Hoover F5912-900: Clean Carpets at a Budget Price!

We recently purchased the Hoover F5912-900 Upright Steam Vacuum to replace our ancient and worn-out Bissell Green Steam Cleaner. Having used my sister's Hoover rug cleaner some time ago, we wanted to go with a Hoover. After many hours of research, and looking at various machines and models, I decided to order the Hoover F5912-900 for the budget price of $165 from Amazon.com. After cleaning quite a few rooms of carpeting, I can give this machine a very high rating.

Once the machine arrived, it was time to put it together. Assembly was pretty routine, but I do suggest following the instructions. There is one important step that involves depressing the solution trigger and surge cleaning button at the same time with enough force to cause a rather stiff click. If you fail to do so, you will experience some leaking, which I read about in user comments at Amazon. Let's face it, these consumer machines are designed to sell cheaply, which means a lot of plastic parts. You have to pay attention to how the waste tank mounts on the machine, as well as the cleaning solution tank. Once you double check those instructions and do it a few times, filling and emptying the machine is pretty easy. And, be sure to notice that the top of the cleaning solution tank also serves as a measuring cup for adding solution.

Although the design of this machine, with the waste and cleaning solution tanks mounted on a chassis designed like an upright vacuum cleaner means that you will be emptying the waste tank and refilling the solution tank at least once when doing an average size room. But, the tanks are easy to handle and not too heavy. Once underway, the machine does a very good job of cleaning carpets. Compared to the Bissell Green Machine, and a similar machine by Sears, the rotating brushes of the Hoover do a better job of cleaning rugs. The suction for extracting the cleaning solution is good enough, along with the hot air blown by the machine, to leave the carpets damp, but not overly wet. Consequently, drying time is reduced. Operating the machine, like an upright vacuum cleaner is fairly easy. The machine has some weight, and their is a certain amount of resistance when moving the machine in a forward and backwards pattern. Most folks will have no trouble using the machine to clean two to four rooms of carpeting in one day. But, older folks with joint problems, breathing problems or other medical conditions may find this machine more suited for cleaning one carpet at a time.

The Hoover also comes with an attachment for cleaning chairs, sofas, etc. I used it to clean the carpeting on our stairway. Using this can be a little sloppy because of how the solution is dispensed, and the water extraction isn't as good as the main unit. But it works.

My cleaning results were great using the supplied Hoover cleaning solution and Bissell cleaning solution that we already had. As we've done with all our machines, we just use hot water from the tap....I really don't see any need to heat or add boiling water as some people have commented at the Amazon site.

As with all water extraction carpet cleaners, it's important to remember not to overdo and get the carpet too wet. Doing so can damage the carpet. It is far better to clean carpets a little more often or clean a carpet and then allow it to dry. Then vacuum it well, and give it another cleaning.
Resolve (brand name) carpet spot cleaning solution is great for heavily soiled carpets or spot cleaning stubborn spots.

So.....the Hoover F5912-900 gets my recommendation for cleaning those carpets! From what I've seen, I'm not convinced that you get better results by buying higher prices models....you may get a wider cleaning area, but you'll also be dealing with a heavier machine (I would think). As long as you exercise care with a lot of plastic construction, you'll be happy with the cleaning results.