Hoover SmartWash Review

Analysis

A step by step breakdown of the SmartWash's performance.

The SmartWash was tested to have above average measured suction at the base (port close to vacuum motor), the hose (where spot cleaning tool attaches), and at the nozzle (where moisture is extracted at the bottom of the cleaner head).

The SmartWash did not perform well in our upright stain test.

The table above lists the number of passes it took the SmartWash to clean up each stain (vs the average number of passes).

For example, it took the SmartWash 10 back and forth passes to clean the peanut butter stain (vs an average of 8.5).

Note that at least some of its poor performance can be attributed to the fact that it didn’t cooperate well with our testing protocols.

The SmartWash automatically dispenses soap and water when you push it forward and automatically maximizes extraction when you pull it backward.

For it to dispense soap and water properly as it should, it has to be pushed at a fairly brisk pace.

And in our upright stain test we push each cleaner very slow (note that we use the same very slow speed for each and every test).

The end result was that the SmartWash would sometimes not properly dispense soap and water on the forward push during testing. It would happen very infrequently and for a very short period of time, but it would happen, and it definitely impacted results in this test.

All of that being said, we re-tested the SmartWash pushing it at a fast enough speed for it to always properly dispense, and during re-testing it didn’t perform that much better.

So, yes, take the results listed above with a grain of salt. But, note that these results are not that much worse than they would be if the SmartWash cooperated better with our testing protocols.

After our stain test we measured the moisture level of the carpet that was cleaned.

The reading for the SmartWash was 28% which is slightly above (wetter than) the average of 27%.

We then pushed and pulled the cleaner over the same section of carpet three times on “Dry” mode (a mode on which it only extracts; it doesn’t dispense any soap or water). After these three passes the reading for the SmartWash was 24% which is slightly below (drier than) the average of 25%.

The bottom line – the SmartWash leaves carpet slightly wetter than average after cleaning regularly, but it can dry carpet to a drier than average level of dryness if you run it over the same section of carpet on dry only mode.

The SmartWash has large water tanks and doesn’t use a lot of water to clean, so it can cover a very large area before you need to refill its clean tank (with soap and water) and empty its dirty water tank (of dirty water).

This is definitely a strong positive for the SmartWash.

The SmartWash is very easy to clean after washing carpet.

Its dirty water tank comes apart so you can clean the inside of the tank very easily.

Its front nozzle can be removed and both of its brushrolls can be removed without a screwdriver, which makes cleaning these parts and the components that surround them in the cleaner head very easy to do as well.

Like most other full-size carpet cleaners we tested the SmartWash has a port on the front to which you can connect a hose and spot cleaning tool.

The hose included with the SmartWash is 8 ft. long which is a fairly standard length.

The model we bought for review also included a 2-in-1 pet tool (spot cleaning tool).

Overall, the SmartWash was an above average performer in our spot cleaning test.

Other Notes and Features

The SmartWash is called the “Smart”Wash because it automatically dispenses soap and water on the forward push and maximizes extraction on the backward pull.

Most competitors have a trigger that you have to manually pull to dispense soap and water and release to maximize extraction.

Otherwise, this cleaner has a very similar design to most other full-size carpet cleaners we tested.

Verdict

Our bottom line recommendations.

The SmartWash performed very well in many of our tests, but it did not perform well in our most important test – our upright stain test.

It also left carpet considerably wetter after cleaning than top rated competitors.

For these reasons we generally do not recommend the SmartWash. For our the latest updated list of carpet cleaners we do recommend see here.