yakkowarner's Full Review: Hoover Floormate H3000 Upright Wet/Dry Vacuum
Why I Bought This Product
We just put in hard tile flooring in our family room and adjoining kitchen. It was a pretty big area and I did not feel like mopping it every week. Too much work. So after doing a little research I thought this was the best product to keep my floors looking like new.
Setup
There was really nothing to put together. Just slip in the containers, screw on a couple small parts, clip on the brushes and front suction assembly. Will take 5-10 minutes.
For the solution you put in two ounces of solution and fill the rest of the solution compartment with water and plug it back in.
How it works
It operates like an upright vacuum. You turn it on and roll it back and fourth. The difference is that it will suck up liquids and it releases a liquid solution onto the brushes.
The brushes are round and they spin. They cause some friction on the hard floor and are supposed to loosen particles.
There is a trigger that releases a cleaning solution onto the spinning brushes. The trigger is on the handle and manually controlled. It operates by gravity, no motor involved.
How easy is it to use?
It is fairly easy to operate. If you can use a vacuum, then you can use this. The buttons can be a little difficult to push. I generally have to apply enough pressure to cause concern that I may be damaging the machine.
How well does it clean?
Its ability to clean is average. Elbow grease is better and you will need to use a rag or scouring pad at time to clean sticky items that got attached to the floor. I have a steamer machine that does a better job at cleaning stuck on residue.
You also need to vacuum or sweep the floor before you use this product. I should not have to do double duty. They just need to make a better engineered cleaner.
Cleaning Out the Unit
It can get pretty disgusting so you need to thoroughly clean out the unit. All you do is press a release button and pull out the refuse container. Then remove the top and dump out the wastewater into your sink. One of my gripes is the top is sometimes difficult to remove. This is only because it gets stuck and you have to apply some force. The second is that you need to thoroughly clean out the wastewater container or you will start getting your very own fungi garden.
Construction
Construction is typical for this type of equipment. It is almost entirely made out of plastic. This poses some problems because it can break easily, the suction can be reduced by warped plastic, and containers do not latch on as tightly (see below.)
Different modes
-You can use it like a dry pick-up vacuum. This is not very efficient and you are better off using your regular vacuum or sweep the floor.
-You can use it to scrub the floor. I am not impressed with the scrubbing action of this unit as it only removes loose residue.
-You can use it to get the floor wet and scrub. This is what the machine does well and is what is was designed for.
-You can use it to pick up liquid. This it does very well as long as the liquid is not very thick. The motor is strong and works well.
Noise
The noise level is ok. I can not operate it while someone is watching television or talking on the phone, but that is pretty typical.
Does it work?
Sort of. It works ok, but you will not be completely happy with the results. You are better off buying a good mop and bucket.
Boring stats
VACUUMS - WASHES - DRIES
Patented SpinScrub™ Brushes
Dual function dry/wet operation
Beltless design
13-inch Cleaning Path
Deluxe grip with solution trigger
Brush control switch
27' Cord with quick release
Lightweight
Includes: Specially Formulated 8 oz. Lysol® and 8 oz. Old English® floor and wood cleaning concentrates
Full One Year Warranty
Retail Range $169.99 - $179.99
Problems
The first and biggest problem with this unit is with the tank holding the cleaning solution. About 10 months after owning the unit we found the cleaning solution would not come out of the unit. This was really frustrating and I took as much of the machine apart as I could and found that the cleaning solution was gravity fed, not powered. But I could not find a block in the hose. I got fed up and quite messing with it and told my wife to if she cared. A week later she found that if you push in the cleaning solution tank against the body that it would work properly. Man talk about bad engineering. I now have a bungee cord wrapped around the cleaning solution tank to hold it in place. With this adjustment it works perfectly. By the time I thought about returning it, it was over a year and the warranty expired. Just another typical Hoover product.
The second problem is the unit gets clogged up fast. My wife has not cleaned out these type of products in the past so they get clogged up. So the unit fails to pick up the solution or any residue on the floor. (In my wife’s defense, she realized this and she has done a great job cleaning out the various appliances we own now.)
Summary:
I cannot recommend this product because it is cheaply constructed. Like my other Hoover products, this one is slowly falling apart because of bad engineering.
This product, although will clean a hard floor, it does not do it very well. Overall I am disappointed with it and I think most people will.
Wish list:
-More powerful vacuum.
-More powerful brushes.
-Brushes that are more abrasive. (my floor can handle it, some are too delicate.)
-Variable brush speed/power.
-And of course, totally automated.
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