Side-by-Side Comparison with Two Other Hoover Carpet Cleaners This is a head-to-head review of three Hoover carpet cleaners that are currently featured on the comparison chart on on the product page:We’ve had the SteamVac for about 5 years. It has done a good job of cleaning our carpets, which are kept dirty by three dogs. We reviewed the MaxExtract last year, and recently had a chance to compare those two against the PowerScrub. Here’s how they compare.CLEANING PERFORMANCE:A three-way tie. I used Hoover Premium Pet Formula Carpet/Upholstery Detergent in all three machines, according to the instructions for each (premix for the SteamVac, separate compartments for the other two). We cleaned separate sections of big spots with each machine. To our eyes, they were equally clean when wet, and also when dry. All three units are loud, like every other carpet cleaner.CLEANING CONVENIENCE:The PowerScrub and the MaxExtract have a very nice feature: You add the detergent to a separate compartment from the hot water. A switch enables you to spray mixed detergent solution, or plain water. One complaint we had after using the SteamVac for several years is that the sections of carpet with the worst stains would sometimes get dirty again fast. These deeply stained areas got a lot of detergent sprayed on them during cleaning, and we believe the stains might come back due to detergent buildup in the carpet. With the newer PowerScrub and MaxExtract models, you can switch to plain water and rinse these areas (or your whole carpet!)The SteamVac has a Clean Surge feature that applies extra solution to stains and heavy traffic areas. I never found this to work any better than a just passing over the area again the normal way.HOW WET WERE THE CARPETS AFTER CLEANING:The carpets were noticeably dryer with this MaxExtract model. If you live in a colder area, or a humid area, this could be a deciding factor for you. The MaxExtract carpet fully dried in about half the time that the SteamVac carpet took. The PowerScrub carpets seemed slightly dryer than the SteamVac, but not as dry as the MaxExtract.HOW MUCH DETERGENT THEY USE:An unexpected outcome was that the PowerScrub and MaxExtract use significantly more detergent than the SteamVac-my guess is 50-100% more. Even using the maximum recommended amount of detergent in the SteamVac, it uses less.CLEAN WATER/DETERGENT TANK:The MaxExtract and PowerScrub hot water and detergent tank is easier to fill because pre-mixing is not necessary. This is not a huge deal, but the MaxExtract and PowerScrub are clearly newer machines with nice refinements in this area.DIRTY WATER TANK:The PowerScrub wins big points for its redesigned dirty water tank. It has a plug that you open to pour out the dirty water. This is MUCH easier than the MaxExtract or the SteamVac, both of which require you to take off the lid to pour out the water. With the PowerScrub, you use the spout to pour out dirty water, then only take of the lid once at the end of the day to rinse the tank and sponge filter. When you clean a lot of carpets, this kind of refinement matters.UPHOLSTERY CLEANING:The SteamVac and the PowerScrub include a SpinScrub hand tool with a spinning brush. We found this tool to be nearly useless. It seems like a lot of the suction power that comes down the hose is used just to spin the brush, so there is less suction left to suck out the dirty water. We found the simple Carpet and Upholstery Tool included with all three machines worked much better.SUMMARY:SteamVac: Costs less to buy and use, but this is an older machine that does not have the refinements of the other two. Leaves carpets wetter, and may leave more detergent in the carpet unless you empty the detergent tank and fill it with water only.MaxExtract: As its name suggests, leaves carpets drier than the other machines. Allows you to rinse with water.PowerScrub: Easiest emptying of the dirty water tank, which is very nice. Allows you to rinse with water.RECOMMENDATIONS:If you are cost conscious, buy the SteamVac. If you want the easiest experience, buy the PowerScrub. If you want dryer carpets quicker, buy the MaxExtract. You will get clean carpets with all three machines.

Works wonderfully on carpet, but has some issues with upholstery Over the years, I’ve used several Hoover carpet cleaners and vacuums and with the exception of one carpet cleaner, I’ve been very pleased with the Hoover brand. The last Hoover carpet cleaner I used, however, was terrible. Thankfully, the Hoover Power Scrub Deluxe Carpet Washer, FH50150PC restores my faith in the Hoover brand, albeit only somewhat. This machine shows they are returning to the quality I am used to from them, but aren’t completely there yet.This unit is easy to assemble, simply needing two screws to be inserted in the handle. The cleaner is small, which has pros and cons. Since I wanted a small cleaner, this was a good fit for me. Whether this size matches your needs is really a decision best made by each consumer.The small size makes it easy to navigate through the house, effortlessly going through narrow spaces that my vacuum can’t even pass through. It also makes it light and convenient for quick clean-ups when necessary.This cleaner boasts two liquid compartments – one for the cleaning solution and one for water. The FH50150PC mixes the solution and water itself when you use the wash function. You turn a dial to rinse when you want to use only water. I have to say I much prefer this method than the old way where you mix it yourself in one big tank. Not to mention, rinsing the carpet after washing makes me happy to know there is less chemical left in the carpet for my pets to run around on.I found this cleaner very easy to use. The hardest part of it was moving the furniture off of the carpet and back again after it dried. Both the solution/clean water tank and the dirty water reservoir are easy to attach and detach as well as fill and empty.The dirty water tank has a yellow stopper that pops up when that tank is full. When this stopper pops up, the machine ceases to suck water and you must empty the tank in order to continue. This is a great feature with only one problem. When I got to the rooms with smaller floor space, I found that I was emptying it more and more frequently. I finally noticed that the stopper pops up anytime I bumped the cleaner against a wall, bed frame leg, etc. Power cycling the machine resets it, but this is a bit annoying. I’ve had other cleaners with this feature that did not have this issue.The controls for the Hoover Scrub Deluxe Carpet Washer are conveniently placed. The trigger on the handle is easy to press when you want to add cleaner or clean water. The dial to switch between cleaner or water only is near the top of the device on the front. Both the power lever and the handle release are easily accessed using pedals at the bottom.This cleaner comes with several useful attachments. The standard upholstery tool is useful for cleaning furniture and car upholstery. There is also a powered hand tool that tackles more stubborn spots. Those who live in homes with carpeted stairs will be pleased to know there is a tool for stairs as well. There is a crevice tool that I’m really unsure why it is necessary. Perhaps if you had a bit of water trapped in the corners or edges of the room? I’ve never needed a crevice tool for a carpet washer before and haven’t needed it yet with this one, but it is there if I ever do.Hoover provides a handy bag with this unit that holds the hose and all of the accessories. The bag has a hook on it that can be used to hang it on the cleaner itself (when not in use) or on a hook or rod. I like this much better than storing the attachments on the unit itself as they invariably fall off.The hose was easy to attach to the base unit and the tools were just as easy to attach to the hose. When I attached the hose, I lined it up according to the manual’s directions, and turned it to the locked position. Although it felt secure when I did, after cleaning the seat of just one dining room chair, the hose turned to an unlocked position and slipped out. This problem repeated constantly while I cleaned six dining room chairs. That said, it did a marvelous job cleaning the upholstery, but it was definitely an irritating impediment to have to keep putting the hose back in the base.I first tried the Spinscrub powered hand tool on the chairs. It wasn’t great on the chairs, but I think it probably just wasn’t a fit for the small area I was cleaning. I believe it would work much better on a larger, firmer area such as a couch.I switched to the simpler upholstery tool and had much better results. One thing to note is that the sprayer on the hose has a pretty wide spray. This is probably a great feature when you want to spray large areas (such as a sofa) quickly, but when you do a smaller piece of furniture such as my dining room chair seats, the spray goes all over the floor around it. Not really an issue, but something to note.It comes with a 16 ounce bottle of cleaner that handled about 1 ½ rooms in my home – a…