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: Works great and good value!
Summary: 5 Stars
Allow me to pile on to the mountain of positive reviews. First off, I researched this purchase quite a bit, and was swayed by the number of great reviews on Amazon. Gotta love the Internet! So I give this 5 STARS! It works very well, cleans up a lot of dirt, and it really does pick up LOTS of water so the carpet is just slightly damp, and not wet, when you're done. Do a couple extra dry strokes! The "heated cleaning" feature routes the hot engine exhaust downward into the carpet - I'm sure this helps dry it a little more too than without that feature. Yes, the tank is "small" but it is a tradeoff - if you want a giant water tank then you have to maneuver a heavy beast around. I'd rather have something that is maneuverable and I will change the water a couple extra times. Its not like I'll be cleaning carpets every day or every week.
My spouse was ready to throw away our expensive wool Pottery Barn throw rug that is 10 yrs old because it was "gross". After 2 consecutive lashings with this Hoover Bad Boy (1 night, let dry, then again 2nd night) the carpet looks and feels new. Seriously. Actually better than new because its a little softer now. Hoover just saved me from having the spouse spend another gazillion dollars on a new rug.
I think if you research you'll uncover these points but just keep in mind
1) there are SEVERAL VERSIONS of this machine, slightly different model numbers, at WalMart, Kohls, etc. The F5914-900 is the one with BOTH carpet attachments. (the Walmart one doesnt have the powered hand tool, the Kohls one is older and doesnt have the SpinScrub brushes underneath the machine, etc). I found that BestBuy and Menards carried the "real" 5914-900, but Amazon had the best price.
2) USE REAL carpet extractor shampoo as its low-sudsing and won't leave a sticky residue in the carpet. Don't cheap out and use a dash of Palmolive, and I wouldn't even use Tide etc as some others suggest as I don't think it will rinse out of the carpet in the same way. For me, I'll be washing our carpets a couple times a year at most, so the extra couple bucks to do it right is worth it. Someone else wrote that WalMart Great Value shampoo is just as good - I'll try it next. HD also sells ZEP which is supposed to be good, although the label said "not for WOOL carpets" so I decided not to risk it on my wool carpet....
3) I don't know about the whole "click" thing that the most popular review discusses in terms of not leaking. I didn't have to do a "click" and mine doesn't leak.
4) CLEAN OUT THE DARN THING WHEN YOU'RE DONE! Especially on wool carpets. I popped off the brushes unit and there was a lot of carpet fiber gunk in there. I spent a few extra minutes really rinsing it and picking out the little clumps of gunk. I think its worth it in the long run. Also, do what the manual says and pour some plain clean water on the floor at the very end and suck it up with the machine...it will flush out any gunk from the extraction nozzle.
5) I liked someone else's idea of being barefoot when you use this...then you can easily feel how wet the carpet is and you can do some extra dry strokes where necessary.
Like 99% of the reviewers, I am not really comparing this TO any Bissell or other competitor because I've never used those. That said, this is one of the cheaper units, I KNOW it works WELL, and apparently 1,500 others agree. I think you're safe in choosing this model. Go for it!
Customer Review: Awesome cleaner for the home carpets
Summary: 5 Stars
I have had my Hoover Steam Vac going on 5 + years maybe longer. It has outlasted my standard vaccum until I bought a Dyson- but thats another review. I have 4 high traffic areas in my home, and this vac is amazing. Fist off you do need to listen for the click, I suggest you read the manual, as plug and play as it is, you would be surprised how much more you can use this machine by just taking the time to know how it works.
1. VACCUM all the areas you plan to clean. I never ever use any "machine" type liquids for my carpets, no matter what they always leave a residue, sorry.
2. I use my own mixture of cleaning solution and when used correctly there are no problems with the machine, my recipe has been used with other machines my friends and family have purchased and NO Problems. +DISCLAIMER-Again it is always recm'd to use whatever cleaning solution the manufacturer suggests, but call me a rebel.
3. For the cleaning solution get a large plastic 2 qt pitcher, fill it with hot water from your tap FIRST.
4. Add to the pitcher 1 cup windex or generic but same type of liquid, NO pine sol, fabuloso etc.... stick to my recipe.
Windex leaves the carpets squeaky clean and the dawn gets rid of the greace and grime- IT WORKS! I have light beige carpets and they look brand new.
5.Add to the pitcher 1 tsp dawn dishwashing liquid
6. mix well- slowly pour into the cleaning solution tank.
7. Begin cleaning, go over the area slowly, DO NOT clean your carpets on a day you are going to be rushed, it will look like you rushed and frankly whats the point? I wear white socks when I clean so my feet do not leave oil or dirt from walking around.
You can really see the dirt and grime that comes up through the cleaning window. I go over my trouble areas really good, then move on to other areas, and then do a another go over, so basically I steam vac 2 times the same day. When the foam is white and water is clear the carpets are "clean"
!!! if you go slowly over the area you know its dry when no water or foam comes up in the window you will change the dirty water more often then you add solution but it has never bothered me, I kinda find the whole process a bit of "home" therapy-because unlike vaccuming, you cant hear a darn thing around you and its totally blissful, as a mom you may appreciate this and use it to your advantage.
Anyway-- I just did my whole house this weekend and I steam my carpets once month, I got teenagers, a dog and cats-and vaccuming every other day doesnt cut the tracked in grime-- and for a 2000sq foot house with carpet everywhere but the laundry, kitchen and foyer, I use 2 bottles of windex and almost nothing of the dawn... Please Dont use any other brand dish soap unless you use the costco brand because they will foam up, no big deal just stir it better in the pitcher before you add to the machine dispenser.
++ Also be sure to rinse out the dirty water resivoir every time you toss the dirty water out and make sre you have a drain strainer, you dont want the stuff to go down your drain..and clog it.
When done cleaning- unplug, clean the brushes, the clear plastic cover and rinse the tanks..take careof your machine and it will take care of your carpets.
Also works great on area rugs.
Customer Review: For the price an excellent purchase
Summary: 5 Stars
Sixteen years of living with the same family room carpet (through two growing kids, a husband who does not like to take off footwear when coming into the house plus a total of four dogs) ended this past March. The old rug had been professionally cleaned on occasion, but the time had finally come to say good-bye. New wall-to-wall was purchased & installed. And while knowing that this rug would receive, while not as much traffic (kids & dogs gone) but still a good amount, I opted for a medium beige rug instead of a more realistic darker shade...silly me.
After 1-2 months noticed a definite difference in color, especially the entrance areas into the room although all precautions were being taken to keep the rug as clean as possible. And since this room is still the one where everyone gathers to relax, the high traffic "path" is still a problem. Had borrowed my daughter's Bissell 'Little Green" for spot cleaning but decided to spend the money to purchase a more professional-type machine. Spent the summer doing research (with and without onboard heaters). Came very close to getting a Bissell 2080 Quicksteamer upright, but one of the things I wanted was the hose attachment for upholstery/stair cleaning; the Bissell does not have this feature.
Ordered the Hoover through Amazon on Sat., 10/24 (the price plus free shipping was the final consideration), received it on Tues., 10/27 (love Amazon's service). Didn't get the chance to use it until this morning but couldn't be happier. Rug just over 7 months old, vacuumed at least twice a week, no dogs, no kids - even with the lessened traffic the dirty water coming into the tank was dark mud color. Took about 25 minutes to do the carpet with excellent results. Definitely did not need a heater unit in the machine; the hot water from our faucet is hot enough. And the drying time was quick - able to get back into the room within an hour of finishing (didn't over saturate the carpet plus kept the ceiling fan on). You do need to read the in-depth product review here on Amazon from "Lissie" (12/1/05) - was one of the main reasons I purchased the Hoover. She took the time to explain her findings & it did make a difference in assembling the machine, especially the one-time set up of the clean surge button & trigger mechanism. No leakage at all.
One comment for those who are considering purchasing a carpet cleaner - if your looking for something that is quick to use & put away, you may want to have a professional come to do your floors. The Hoover took a few minutes to set up before cleaning the carpet, but more time to really get the machine cleaned & ready for the next job (the rotary brush bristles should be cleaned of all fiber; both tanks should be cleaned well/dried before putting away; on the bottom of the machine the surface area in front of the brushes had a lot of clinging dirt & sand build up). And since I did not use the hose today, that clean up time wasn't included. This procedure definitely needs to be done before storing the machine; reminded me of the Rainbow vacuum cleaner I had years ago. If you don't clean it when your done then chances are your going to be really annoyed the next time you go to use it.
Customer Review: New Carpet After Each Use!
Summary: 5 Stars
The light beige carpets in my apartment receive the complimentary carpet cleaning from the professionals every January. The last time they were here they left the door open and unlocked, and the carpets did not look that much better. I have two senior citizen cats who have their share of fur balls and little box accidents. After a month, the carpet looks like it did before the cleaners came. "Resolve" only does so much good. My oldest cat also has severe allergies, so I don't even wear shoes on the carpet to keep it as clean as possible. A friend of mine bought a different brand, but with her two kids and two dogs, she keeps her carpets spotless(almost).
I began to do some research and was pleased to learn that Amazon.com sold steam vacs. I at first settled on the Hoover F6215 because I thought it would be fun to have something that looked like a decoration instead of an appliance. That lavender color almost had me sold until I found this model, the F5914, and read the comparison review by the retired design engineer. Consumer complaints about earlier models had scared me away from Hoover altogether, but evidently Hoover got tired of taking back their junkier models and changed the design to make the newer steam vacs more durable and dependable. The F5914 is sturdier than the F6215, though probably not as much fun to look at. The F5914 is also $20 cheaper, and Amazon ships it for free(minus the sales tax). You can't get a better deal than that, and it even arrived in two days.
I have used the F5914 three times, and I have never been happier. This product does exactly what it was designed to do. I was a bit intimidated by it at first--I took it out of the box and set it in the middle of the living room for two days--but after I read and re-read the instructions so that I knew what I was doing, I took it on its virgin cruise, and it performed beautifully! I cleaned each room individually and was shocked at the amount of BLACK dirt that was in the carpet, even after I had vacuumed first. The carpet dried right away, and there was no soapy residue(I purchased the Premium Pet Formula at the same time and am equally pleased with that product). What is so great is that every time I steam vac the carpets, which is about every two months, there is less and less dirt, and the carpets look brand new each and every time. In fact, my landlady thought I had new carpets installed!
The only negative thing about this steam vac has nothing to do with the design. Plan on having to clean the steam vac when you are done using it. My carpet "pills" after a while, and the excess gets trapped under the face plate, so I have to use a Phillips screwdriver to remove the face plate and clean off the carpet fibers. Also, when you are cleaning the removable parts and turn the unit on its side, do so on a tile or linoleum floor with a couple of towels underneath. There is water left over inside and it drains out.
Like so many other customers, I am sorry I waited so long to purchase a steam vac. Having carpets that look new and smell clean and fresh makes your home a healthier, more uplifting environment.
Customer Review: I LOVE this machine!
Summary: 5 Stars
I am definitely a type A personality and do all of my homework before purchasing many items. I reviewed several carpet cleaners and have often found that high ratings on Amazon do not disappoint. Once again, I was not disappointed! There are several things about this machine that I just love, the resulting clean carpet is certainly one of them. There is quite a satisfaction that comes from dumping out brown water from the tank and knowing it is no longer in your carpet. From the start, I was pleased to see how much was pulled out of my carpet. I was surprised to see when I happened to run a second round about a week later that it still pulled more...my carpets were very dirty it turned out. There was an area on my carpet that I thought was faded by the sun due to the carpet being very old and the large windows which shine directly on this area, I was shocked to learn that they were not faded after going over this area a few times with the cleaner. For high traffic areas, I recommend using the clean surge generously. If your carpets have not been cleaned in a while, stock up on a couple bottles cleaning solution and patience. You want to move slowly with the cleaner so that the brushes and solution can really do their job. I would also recommending planning on one room a day because if you are going slow, it takes a while. Also, in really dirty areas I would go over the area a second time in a different direction so the carpet fibers were cleaned from several directions. This was very effective. It's well worth your patience and doing it right because I had areas that were very stained on cream colored carpet and it does look relatively new again...and it is very old carpet.
BUILT WITH THE USER IN MIND. The tanks are all easy to remove, fill, dump, etc. They also provide a tool to clean out the front suction area which is really nice because that getting clogged is what has doomed previous spot cleaning machines I have purchased. The front is clear so you can see the water being suctioned and know if you've gotten most of the water and are ready to move on, can see how dirty the water being sucked up is and judge if you want a second round, and can see if no water is coming up and thus something is not seated correctly on the machine (saves you wasting your time!). This is a very user friendly machine. It is also very nice that the carpet is rather dry after you have suctioned over it a couple times so the room does not have to be avoided for a significant amount of time.
Attachments are wonderful. These attachments can be used for everything from furniture to spot cleaning. There were a few small stains here and there on my carpets which the vac scrubbers weren't getting very well, the hand tools got it right up. Also in doorways, along walls, tight spaces, and under furniture which is too heavy to move. Spot cleaning is a breeze after a spill. I've also washed two couches and a mattress! It has been amazing to watch the amount of dirt pulled out of a couch, which didn't even LOOK dirty! We had a spill on a bed and the hand tools pulled it all right out. Attachments are easy to install and take off. LOVE THEM.