So Far... Really Cool!
Before I begin the details, let me say this:


If you believe that any tool should do its job without ANY user maintenance, then you should stop searching for any home-use carpet cleaner and, as you desire... hire someone to do the work for you. If your carpet and/or furnishings have not been cleaned for a decade... hire someone to do the work for you. If, on the other hand, you recognize that a tool is an investment and WILL require some care and maintenance... then BUY THIS MACHINE!


The Back-story:
As the owner of a Bissell bag-less vacuum that has served me well for over a decade, I started my search for a home carpet 'steamer' with the Bissell brand in mind. My Bissell 6590-W continues to be the best vacuum cleaner ever.... but back to the carpet cleaner...

After a few sessions of research, I soon learned that Bissell's 'steamers' were better positioned to deliver hotter water to the floor than to delivering scrubbing power to the surface. I have experienced Hoover vacuum cleaners in the past... and have been left less-than-satisfied with the brand. Needless to say, I went into my purchase of the F5912-900 as something of a skeptic.

The Set-up:
Take a minute to read the Quick Assembly Guide. It is the first thing you see when you open the box. Read it... follow it. Based on other information I've seen regarding assembly of this cleaner, the Quick Assembly Guide is the first thing you see FOR A REASON. Overall, the assembly process is quite simple and also gives you a basic familiarity with the cleaner.


Setting Up The Test:
I decided, based on the negative commentary, that my first test should be on the hard tile floor of my kitchen. The hard floor tool is not included with the unit, but it's readily available via amazon.com. I chose the hard floor test because the majority of the negative comments came from those who used the unit for hard floor cleaning. Let's be honest. The F5912-900 is not intended for routine cleaning... be it hard floors or carpets... yet the negative reviews I've read have complained about set-up time, water drips, etc.. Again... it's not for daily use and it's probably going to drip a bit. After all, it does use... well... water.

My Biggest Initial Concern:
As I set up and started to operate the cleaner, I quickly learned the meaning behind some of the Bissell vs Hoover marketing material: Both sport 12 AMP motors, but the Bissell brushes are motor driven via a belt... the Hoover brushes are driven via fan turbines... turned by the suction of the vacuum that draws the the cleaning solution from the floor into the recovery tank.

The Initial Results:
My hard tile kitchen floor turned out great! The purpose of using the unit to clean a surface is make the unit WORK FOR YOU. This cleaner does a great job of scrubbing the floor. You do need to work the unit slowly, letting it do it's job, but with little physical effort (other than guiding it to where you want it to scrub and pulling the trigger to release cleaning solution). It CERTAINLY takes more time than using a damp mop... but, at the end of the day... the result is comparable to what you would see after spending an hour or so on your knees with a scrub brush. Again... this is not something you're going to want for your weekly routine, but it will be a blessing as you prepare to host guests for a dinner party the next day!

The Bonus Test:
I have two dogs, one of which grooms (e.g.: licks its legs/paws) incessantly, on the sofa leaving a mottled appearance of the fabric once the saliva dries. As a result, I have spent more money than I care to acknowledge on regular professional cleaning. After cleaning the kitchen floor with the F5912-900, and with fresh cleaning solution remaining in the tank... I became ambitious and, knowing the fabric on the sofa is color-fast, I decided to clean a cushion. Wow... just... WOW! The cushion now looks better than anything I saw following professional cleanings! I give credit to the turbines that use suction to drive the hand-tool. I was able to apply a great deal of pressure to the turbo brush and it kept on scrubbing the fabric the whole time. Again... kudos to the design!

The Initial Summary:
The F5912-900, out of the box, exceeds my expectations! Having used the cleaner in conditions of relative minimum risk, I'm ready to tackle my sofa and living-room carpet in their entirety. I'll be sure to update this review following my next round of use...

1 Star for now but I may change it. Here's why. . .
I had to return this vacuum to the Hoover Service Center near where I live. I bought it brand new and it came it great condition. However, it refused to dispense the cleaning solution. I tried everything but could not get it to work. The Hoover repair guy said the 2 year warranty will take care of everything. But still, you buy a vacuum hoping it'll work out of the box. What a hassle but I'm lucky since I live near a service center. I've read where earlier models were made in the USA--mine was made in Mexico--not sure if the quality control down there is the same. I'll update this review once I hear from the repair man. He's had it since Jan 17.
*******Well, today is Jan 29 and the vacuum is still at the Hoover service center. I cannot recommend this vacuum nor can I recommend any Hoover product as they don't return emails or answer their 1-800 number. I learned the hard way, please spend your money on another brand. I feel like a sucker. Vac returned from repair shop on Feb 18!! Do not buy Hoover, ever! And don't go to the Hoover Repair Shop in Burlingame, CA EVER!

Ann B
My old Hoover quit after 10 years-this is the newer version. Arrived safely and quickly.Powerful enough to do a great job, gets spots out with a "little elbow grease". Bad stains might need a second going over,but the stain will be gone. Easy to empty and store. Very nice product. If there are 10 years of service from this, like my last one-it is a great buy!

Hoover F5912900 SteamVac Carpet Cleaner
I have used this cleaner twice. The first time was on a slightly dirty bedroom carpet. The carpet is dark brown and dense and only slightly stained with some cat hair balls and spots of fir tree pitch. We pretreated the pitch with some diluted Simple Green and the hair balls with water and cleaning was a cinch. The carpet was clean and dry within 2 hours.

The second cleaning was of a playroom carpet that was stained with paint/crayons/pet stains/glue/nail polish and many other unidentified stains that had not been cleaned for over 20 years. I forgot to turn the brushes on the first time over this carpet so I went over it twice. It still looks bad, but I feel that it is technically "clean."

Emptying and cleaning out the tanks was not a huge problem at all. I would suggest using a spray attachment from your sink to clean the nooks and crannies of the lid of the dirty water tank. I removed the brushes and cleaned them after the first use, but didn't have the manual with me the second time and couldn't remember how to get them off, so keep the owner's manual handy.

I found the scent left by the liquid cleaning fluid pleasant. Mild and neither cloying nor chemical.

I give this cleaner 3 stars only because of the extra tools. As other reviewers have mentioned, the tool holders on the back of the cleaner are annoyingly ineffective and the tools fell off repeatedly the second time I used the cleaner. This part of the design needs improvement to get another star from me.

Not perfect, but pretty darn good!
I've always liked Hoover products- when the price was right!- and the price on this carpet cleaner was just where I expected it to be. I believe others have reviewed this item and have mentioned some of the "precautions" you might need to take, and they WERE right! The hotter the water the better (boiling about 1/2 the amount is good), pre-spotting is best AND read the directions!! Nothing difficult, but it IS'NT like running a vacuum. Altogether, a very good product that does a more than decent job.

Like it better than my old Oreck
I did a lot of research before buying this cleaner. A friend works for a commercial cleaning supply company and their repairman said Hoover is the best in terms of repairs. Consumer reports had the Hoover All Terrain rated #1. I called Hoover and this model is the All Terrain, minus the hard-floor attachments.

This cleaner did a great job on my light grey carpet. It removed pet stains and chocolate milk. The tanks were easy to remove and replace, and easy to dump and fill. With the Oreck, I could only use their cleaner in special dispenser bottles, so I loved being able to go to Wal-Mart to buy a gallon of Hoover cleaner for a fraction of the price.

I thought it had auto-rinse, which it did not, but after reading about it, I wouldn't have used it anyway. With auto rinse, when you push forward it cleans, when you pull back it rinses. I like more control and don't want to worry about covering the exact same path every time, so flipping the switch to Rinse was no big deal.

It is quite heavy and I got a blister on one hand and my elbow is sore today, and the Oreck was very light so that's why it got 4 stars instead of 5. Of course, the sturdiness may be why Hoovers need fewer repairs too. Otherwise, it did a great job for less than half the price of the Oreck.

much improved over previous models
This is my third widepath steamvac and it is by far the best. The rinse feature is great. The cord has been moved up so it is more out of the way. The separate solution compartment makes better use of the clelaning solutions and allows for the rinse. The hose attachment has been changed, hopefully it will not fail like my last two did. The only feature that was not improved is the hose caddy. It feels flimsy.

Cleans like a Champ!
We recently purchased the hoover F7412-900 steam vac and love it! I have the book The Complete Idiot's Guide to Green Cleaning, 2nd Edition which recommends using this type of steam cleaner versus paying for a professional. It also recommends using distilled white vinegar instead of a shampoo because vinegar lifts out the dirt and is a natural disinfectant (plus it costs pennies compared to the expensive shampoos). Our carpet was disgusting because we have had a very wet winter and we have two large dogs that track mud into the house on a daily basis. The carpet cleaner did an amazing job getting the carpet back to its original color and no more dog smell!! Using the vinegar we were able to clean the whole house for !! I was also impressed with how well the steam vac sucks the water back out of the carpet. Within 3 hours (with the ceiling fans on) the carpet was completely dry and we were able to move furniture back in the room. I would highly recommend buying this. If you are paying someone to come clean your carpets, this steam vac will pay for itself in two uses!

Good Carpet Cleaner
This worked well for me. It cleaned the carpets as well as the rental units in the grocery store, and was not as bulky and easier to operate. When done, it also cleaned up very easily. I reviewed many of these machines before I purchased and really am satisfied with my purchase.

Plastic Parts Break and Leaks
This is the second Hoover Carpet Cleaner we have bought. The first operated fine for a couple of years and then started to leak internally. It was totally unusable after that and we paid a hefty price for it. The F7412-900 was purchased at another retail outlet. We liked the idea of separate tanks for water and cleaning solution as well as the clean water rinse feature. The first problem is the design of the recovery tank. When you lift it out by the handle the lid of the recovery tank is now unlocked. Any sudden movement and the lid will just fall off and dirty water will go everywhere. After a little more than one year (one year warranty expired) the plastic recovery tank handle broke where it attaches to the recovery tank. It is now impossible to lift the recovery tank out of the machine and the likelihood of spilling dirty water is even more so. It takes two hands to pick up the recovery tank and then fumbling around trying to keep from spilling water all over.
Another problem has occurred with leaks. One of the seals where the upholstery hose inserts on the machine has broken and now leaks. There are also leaks around the clean water solution tank where it attaches to the machine. After shampooing there is water under the machine which means wiping up or mopping the residual water.
The worst thing of all... IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND PARTS!!! I have searched everywhere for a replacement recovery tank and none to be found.

If there is one good thing to say it is that this carpet cleaner does an excellent job of cleaning. I just wish it was manufactured better.