Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

About 25 or so years ago, I decided I was going to make some quick money by getting into the carpet cleaning business so I bought some heavy duty equipment; an Electrolux Epic Pro scrubber, Riccar upright vacuum and a Bissell Mean Green machine to use an an extractor. I never made any money, much less quick money, but I have had that equipment with me ever since and it still works as well today as when it was bought. It has been used, borrowed, abused and used some more. I decided I needed a new machine, an all-in-one, because I got tired of lugging everything out, dragging hoses, cords, spot cleaners and so on to clean a small area. So I researched, and researched, and researched some more and decided to buy a Bissell Big Green Commercial unit. As I began to order it, the thought of spending $400 on a giant 50 lb machine I have to drag out every time I need to clean a spot seemed to go against what I was trying to do. Then it dawned on me, "Oh yeah, I have an upstairs.". Nope. I'm not dragging that thing around. Then there are the times when it will be borrowed and I will have to lift it, load it, unload it, etc. So I backed out. I decided on the Hoover Scrub Deluxe based on reviews and ordered it through Amazon. Amazingly it arrived one day early on the two day shipping. Thanks Amazon or UPS or whomever is responsible. Anyway, here are my thoughts on it. Just so you know, I have high pile carpets so this machine is already at a bit of a disadvantage. I'm going to start with cons: *The handle is not that robust and cheaply attached. Use caution not to put undue lateral pressure on it to force the machine around. It works fine for back-and-forth motion. *The gasket on the bottom of the fresh water tank is cheap. It leaks. It will wear out rapidly. Go ahead and order a couple and keep them on hand. *The solution and fresh water fill ports are identical. The identifiers are molded into the plastic and easy to overlook. Grab some markers and label them. *The tanks are small and go through water quickly. Just cleaning the main walkways in a small room necessitated about three fill-ups and dumps. BTW, remember the cheap gasket? Since you have to remove the water tank to fill it up so many times, it leaks momentarily every time you reinstall it but mine sealed off eventually after each tank install. It might be better to set the water tank on the machine so the fill tank doesn't leak and then just fill it in place with a gallon jug or something. * The cord is short. I'm assuming the big companies must T&E folks with tiny houses because cords on home appliances are always too short. Just grab a 6' extension cord as that's about how much more you need. One other thing, and if it wasn't for the fact I have to box and ship the machine this *might* be deal breaker as it bothers me that much, the cord is routed through the bottom of the machine so you will run over it constantly. Yeah, there is a holding clip on the handle but now the cord is about 2' shorter so I'm having to whip the cord like a cowboy lassoing a calf to keep it out from under the wheels. Come on Hoover, or China or whatever. Stop that crap. *The scrub brush. I'm pretty sure they just stuck that thing on there to say it has one. It freely floats about 2" with very little down pressure and the bristles are fine and soft. What the heck is that thing for anyway? It's darn sure not scrubbing anything. It's probably better to just take it off as it's just in the way. Okay, so now the pros: Now, you might think from what I listed above that I hate this machine. Actually I was somewhat impressed with it. I'm not sure how it cleans with that crappy little "scrub brush" but it looked like I was pulling chocolate milk out of my carpets. I regularly vacuum and just did some carpet cleaning about a week ago so I was a little disgusted. This little machine is phenomenal when it comes to spraying and suction and this is where it shines. It's not a carpet scrubber. You would need to buy a dedicated unit for that job. This is an extractor and a darn good one. I used the Hoover soap solution that was included but as soon as I opened the container, I wasn't a fan of the soapy smell. I went ahead and mixed up a 1/2 soap 1/2 water mix on the solution side (and eventually went to 1/3 soap 2/3 water) but started cleaning the carpet with straight ol' hot tap water. In case you're wondering, the tank is split with a 'rinse' side for straight water and a 'wash' side for water soap mix. I did a standard 'rinse' pushing forward, 'extract' pulling back and was amazed at how well it worked. Just using hot tap water worked as well as the solution but I went ahead and injected a little Hoover soap into the carpet. It's not so bad when greatly diluted so no headaches. Most of the carpets were okay enough to walk on with bare feet within about 30 minutes, although not dry. I'm writing this within an hour of finishing the cleaning so they are still damp. I figure a few hours and we will be good to go. So, what do you get for $140? Well, you get a China-plastic machine with upholstery attachments that has small tanks, leaks a little right out of the box and has a useless scrub brush but somehow still cleans carpets pretty well. I think it's a little overpriced for what it is but for small rooms and spot cleaning it should be worth it if the longevity is there. If you really want to make your carpets clean, in this price range I think you would be hard pressed to find a unit with better spraying and suction short of buying a heavy-duty commercial unit. Just buy an actual carpet scrubber with real nap lifters in conjunction with the Hoover. Vacuum really well, then scrub your carpet, extract using hot water with the Hoover then, if you have high pile or plush carpets, go back over your carpet with the nap lifters. It will look brand new again.