Hoover Floormate Deluxe Hard Floor Cleaner Fh40160 Wet/Dry Upright Vacuum

Therefore, we believe it’s best to include a quick explanation about the difference between wet/dry vacuums and traditional vacuums. This small section of the article will be especially helpful for first-time buyers.

A wet/dry vacuum like the Hoover floormate hard floor cleaner is not meant to replace a regular floor cleaner. They are made to deal with wet spillages, and they do not have motorised brush heads. Due to this lack of spinning brushes, these types of machines do not function well on carpets and upholstered surfaces.

So who is a wet/dry vacuum for? Even though these devices are often associated with heavy-duty cleaning tasks on construction sites, any homeowners would benefit from them. If the majority of your floor is timber, laminate, tiles or the like, you will need a wet/dry vacuum. 

Parents of small children or pet owners will appreciate the functions of this versatile machine. Imagine using a few rolls of toilet papers to clean up bedroom spills or bathroom messes from your toddlers. The Hoover floormate cleaner will make your cleanups much less time-consuming. 

But why should you buy from Hoover? Is it a reliable brand? Our section below will provide you with more information.  

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Hoover - A well-established floor-care brand that has been taking care of many houses for more than 100 years 

Founded in 1907, Hoover has a rich history of product development and innovation, making it a well-known brand in the US, Europe and Australia. With a wide array of products distributed all over the globe, its comprehensive product lines can meet the needs of many customers. 

Hoover products are affordable compared to other big-named brands in the industry. Besides, customers can also enjoy extended warranty programs when buying reliable products from this American floor-care brand. 

Hoover is also known as a brand with great product diversity. You can find full-sized machines like uprights and canisters that are available in both bagged and bagless versions. If you need more compact devices, Hoover has you covered with its sticks, handhelds.

For other specific purposes, there are polishers, shampooers, carpet cleaners or wet and dry vacuums. Hoover devices come in both corded and cordless, giving customers a wide variety of choice to choose from. 

Why rent while you can buy a Hoover wet and dry vacuum cleaner?

Hoover wet and dry vacuums are designed for jobs that are too tough for a regular vacuum cleaner to handle. They are ideal devices to clean mud, sand and sawdust from the house after your  DIY projects. These vacuums are also great for car and garage cleaning. 

The design of wet and dry vacuum cleaners vary, but Hoover machines usually include two reservoirs to keep the liquids and solids separately. Similar to the mechanism of a conventional vacuum, the Hoover wet and dry cleaner picks up the dirt and spills through an inlet port, then releases it into either the dry or liquid bucket.

You’re probably thinking the operation of Hoover wet/dry vacuums is complicated, so it’s probably expensive to buy one. Fret not! The Hoover FH40160PC is affordable at just around $150. 

Hoover FH40160PC FloorMate Via: Amazon

But how is the performance of Hoover floormate cleaner? Is it reliable and worth the investment? Any home appliances, even the ones with the highest rankings, have their strengths and weaknesses. What are the pros and cons of Hoover deluxe hardwood floor cleaner that shoppers should be aware of? 

All of these questions are rational, as they are what most first-time buyers would ask. In this Hoover floormate deluxe review, we’ll provide you with enough information to answer these questions yourself. 

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Hoover deluxe hardwood floor cleaner - Pros and cons

Pros 

• Perfect for quick cleanups

• Lightweight and convenient to store

• Has two water tanks  

• Have two brushes for different surface cleaning

• Powerful angled brushes for deep cleaning

• Large-sized water tank (48 ounces)

• Easy to manoeuvre

• Its handle can fold down, making it easy to store 

• Has 2-years-motor warranty program 

Cons

• Not suitable for carpets

• Does not feature swivel steering 

• A bit loud in wash mode. 

• Short power cord (20 feet) 

• Might struggle to pick up large debris

Hoover floormate deluxe review

Dimension and weight 

As the name suggests, the Hoover floormate deluxe hard floor cleaner is a vacuum specially designed for hard floors. The machine weighs13.8 lbs, with dimensions of 13 x 12 x 44 inches, making it a compact and lightweight machine to use for daily cleaning tasks.

If the above weight and dimension of the Hoover FH40160PC do not give you a clear picture of how it feels to hold in your hands, here follows a quick comparison of a few well-known models on the market. 

For example, Vacmaster VBV1210 is a familiar wet/dry vacuum among many homeowners and professionals. It weighs 24.9 pounds and measures 18.44 x 20.52 x 24.49 inches. DeWALT DXV09P is a powerful but hefty machine. This 22.5-pounds device comes at the dimension of 18 x 22 x 17.5 inches. Craftsman CMXEVBE17590 seems to be a smaller vacuum from the first glance, but it’s also heavier than the Hoover FH40160PC. 

So if you’re keen on a compact wet/dry vacuum, the Hoover floormate deluxe FH40160 wet/dry upright vacuum is worth your consideration. But aside from its weight and size, are there any other features that shoppers should know? We’ll go into further details of this machine’s parts and technologies right below. 

Dual tank technology

The Hoover deluxe hardwood floor cleaner has two tanks to separate clean and dirty water. They are both easy to remove for filling, emptying and washing. Each tank can hold one and a half quarts, giving you enough water to scrub an area of 400 square feet. 

Hoover Floormate’s dual tanks Via: Amazon

So if you live in a small house with a couple of dogs or cats, we reckon that you do not have to worry about refilling the tanks when cleaning. What’s better than equipping yourself with a versatile machine that sets you free from interruptions when cleaning your house?  

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The dual tanks are a great feature of this wet/dry vacuum as it can prevent the dirty and clean water from mixing. Its mechanism is quite simple: when you operate the machine, the clean water is sprayed onto the floor. During the cleaning process, it sucks up the spillages and messes into the dirty water tank.

If you need a refill, be sure to switch off the vacuum first. Once the machine is off, you can refill clean water, then use a small cup to add detergent to the filled water tank.

When customers purchase a Hoover floormate deluxe hard floor cleaner, they will get two Hoover cleaning solution bottles of 16 oz each, which should be enough to clean an average-sized house about 20 to 30 times. Once you finish them up, we would recommend you to keep using Hoover’s cleaning products to ensure your warranty is valid. 

Even though we love the dual tanks technology of this Hoover Floormate cleaner, we’ve also come across a few complaints from customers saying that it’s too big to fit under their faucet. So we hope that your kitchen has tall and flexible water faucets. 

We do not have any problems with the size of this water tank. We sometimes fill it up in our bathroom, especially after cleaning up messes from our two Golden Retrievers. And we think this is more hygienic as our furry friends sometimes bring mud from the gardens or puddles into our homes, so emptying and filling it up under the faucet of the kitchen is not what we want.

Scrubbing power of the SpinScrub Brush technology 

If you’ve used traditional vacuums before, you probably know that their scrubbers can be used on both carpeted and bare floors. The multi-purpose spin scrub technology of Hoover Floormate is exclusively designed for hard floors. So it works effectively on sealed hard surfaces like timber, laminated, marble, linoleum, composite, travertine, just to name a few.

With two cleaning modes: Wash and Dry, these brushes can either wash or scrub any hard surfaces. The wash mode uses perfectly designed brushes to clean spillages and suctions the excess water at the same time. In this wash mode, the machine releases the cleaning solution while its circular and counter-rotating brush spins to clear up all kinds of spills, dirt, grime.

The dry mode improves the drying time once you finish with the cleaning. What’s better than having a hard floor cleaner that sucks up the water to dry the floors in just one swipe?

The Hoover floormate hard floor cleaner is equipped with two patented 360-degree counter-rotating, removable brushes. They serve two distinct functions. The first brush is assembled with the unit and it’s soft and designed to use on hardwood floors. The second brush is a separate coarse one that can clean all corners of tile and grout with ease. The best thing about these two brushes is that you can switch between them in just a second. 

Usability 

Several outstanding features contribute to the usability of the Hoover FH40160PC. The unit is fitted with a 20-feet power cord, giving you the manoeuvrability to move around your space without plugging and unplugging too many times. 

For flexibility, the Hoover Floormate can be lowered so that you can clean under and around furniture easily. So no dust, grime or messes can hide under the tables, cabinets or sofa thanks to the unit’s footswitch.

Besides, this wet and dry vacuum from Hoover has a cleaning path of 11.5 inches, which means you can reach a relatively large area within every single pass. Why spend hours cleaning up the house while you can save lots of your valuable time? Hoover knows how to design products that significantly improve your living standards.

We also notice that Hoover floormate deluxe hard floor cleaner has a foldaway handle that folds down to give users room for easy storage. Once it’s folded down, it’s half shorter than its original height. Therefore, this compact machine can be tucked away in a hidden corner of the house or the storage closet where many other home appliances do not fit in. 

Besides this, there is also a cleaning solution trigger on the handle of this vacuum. So when you need to clean tough stains or large messes, this trigger becomes extremely helpful. It allows you to release more cleaning solution to the target spots, giving you the versatility to tackle multiple tasks, from light to heavy-duty with little extra effort.

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Performance 

Hoover professional series floormate deluxe hard floor cleaner is specifically designed to clean surfaces of hard floors, be it vinyl, sealed hardwood, marble, laminate or ceramic tiling. We will now review its performance on bare floors, and then evaluate its cleaning abilities on stains.

On the bare floor

Last week, we ran a test to see how this machine performs, and the Hoover 40160 gave a thorough clean of our messy laminated surface. We only needed to mix water and detergent into the water tank then the multi-angled brushes speedily rotated at a rate of 300 spins per minute to give us a freshly clean floor.

If you use a traditional mop, you will have to leave the floor for a while so that it can get dry. However, with the Hoover floormate deluxe hard floor cleaner moondust, the floor will be dry right after a quick pass. This function will let parents of small children tackle accidental spills with a breeze. 

If you’re curious about the mechanism behind this quick-dry feature, here is a simple explanation: your floor is dry right away thanks to the unique Wash-Dry mode. The brushes wash and dry in one swipe, giving you instant drying time. 

Hoover Floormate’s Wash Dry mode improves drying time Via: Amazon

My partner and I are parents of a 3-year-old girl, so we know that trying to keep our house neat is difficult. The minute we finish mopping up a sticky chocolate spill in the kitchen, another magically appears in the living room. 

However, we’re gradually learning that toddlers and preschoolers simply want to explore their surroundings, which can produce lots of messes. We also understand that sometimes parents of small children need to embrace the messes to let their children develop their creativity. 

So we have set some certain boundaries and created a playroom for our little girl. Since then, we did not have to struggle with lots of cleanups anymore. Also, since we equipped ourselves with a Hoover floormate deluxe hard floor cleaner moondust, cleaning food or juice spills has become much more manageable. 

   ➜ Related: Hoover Power Scrub Elite: Is It Worth Upgrading To This From The Deluxe Version?

On stains 

For fresh stains or spills, the Hoover floormate deluxe Costco works very well. The manual cleaning method of using pads, detergent and a bucket of water is the thing of the past. You do have to get down on your knees to tackle these stains by hand anymore. So no more back-breaking mopping once you have a Hoover FH40160 in the house!

Pet owners know how messy their four-legged friends can be, especially during rainy or winter days. We have two Golden Retrievers, and any dog lovers would probably know that they are one of the most active dog breeds. They can sometimes turn our living room or kitchen into a playground with their muddy paws. 

Also, their food and urine messes are sometimes unavoidable. No matter how much we love these furry friends, sometimes we have to keep them in their dog-houses outdoors. Thanks to the excellent cleaning abilities of the Hoover deluxe hardwood floor cleaner, we do not have to leave our dogs outside anymore.

Even though the Hoover FH40160PC performs excellently on fresh stains, it struggles with dried up stains. Therefore, we would recommend homeowners to clean stains up as soon as you can. However, if you have these stubborn spots on your hard floors, it’s best to use vinegar to loosen them up before using your Hoover. 

While collecting information and customer feedback to write this review article, we’ve come across a few negative comments regarding the noise level of this Hoover hard floor cleaner. While it’s quite loud when it’s in wash mode, it’s quiet if you use it on scrub mode. Given this, we believe its noise is not a big problem that you should worry about.

Maintenance 

Maintaining the Hoover floormate hard floor cleaner is just as simple as using it. The unit’s brushes, tanks and nozzles are all easy to remove for a proper rinse, and we always use mild detergents to clean them. 

Hoover suggests that their users wash the tanks after each use, and we couldn’t agree with this suggestion more. The less often you clean them, the more bacteria and grime can build up inside them. Also, an unpleasant smell can form them if we do not rinse them thoroughly.

The filter on the top of the dirty water tank can be easily removed for cleaning as well. We usually remove all dirt and debris embedded in it before washing. As with any other vacuums’ filters, users should always let it dry completely before putting it back to ensure the machine’s longevity and performance. 

If you face any problems when using this Hoover vacuum, troubleshooting it by referring to the manual guide is always recommended. Sometimes you can save lots of money by fixing the machine yourself instead of contacting the repair services. 

Hoover Floormate vs Bissell Crosswave

While we did our research to write this review for Hoover deluxe hardwood floor cleaner, we found out that lots of customers ask about the difference between Hoover Floormate vs Bissell Crosswave. So this section of our article is dedicated to the comparison between these two models. Let’s first take a look at the below comparison chart: 

Both Hoover Floormate and Bissell Crosswave have two water tanks, but the former’s tanks are on two sides of the unit, whereas the latter’s tanks are located on the front and back of the machine. In our test, the location of the tanks did not show any effects on the machines’ performance. However, in terms of aesthetics, the Floormate has a more compact look and feel. 

When it comes to the cleaning heads, the difference between them is pretty straightforward. The Hoover Floormate utilises two rotating brushes with SpinScrub Brush technology to clean spillages, stains and grime on sealed hard floors. The Bissell Crosswave, however, uses a multi-surface brush roll to tackle messes on multiple surfaces. 

While both models have washable filters, the Bissell Crosswave’s power cord is longer. However, its smaller water tank can be a drawback if you’re parents of toddlers or pet owners who have to get rid of messes in the house regularly. 

Even though the Hoover Floormate and Bissell Crosswave both come with a warranty program of 2 years, their price tags are different. The Hoover machine comes at around $155 only, whereas the Bissell device is $100 more expensive.

Now if the majority of your floor is wood, laminate or tile, then the Hoover Floormate is undoubtedly a better choice. But if you also need to clean an area rug, then you might need to weigh up the pros and cons of two models carefully before making a purchase decision. 

Alternatives

#1- Hoover floormate edge - A somewhat similar machine with a longer power cord and edge-cleaning functions

All of the features of Hoover Floormate Deluxe sound like a perfect match of what you’re looking for in a hard floor cleaner. However, you’re a bit reluctant to click the purchase button because you are wondering if the cord is long enough to clean your house. 

Hoover Floormate Edge is an alternative that you can consider. For about the same price, you can have a machine with about the same weight but with a significantly longer cord of 26’, giving you extended reach from one room to another without the hassle of unplugging. 

Hoover Floormate Edge Via: Amazon

While you can turn the knob near the handle of the Deluxe to switch from wash mode to dry mode, you can use the switch pedal to change between two different modes in the Edge model. 

As the name suggests, the Hoover floormate edge provides you edge-to-edge suction so you can clean the baseboards or get right into the hidden corners of your rooms quickly. This feature lets you clean the room much faster since you do not have to rely on the sets of tools anymore.

#2- Hoover FH40011B - A somewhat similar machine with a long power cord and vacuuming function  

If the Hoover floormate deluxe FH40160 wet/dry upright vacuum sounds like the right choice for you, except for the lack of vacuuming function. Therefore, you’re now searching for a hard floor cleaner that can wash, dry and also vacuum. 

Look no further! The Hoover FH40011B or the Hoover SpinScrub is your machine. It has three cleaning modes: vacuum, wash and dry, which means no specks of dirt in the house can hide. 

Hoover SpinScrub Via: Amazon

Hoover Deluxe's tanks are located on two sides of the machine, whereas the tanks of SpinScrub are right in front of the unit. Besides, the cord of the Hoover FH40011B is 27’ long, which is much longer than the cord of Hoover Floormate. 

However, the tank capacity of the Hoover FH40011B is only 1 quart, so it’s slightly smaller than the tank of the Hoover FH40160. Also, the Hoover FH40011B is 16.5 pounds, which is around 3 pounds heavier than the Hoover FH40160. While this weight difference is negligible to us, it can be a determining factor for homeowners that want to use lightweight home appliances. 

#3- Hoover FH52000 Smartwash - A wet/dry carpet cleaner 

The Hoover FH40160 is a perfect wet/dry cleaner for hard floors, and you’re also a big fan of the Hoover brand for many years. However, the majority of your floor is covered in carpet, so a high-quality carpet cleaner would be what you need.

Why not consider the Hoover FH52000 Smartwash? It’s one of the best-rated Hoover vacuum cleaners for carpets. The unit’s FlexForce PowerBrushes gently remove ground-in dirt, debris and pet mess while the machine's Auto Dry technology delivers powerful extraction with HeatForce for instant drying. 

Hoover FH52000 Smartwash Via: Amazon

Similar to the Hoover FH40160, the Hoover FH52000 also has a dual tank system, but they’re located in front of the unit. Furthermore, cleaning the brushes is pretty straightforward, thanks to the one-step-removable-nozzle. 

The Hoover FH52000 is a perfect carpet cleaner for homes with pets as it’s equipped with a 2-in-1 antimicrobial pet tool, allowing users to tackle pet messes in those hidden corners of their house. 

Conclusion 

Hoover floormate hard floor cleaner is a lightweight, versatile and affordable wet and dry cleaner. It effectively cleans up all kinds of wet spills, stains and messes on your laminated, timber, tile floors, better yet, it instantly dries your floors with one swipe. Therefore, the machine is super convenient to use for homeowners with small children and pets. 

 If you insist on having a longer power cord, then scroll up to our two alternatives: Hoover FH40011B and Hoover floormate edge that we have briefly reviewed above. In case you’re interested in a wet and dry carpet clear from Hoover, do not underestimate the Hoover FH52000 Smartwash.