Hoover considers the Hoover SmartWash+ Automatic Carpet Cleaner FH52000 their best full-size carpet cleaner. This thoughtfully designed model was first released and sold in 2018. It has numerous innovative and efficient features you won’t find in competitor models.
The Hoover Smartwash cleans powerfully and ranks a notch above all competition for its ease-of-use. It’s as if the engineers who designed the cleaner had a goal to address all the usability issues from Hoover’s previous models. Many Smartwash Automatic owners are thrilled by how dead simple it is to use this cleaner. Some say it’s almost like using a vacuum cleaner.
The Hoover Smartwash Automatic is a model to seriously consider if you are shopping for a powerful all-in-one full-featured cleaner for whole-home carpet cleaning. It cleans small or large areas; and comes with attachments for cleaning the stairs, upholstery, and car interiors. Let’s take a look at the specific features it has that stands out.
Hoover Smartwash Automatic Features and Benefits
FlexForce Power Brushes
The Hoover SmartWash is equipped with Hoover’s FlexForce Power Brushing technology. The two rotating brushrolls make quick work of loosening up dirt and debris embedded in the carpet.
The bristles on these brushes feature a helical arrangement and are long, so they can easily clean all types of carpets, even the high-pile ones.
Product owners can easily remove these Power brushrolls to rinse them under the tap. Many Smartwash owners like this feature, as it enables the brushrolls to stay clean and free of debris over many uses.
10 Amps Cleaning Power
The machine features a powerful 10 amps motor to create powerful scrubbing action and suction.
Hoover calls the Smartwash+ their best full-sized carpet cleaner. Its power stands up against other models. As a comparison, it is more powerful than the more compact lightweight Hoover PowerDash Pet FH50700 (with 7 amps of power).
As another comparison, Bissell’s ProHeat 2X Revolution Pet Pro 1986 is a full-sized consumer-grade model in the same class of the Smartwash+. It has 6.8 amps of power vs. the SmartWash’s 10 amps.
Auto Cleaning Technology
The Hoover SmartWash+ Automatic Carpet Cleaner is easy to operate. It features a triggerless design based on automatic cleaning technology. When pushed forward, it sprays the cleaning mixture onto your carpet. The brush roll rotates and brushes the dirt out.
When you pull the cleaner back, it extracts water and dries the carpet. This cleaning methodology happens automatically. The cleaner senses the direction of the movement. You do not need to press any button or squeeze a trigger.
Under 19 lbs
When emptied of water, the cleaner weighs 18.9 pounds and is relatively easy to carry from one spot to another. The machine is 13 inches wide, 43.5 inches high, and 18.5 inches deep. This unit is more comfortable to move around than a professional-grade cleaner like the Bissell Big Green 86T3.
It is easy to push and pull the machine over the carpet. The carpet cleaner comes with a carry handle and smooth-spinning rubber wheels.
The Hoover Smartwash cleaner’s low profile foot allows it to reach underneath furniture and clean flexibly.
12 Inch Cleaning Path
The Hoover Smartwash Automatic has a 12-inch cleaning path to provide sufficient coverage width with each cleaning push. As a full-sized machine, this is a good width that allows for efficient, powerful cleaning while still allowing for excellent maneuverability.
HeatForce Technology
The Hoover Smartwash Automatic’s HeatForce technology rechannels the carpet cleaner’s heat to push hot air over the carpets. The heated airflow helps the carpeting dry fast.
Dual Clean and Dirty Water Tanks
The Hoover Smartwash operates with separate clean and dirty water tanks. The clean water tank is one gallon in size. That’s twice the half-gallon size of smaller lightweight models like the Hoover PowerDash Pet Compact. It allows for more convenient cleaning of larger areas by saving product users extra trips to fill and dump water.
These tanks are removable for easy filling and dumping of water.
Clear Tanks – Easy to Observe Water Levels
The tanks are also clear, making it easy to observe the water levels as cleaning progresses. You know what to expect coming up, whether it is to add water or dump water.
With many carpet cleaner models, there isn’t much indication of when the water is running out or fast filling the dirty water compartment.
Removable Solution Tank
Besides having separate clean and dirty waters tanks, the cleaning detergent solution is poured into a separate removable 20 oz tank.
The SmartWash automatically mixes the right proportions of clean water to cleaning solution — all users need to do is fill the detergent compartment with the liquids. There is no need to worry about whether you are using enough detergent or not.
If you need to rinse your carpets rather than shampoo it, you can conveniently remove the solution tank. That way, only clean water is dispensed without any solution added.
Cord Length
The power cord is 22 feet and wraps around the unit’s backside.
8-Foot Hose and Accessories
The Hoover Smart+ comes with an 8-foot hose, a 2-in-1 handheld Antimicrobial pet tool, and a bottle of sample cleaning solution. The 2-in-1 tool is a handheld brush tool that can be used for cleaning stairs and upholstery. It has two cleaning inserts for users to pick from: a bristle brush for standard cleaning and a rubber nub brush for tough pet stains.
The Hoover SmartWash+ package comes with a user manual and storage bag. Although it does not seem like much, many customers have commented on the convenience of having a storage bag to keep the hose and accessories neatly.
Warranty
The SmartWash comes with a limited 5-year warranty, compared to the standard 2 years that most companies offer. However, this warranty is valid only if used in a home setting and if the machine has been used with Hoover branded cleaning solutions.
Hoover SmartWash Automatic Carpet Cleaner FH52000 Overall Review
Excellent Cleaning Power
Over the years, Hoover carpet cleaners have been well-known for their cleaning prowess. The Hoover SmartWash+ FH52000 has kicked things up a notch, based on the resounding positive feedback from users.
This machine is equipped with two newer FlexForce Power brush rolls with long bristles and a full 10 amps of motor power driving it. The powerful scrubbing and robust suction mechanism combined delivers excellent cleaning results.
One customer who has used both Hoover and Bissell cleaners found this cleaned better than all previous cleaners she’s used. Other customers also shared similar sentiments when comparing the SmartWash+ to their experiences with earlier cleaners from various well-known brands.
A large number of Smartwash+ owners happen to be pet owners who are experienced with using carpet cleaners. Many were surprised by how this machine was capable of thorough deep carpet cleaning.
One customer was perplexed by a nasty patch of carpet that her pet cat has repeatedly urinated on. She had tried to clean up the spot using everything from a rental carpet cleaner, another home carpet cleaner, plus numerous applications of different cleaning solutions.
She even hired a professional who used a specialized cleaning solution for pet stain. After the pro-level cleaning, she felt that there was still urine in the carpet, and her home was smelling bad.
Everything changed when she found the Hoover SmartWash+ Automatic FH52000 and used it to clean the patch. She was shocked by the results. According to her, the Hoover SmartWash+ sucked up a lot of dirt and restored her carpet to “brand new looking,” and eradicated the bad odors.
Fast Dry Times
Dry times are fast, according to most product users. Exactly how long it will take depends on the customer’s carpeting, humidity, and other conditions. That said, some customers reported that it took them several hours to get their carpets dry again after a cleaning session.
The Hoover SmartWash+ Automatic has a powerful suction mechanism that pulls up as much water residue from the carpets as possible. The Smartwash’s powerful suction not only ensures that the carpeting dry fast, it also means that more residual dirty water holding dirt and soap gets removed. Good suction power, like what users have found with this model, will leave carpets cleaner.
When the cleaner is pulled backwards, the machine will suction out water as a first pass in drying. As part of the drying process, the machine also recycles heat that it generates to blow hot air over the carpets. This HeatForce feature hastens the drying process.
Hoover SmartWash Automatic – Check Price or Buy from Target
Dry Only mode
An additional feature that makes drying fast is the drying mode. When you are done scrubbing and cleaning an area, you can push the Dry Only button on the SmartWash+ to turn on this mode. This stops the machine from dispensing solution. It turns the carpet drying mechanism into high gear and further shortens dry time.
A number of customers have reported how running the machine on Dry Only mode significantly reduced the drying time of the carpets. With the Dry Only mode, a low/medium-pile carpet may take only 3 – 4 hours to dry.
Use It Right Away
The first step to using any new appliance can often be the most effortful, especially if you have little idea how it all works. If that’s your hang-up, you will be pleased to know that getting started with the SmartWash is super easy! You don’t need any tools and you can have it ready for cleaning within a matter of minutes.
It’s a matter of taking the machine out from the box and inserting the handle into the cleaner.
After inserting the handle, you fill the water tank and solution tank, and plug the machine into an electrical outlet. The machine will then be ready to do its first cleaning.
As you will read in the next section, the automated mechanisms and motion sensing built into the cleaner allow for a hassle-free cleaning experience.
Hassle-Free Automatic Cleaning Experience
Automatic Cleaning Features Remove the Guesswork
The automated nature of the SmartWash is one of its major draws. This removes the learning curve that generally comes with operating carpet cleaners. Many machine owners have commented that this is as easy to use as a vacuum cleaner.
With a triggerless design, there is no stress with knowing when to pull the trigger to dispense water correctly. The machine incorporates a separate solution tank to hold the cleaning solution.
Auto Clean & Auto Dry
The machine automatically switches between washing and drying your carpet. If the carpet cleaner senses that you are pushing it forward, it automatically scrubs and dispenses water and cleaning solution. The clean indicator light will turn on.
If it senses that you are pulling the machine backwards, it switches into drying mode. You will see the dry indicator light come on.
Instead of dispensing water, the cleaner will now suction water from the carpets into the waste water tank.
Auto Mix
There is no need for measurements and proportions of water and cleaning solution when using this cleaner. The SmartWash automatically mixes the right proportions — all users need to fill the two tanks, the clean water tank, and the cleaning solution tank.
Easy Rinsing
Customers like how easy it is to rinse their carpets off cleaning detergent solutions. All it takes is to remove the solution tank, and only clean water will be dispensed. The detergent water mix gets suctioned off.
Getting as much residual detergent off carpets at the end is helpful for two main reasons.
Firstly, detergent attracts dirt. You don’t want patches of the carpet with detergent to attract dirt and stain up. Secondly, most people prefer our carpets to be completely clean and free of chemical elements after each cleaning session.
Light and Maneuverable
Many SmartWash owners like the easy maneuverability of this cleaner. At under 19 lbs (before adding water), it’s a lot lighter than 40 lb rental cleaners, or older upright cleaners that are heavier and bulkier. The overall design of the SmartWash makes it easy to move around.
It is often hard to balance easy maneuverability with cleaning power and convenience. The Hoover Smartwash Automatic has been expertly designed to incorporate all three elements.
There are good carpet cleaners that are lightweight, but they will not have the same cleaning power and convenience features the Hoover SmartWash presents.
As one customer summarizes her experience, this is a “lightweight machine with heavy-duty clean.” Add to that it’s unbeatable automatic washing features – it’s not difficult to see why this is a winner.
What to Lookout for
Use the Right Hoover Branded Solutions – Pet or Regular
Hoover recommends using their branded solutions with their cleaners. This makes sense as their cleaning solutions have been optimized to work hand-in-hand with their machines for the best cleaning results. Besides, this keeps your Hoover warranty intact.
For pet stains, Hoover recommends their Paws & Claws Stain Remover. It has enzymatic cleaning ingredients that help to eliminate pet stains and neutralize odors.
Not Perfect
When the SmartWash works as it has been designed to, we could call it the perfect carpet cleaner machine. It cleans extremely well, is lightweight and convenient to use.
However, a small percentage of units sold does not always work as they are expected to. Some customers have complained about how the cleaner failed on them after several uses. The first few times may have given them fantastic results, but problems start to emerge after that.
A number of customers have pointed out what they feel are flaws in the product. For example, we came across repeated complaints about rusting ball bearings at the end of the brush rolls. The rusty ball bearings could stop the brushes from working correctly.
Some product owners suggest to change out the ball bearings to stainless steel ones before they get rusty from repeated use. However, a majority of customers are not technically inclined to do that. It could also void the warranty if one were to open the machine up to fix it on their own.
Another issue that customers have reported is the belts breaking or getting damaged. Several customers reported hearing a loud weird noise before the brushes stopped spinning, and they noticed a “burning” smell. Elsewhere, others have described how the suctioning stopped working after their first few successful attempts at using the cleaner.
Hoover SmartWash Automatic – Check Price or Buy from Target
Similar Problems With Other Consumer-Grade Machines
Problems occur to a similar extent across numerous consumer-grade models, regardless of make or model. Consumer-grade upright carpet cleaners like the Hoover Automatic Smartwash are designed to be mass-produced and sold inexpensively. They are not perfect. This phenomenon of breakdowns occur to a minority of product reviewers, not everyone.
You can compare and verify this for yourself. If you want to comparison shop, check out 1- or 2-star customer reviews of similar upright carpet cleaners in this price range ($150 to $300) that have been in the market for over a year.
If potentially dealing with machine defects is of great concern, you can compare the Hoover Smart Automatic to a professional-grade cleaner like the Bissell Big Green 86T3. For a better machine, you would have to go for professional or commercial units.
Professional-grade models are more costly, but they do offer a higher quality build that minimizes the risks of break-downs. There will still be issues, as with all appliances, but the level of complaints is noticeably less. For a detailed comparison, you check out the 1- or 2-star customer reviews to see what others are saying and to verify if the level of complaints is comparatively less.
Since you can’t really “get away” from the risks, you can only mitigate the risks by choosing a cleaner with a longer guarantee period (like this model the Hoover Smartwash) or purchase it from a merchant with a longer return window like Target.
5-Year Warranty
Hoover’s extended 5-year limited warranty on this machine could mitigate the situation, compared to the usual one or two years.
According to a reviewer from June 2020, Hoover was willing to ship out a replacement unit and pay for the defective unit’s return shipping. This is a good gesture on Hoover’s part. Hoover’s official warranty does not cover for two-way shipping. It also does not cover damage to brushes and belts.
This is an almost perfect machine for a perfect price. It has its flaws, with the possibility of experiencing defects after repeated use being a potential issue.
Overall Take
To put things in perspective, the majority of customer reviews rate this model 5-star. Only a small percentage of customers have reported issues. Many shoppers like their purchase a lot, given its high-quality performance features, and a price tag that is substantially less than a professional-grade model. If you do purchase this, consider buying it from a retailer with a longer return window and easy return policies (eg. Target).
Test a Spot
The Hoover SmartWash is capable of heavy-duty cleaning. That could be a double-edged sword. Some owners could even find that the scrubbing or cleaning solution is too harsh for their carpets or rugs. Although this does not appear to be much of an issue for product users, it’s something to be careful with, especially if you have new, costly carpets. Here’s are some suggestion on what to do.
Before cleaning your carpets, be sure to test it in a hidden spot. That allows you to see the carpet cleaner’s impact and cleaning solution on your carpet before you decide to use it everywhere. Carpet manufacturers and sellers also recommend to read the cleaning instructions of the carpet or rug before you clean them.
Hoover SmartWash Automatic – Check Price or Buy from Target
Should You Buy the Hoover SmartWash Automatic Carpet Cleaner FH52000?
Hoover has named the Hoover SmartWash Automatic as their Best full-sized upright cleaner. We believe it deserves that label for three good reasons: excellent cleaning power, easy-to-use, lightweight.
The Hoover SmartWash Automatic Carpet Cleaner offers excellent cleaning power that are near professional-quality. It is intuitive and easy to use right out of the box. This cleaner has cutting-edge, practical features you will not find in other carpet cleaners; such as Auto Clean, Auto Dry and Auto Mix.
From regular foot traffic stains to tough pet stains, even soiled upholstery or car interiors, the Smartwash Automatic cleaner can clean them all. If you want an affordable, versatile full-sized cleaner for comprehensive whole-home use, we highly recommend the Hoover SmartWash Automatic.
Limitation: We put every effort to provide the most accurate and helpful information but we cannot provide any warranties on this information. Please always research and use your discernment before you try the product or make a purchase.
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