Anyone have a Hoover floormate?

[dixie]

We have a lot of tile floors and wondering if this would be worth buying? does it work well?

Thanks for any info!

 

[hvsteve1]

We're on our second, more updated one. Best thing since sliced bread. It washes the floor with spinning brushes then dries the floor so you can walk on it right away. The model you're looking at also probably has a separate kit for working on corners and tight areas and different brushes to clean grout.

 

[dixie]

Thanks for the information. I am going to buy one today!

 

[ScoopKona]

I have a Hoover Floormate.

And it gets almost no use now that I bought a steam cleaner. Steam cleaners are WAY better than spinning brushes -- it just powers away dirt on tile. If you've already bought the Floormate, I'd return it and use the money to buy a steam cleaner.

Our house is 100% tile and hardwood -- no carpets. \

My cleaning regimen is:

1) Vacuum with a dyson to pick up the dust/grit. (40 minutes to do the whole house.)

2) Steam clean. (40 minutes to do the whole house).

3) Done.


About the only thing I use the Floormate for anymore is picking up spills. It excels at that.

 

[zinger1457]

I have a Hoover Floormate.

And it gets almost no use now that I bought a steam cleaner. Steam cleaners are WAY better than spinning brushes -- it just powers away dirt on tile. If you've already bought the Floormate, I'd return it and use the money to buy a steam cleaner.

Which steam cleaner are you using?

 

[ScoopKona]

Which steam cleaner are you using?

Hoover canister steamer. WH20300. It was something like $200. The only problem is the wand that connects the steam trigger to the steam pad is flimsy. I reinforced it with some rods. Now it's much better. If it dies, I'm going to pony up the money for a Ladybug steamer. Steam cleaning has added hours to my day, days to my month -- because household chores take so much less time. Time I can spend doing the things I want to do.

I am now a die-hard believer in the power of steam. There is no better way to go. I steam my windows, my shower walls, all my sink fixtures, the floors, the stove -- ESPECIALLY the stove.

It just blasts everything away, and then I wipe it with a clean cloth. Done. (Except the windows. The steamer has a squeegee attachment that does the windows and mirrors.) I can clean every window in my house in 15 minutes -- both sides. No streaks. Done.

Try THAT with a Floormate.

 

[JoeWilly]

I bought a Floormate based on Scoops older recommendations. I love it. Look for them used on Craigslist, Ebay--some great deals are out there. Scoop--you didn't tell me you found something better.

 

[LynnW]

Hoover canister steamer. WH20300. It was something like $200. The only problem is the wand that connects the steam trigger to the steam pad is flimsy. I reinforced it with some rods. Now it's much better. If it dies, I'm going to pony up the money for a Ladybug steamer. Steam cleaning has added hours to my day, days to my month -- because household chores take so much less time. Time I can spend doing the things I want to do.

I am now a die-hard believer in the power of steam. There is no better way to go. I steam my windows, my shower walls, all my sink fixtures, the floors, the stove -- ESPECIALLY the stove.

It just blasts everything away, and then I wipe it with a clean cloth. Done. (Except the windows. The steamer has a squeegee attachment that does the windows and mirrors.) I can clean every window in my house in 15 minutes -- both sides. No streaks. Done.

Try THAT with a Floormate.

Can you use it on hardwood as well?

Lynn

 

[ScoopKona]

I bought a Floormate based on Scoops older recommendations. I love it. Look for them used on Craigslist, Ebay--some great deals are out there. Scoop--you didn't tell me you found something better.

I've only owned it a few months.


And, frankly, if I were to do it again, I would simply pony up the $1,500 for a Ladybug. (What a horribly unmanly name. "Look! There goes Scoop and his Ladybug steamer. Must be off to the pride parade!")

I still do occasionally use the Floormate. My strategy with the Floormate is to make repeated passes over the floor, until the water reservoir is clean enough that I could say, "Well, if I had to -- if I was in the Sahara and needed a drink, I'd drink that."

I simply don't need to do that very often now that I hit my floors with the one-two punch of a Dyson vacuum and the steam cleaner.

Can you use it on hardwood as well?

It wouldn't be much use here if it didn't clean hardwood. I have 2,500 sqft of hardwood floors, and 1,200 sqft of tile. And I can do the whole thing in about two hours. The Floormate is loud and slow. The steam cleaner is quick and quiet.

 

[ScoopKona]

I'd like to add that the Floormate was INVALUABLE when I needed to strip all the high-gloss coating from my travertine. It has it's place in my arsenal of cleaning equipment. But it has dropped to "third place" behind my Dyson and the steamer.

EDIT -- I should mention that the floors must be vacuumed before steaming them. The steamer utilizes a pad to collect the dirt that doesn't get sucked up by the vacuum. Otherwise, you'd just be pushing dirt around and not actually cleaning. I start with the cleanest things in the house -- counter tops, the refrigerator, etc. -- and then move on to the floors. I do the bathrooms last. Then I throw the pad into the washing machine and launder it.

 

[LynnW]

I think I need one!

Lynn

 

[vacationhopeful]

I have a floormate --- among all my nifty (cleaning) tools. I think it is currently in my office as I went looking for it at my house and found the box.

I use it for the cermanic tile floors and vinyl flooring. I use my steamer for the hardwood oak flooring.

 

[MuranoJo]

Scoop,

Any recommendations for a particular model of the Ladybug? Also curious as to why you prefer this brand.

Geez, they are pricey, but may be worth it to me. I've been considering a steam cleaner for some time, and don't like the fumes of the cleaners, especially for the closed-in area of a walk-in shower.

I'm particularly interested in cleaning a 10'-high mudset shower stall (need to be able to reach to the top with extensions), wood floors, gas stovetop, tall windows. And we have hard water.

 

[ScoopKona]

I'm particularly interested in cleaning a 10'-high mudset shower stall (need to be able to reach to the top with extensions), wood floors, gas stovetop, tall windows. And we have hard water.

I have no idea how a steamer might work for you with hard water. Las Vegas has unbelievably hard water, so we reverse-osmosis the whole house and get the equivalent of bottled water out of every tap.

I imagine scale would be a real problem for the cleaner. There's probably a descaling procedure for steamers but I haven't looked into it.

As for "why ladybug" -- it seems to be the Rolls Royce of steamers. Everyone gives it great reviews.

 

[MuranoJo]

Thanks, Scoop.
I've been doing some research and it appears a few of the models have a Tancs system option which eliminates the scale and increases the warranty to 8 years. I've seen some pretty good reviews, so it's pretty tempting.

 

[LynnW]

I have been doing some research on steam cleaners and stopped into the small shop where we bought our built in vacuum cleaner to see if they carried them. They only special order and he said they have had some trouble with the Hoover so now they suggest the monster. I see that it's also available at Costco. I can't understand that if these products are so good why more people don't have them. Maybe they are awkward to use?

Lynn

 

[MuranoJo]

Lynn,

From what I've dug up in my research this week, it appears they have been very popular in some parts of Europe, but the voltage/current set-up didn't work for the U.S. (on the heavier-duty models) Since they've reconfigured for U.S. standards, they are now starting to pick up here. Now, that's just what I've read online, for what it's worth.

I've been interested in steam cleaners for a number of years and even tried our Jiffy steamer, but it just didn't have the power or accessories to really clean since it's intended more for steaming fabrics.

 

[ScoopKona]

I have been doing some research on steam cleaners and stopped into the small shop where we bought our built in vacuum cleaner to see if they carried them. They only special order and he said they have had some trouble with the Hoover so now they suggest the monster. I see that it's also available at Costco. I can't understand that if these products are so good why more people don't have them. Maybe they are awkward to use?

Lynn

I went to Costco's website and didn't find any steamers. Steam mops, yes. But those are WAY underpowered. You want something that works essentially like an oversized espresso machine -- something that uses pressure to get the steam up above the boiling point of water. The steam that comes out of the Hoover is around 300f at 30 psi. That's pretty good. The best Ladybug shoots out 325f steam at 80 psi.

As for "why haven't these caught on in America?" questions, all I can say is most people here haven't used them. Otherwise EVERYONE would have one. Guests who are here on a cleaning day has asked for a demonstration and then run straight out to buy one for themselves. These things rock. But the $100 steam mops are useless. The $200 Hoover twin tank seems to be discontinued. And the really good European models start at $1,000 and go up from there. It's kind of like the European "tilt-and-turn" windows that open in any direction. Once you've used one, that's it -- you can't live without it.

When the Hoover dies -- as I'm sure it will -- I'm going to buy the $2,000 Ladybug.

 

[LynnW]

I just checked the Costco website here in Canada and they have a Euroflex Monster for $155. It gets really good reviews. Worth trying because of their return policy.

Lynn

 

[MuranoJo]

Let us know how it works, Lynn.

My new LadyBug just arrived today, but I've been working in the yard and haven't have time to try it out yet. The machine and attachments all seem to be really high quality, so I'm optimistic.