpet cleaner for many years and didn't but if you compare it to what professional rug cleaning would cost over a few years, you'll find it is a good buy.
Not only is it a good buy it also allows you to clean the rugs on a regular basis. We find ourselves shampooing the rugs almost weekly especially since this Hoover is so easy to use!
The machine is not super light, but it rolls very easily. It isn't hard to maneuver at all. It is the size of an upright vacuum cleaner and will fit in your hall closet. The Hoover Steam Vac has 5 rotating brushes and 2 brush speeds so you can change speeds depending on what type of carpeting you are cleaning. We use it to wash the kitchen and bathroom floors also!
There is an 8-foot hose with a nozzle that is attached to the cleaner to clean upholstery and stairs. The fact it is attached is very nice because you don't have to worry about storing the hose and then digging it out when you want it.
I have been thoroughly satisfied with the Hoover Steam vac, my only complaint being the length of the electric cord. I would like it longer so I don't have to keep plugging it in and out of sockets.
What inspired me to write this review was "the bloody dog episode." I was working on the computer with my ten-year old dog keeping me company. I heard her licking and noticed red streaks on the carpet near her paw. I got up and discovered BLOOD. I checked her and saw that she was bleeding. By the way, she ended up having to have her toe amputated.
The blood trail led to my living room where I found two areas streaked and spotted with red blood. The first thought that came to mind was calling a professional carpet cleaner and spending some money on cleaning the carpets because I never thought blood would come out. My second thought was to take out my Hoover Steam Vac and try, which is what I did.
Cleaning solution goes into a container which slips in and out of the machine easily. In this case, I also put a little Hoover cleaning solution directly on the bloody areas and then went to work with the machine. I use the solution made for the machine, Hoover SteamVac Carpet-Upholstery Detergent. It costs $14.99 for 64-ounces and says it reduces allergens as well as cleaning, deodorizing, protecting and brightening.
I couldnt believe that it was removing the blood. I had to go over the areas slowly and repeatedly but it worked. Amazing..my husband never even saw a thing when he walked in!
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