Hoover PowerDash Pet Carpet Cleaner – review and comparison

The Hoover PowerDash is a compact and lightweight carpet cleaner that performs superbly. If you remember, a few weeks ago I was presenting the Hoover SmartWash. The legacy of the FloorMate continues now with the new cheaper PowerDash model. Since its launch a few months ago, it’s been Hoover’s best for those who want a powerful, grab-and-go cleaning device. It made shampooing carpets such an easy task and one that every member of the family could carry out. The reason is that apart from being lightweight, it offers no challenges to operate. It comes with fewer functionalities and tools, focusing more on improved suction and cleaning efficiency rather than fancy features and accessories. The ease of use and power aside, I also find the affordable price of the PowerDash so appealing. This product my be bought for around $100, which is crazy! It’s not always that you find a cleaner you can use on all types of carpets or high traffic areas for such a pocket-friendly amount. I bet you would want to know more about this powerful yet small-sized machine, which is what this review is all about. Read on for the specs, features, usability review, and summarized pros and cons of the PowerDash.

Hoover PowerDash at work

Specifications

Here are its specs in a shell:

Cleaning power

For its size, the Hoover PowerDash is a real powerhouse. A 7 amp motor operates the units suction system. Given that most of its motor’s power goes into creating the airflow and rotating the beater brush, the suction produced by this cleaner impressive. It doesn’t feature a hose or any other attachment, which helps to keep its suction power at an optimum level all the time. It serves to ensure efficient cleaning, while the powered brush helps to remove debris from deep in the carpet fibers. The bristles in the beater brush of the PowerDash extend a little bit more, allowing you to use the machine on high-pile carpets with excellent results.

Input Power

The unit plugs into the American 120 V outlet and draws 840 watts. It’s a device that is considerably efficient given the cleaning capability it achieves. It comes with a power cable that measures 20 feet and wraps around a handle on the back of the unit.

Dust Capacity

The cleaner features a 0.5-gallon dirty water tank. Being a carpet cleaner, what it stores is water that contains dissolved dirt from the carpets being cleaned. The standard practice is to do some vacuuming first before using these cleaning machines. As a result, there’s usually not much debris to be picked up. The little that gets sucked up the nozzle ends up being trapped, with the dirty water going into a tank on the unit. For the Hoover PowerDash, you may find the half a gallon capacity for the dirty water tank to be inadequate, especially if you have large areas to clean. Also, if your home is high-traffic and you have pets and kids around. However, the tank is easy to remove and empty, and the process only takes a minute or two. It means your cleaning tasks aren’t much affected as a result of the low tank capacity.

Filtration efficiency

Although the Hoover PowerDash cleans carpets that have already been vacuumed, there’s that remaining debris such as pet hair that will get picked into the suction path. The debris can cause problems, especially if it reaches the motor. The unit, therefore, has a filter for the particles that’s located at the foot of the unit just below the dirty water tank. You need to clean it regularly as clogging causes suction to drop and the cleaning efficiency of the machine to reduce considerably.

Weight and Dimensions

One of the qualities the Hoover PowerDash is famed for is its low weight. At 12.5 lbs, it’s so easy to carry from one room to another, or even upstairs. The unit is also amazingly compact. It measures 15.2″ × 10.1″ × 43.5″, making it a carpet cleaner that’s easy to store. With this weight and dimensions, this cleaner compares to a handheld but performs more powerfully. The only downside about the dimensions of this cleaner is that the nozzle is too narrow. It measures 10″ wide, which means more passes before you can finish your cleaning. But then, the enhanced efficiency of this machine means that you don’t need many passes to remove stains, which in the long run provides for cleaning sessions that don’t take a lot of time.

Hoover PowerDash dimensions

Warranty

It comes with a 1-year warranty which covers both the unit’s parts and labor. The warranty is only valid if the cleaner is used for home cleaning. Also if you have proof that you own it. It baffles why Hoover would back such a superb carpet cleaner with such a short warranty. It doesn’t mean the PowerDash is less durable, though; you still get the quality Hoover products are famed for.

Accessories

Surprisingly, the Hoover PowerDash doesn’t include any accessories. But that’s because it’s meant to be specialized for carpet cleaning as well as a grab-and-go device. In the box is only the unit itself, the handle, two tanks for the clean and dirty water, the brush roll, the user’s manual and a bottle of cleaning liquid.

Back to Top

Video review

Here’s the rather boring HSN infomercial. However, it may give you pretty good glimpse of what’s going on with this product:

Back to Top

Special Features

Hoover concentrated more on increasing the cleaning power of the PowerDash while limiting the number of features. It doesn’t come with many functionalities which allows it to be so efficient at cleaning carpets of different levels of pile. Among the features it comes with include the following.

Dual Water Tanks

There are two removable tanks to hold the clean and dirty water. It provides for enhanced efficiency since there’s no recleaning of the carpet with dirty water. It also means fewer passes when cleaning and tasks that take less time to finish. The clean water tank features two lines; one to measure the amount of water to put in the tank and the other for the cleaning solution.

Hoover PowerDash explained

Heated Cleaning

The Hoover PowerDash features heated cleaning. As a result of its ability to remove dirt, especially the stubborn stains, is significantly improved. More of the dirt in carpet fibers is dissolved and much more quickly than when using cold water. At the end of your cleaning tasks, it means carpets that smell fresh and look cleaner. The heated cleaning also serves to kill bacteria and mold growths resulting in a carpet that’s more hygienic.

Antimicrobial Brush Roll

It comes with what the manufacturer calls a PowerSpin Pet Brush. The nozzle features a spinning helical brush with soft, rubberized bristles that resist hair tangles. This makes this cleaner so efficient when it comes to cleaning areas with pet hair and messes. With antimicrobial properties, the brush roll doesn’t harbor bacteria, mold and mildew. The result is a brush that doesn’t produce an odor and carpets that smell fresh after you’ve cleaned them with the PowerDash.

Heat Drying

Apart from the power of suction, the Hoover PowerDash uses hot air to dry out the carpets it cleans. It pushes heated air down the nozzle when you’re not pressing the trigger to dispense cleaning liquid. It makes your carpets to dry faster than they would if using a machine that relies on suction only for the drying part.

Low Profile

The Hoover PowerDash will suit you if some parts of your carpets go under furniture. It lies low which allows you to direct it underneath couches, beds and other items without any difficulty. It’s an essential feature considering that the cleaner doesn’t come with accessories to allow you an extended reach.

Compact and Lightweight Construction

Measuring only 10 by 15 inches, the PowerDash is so compact that it can fit almost anywhere for storage. It’s also light and portable, weighing only 12.5 lbs. The design is useful when you have to carry the unit upstairs or even to the basement. Also, if you’ve several rooms and each one of them has a carpet or area rug. The low weight also means both young and senior members of your family can use this cleaner.

Back to Top

Usability

The device’s level of usability is exceptional, right from when you unbox it to when you power it on to clean your carpets. It comes with no tools or attachments, not even a hose. Just a handle to push into the unit and two tanks. You don’t require any tools to assemble it, and the process should only take you five minutes at most. To power it on or off, you press a foot pedal on the back of the unit. The lever to recline the handle is also located there which makes everything to operate the Hoover PowerDash both easy and convenient. The handle is ergonomically shaped, and you can hold it for extended periods without numbing your hand.

To control the release of the cleaning liquid, you use a lever that’s located on the handle. The lever is easy to press and won’t hurt your fingers when you have to press on it for long. You do not need to worry about any ratios when measuring the amount of water or cleaning solution to put in the Hoover PowerDash. Two lines on the clean water tank indicate the level for each, and your cleaning mixture is always in the right ratios. Hoover includes a bottle of their cleaning solution in the box to start you off.

Cleaning with the PowerDash is pretty easy. In addition to not having too many functionalities to control, it moves over carpets without any difficulty. The wheels are large enough, plus they’re rubberized to ensure your carpets are protected from damage. Being lightweight, you do not require a lot of effort to push or lift the PowerDash from one carpet to another. You can even assign your teenage children cleaning tasks, and they won’t experience any trouble working the unit. For the senior members of your family, the Hoover PowerDash presents no difficult to operate or to carry from one room to another. It’s a carpet cleaner that everyone in your family will love to use.

Almost every part of this cleaner is made of clear material, from the nozzle to the water tanks. It allows you to see everything that’s going up the cleaner from the carpet. It also allows you to monitor the movement of the cleaning liquid as it flows to into the carpet. You will need to clean the various parts of this carpet cleaner from time to time. Hoover makes this process a breeze for you. The dirty water tank features a simple release lever which when pressed allows you to pull it out. It also has a spout on the side through which to empty the contents. Unlike some tanks that are emptied by opening a lid on the top, this one is more convenient. The clean water tank is equally easy to remove and put back.

The manufacturer recommends that you clean the filter that’s located below the dirty water tank every time you take out the tank for emptying. The reason is that suction reduces if the filter clogs with debris, and which can happen if you have pets around and the suction system picks a lot of hair. Cleaning the brush roll is also easy. The nozzle detaches in an instant to allow you to remove the brush. Storing the Hoover PowerDash doesn’t present any problem either. It’s compact enough to fit even in the closet, plus it doesn’t come with accessories. You can even lean it against a corner, and it won’t take up much space as to appear to be out of place.

Removable nozzle

If you’re considering this cleaner for your carpeted floors, it would be advisable that you know what to expect from it. That means knowing the areas it scores high and those that it scores poorly in. In that line, here’s a summary of the pros and cons of the Hoover PowerDash.

Back to Top

Pros

• Excellent suction power that allows it to remove dirt from carpets efficiently
• Lightweight and compact design that makes it so portable and easy to store
• Heated cleaning that helps to dissolve the dirt stuck in fibers for carpets that look cleaner
• Heat drying for carpets that are usable within a few hours after you clean them
• Separate tanks to avoid re-cleaning your carpets with dirty water
• A powered beater brush with antimicrobial properties for enhanced removal of dirt and to prevent odors from building up in the brush roll
• Low profile allowing it to clean spots that are underneath furniture
• Fewer features that make it easy to use

Cons

• The power cord is short, which is not convenient if your home is large
• Low capacity tanks that require you to either fill or empty them frequently
• Narrow cleaning path that measures 10 inches

Back to Top

Hoover SmartWash vs Hoover PowerDash

Back to Top

Final comments

The Hoover PowerDash is a family-friendly cleaner that suits many different situations and cleaning requirements. Lightweight and small-sized, different members of your family can use it. It’s also powerful enough to clean different types of carpets from low, medium to high-pile. The cleaner is suitable if you have kids and your home is high-traffic. Also, if you have pets and there are messes to clean every day. Its bargain price is another attribute that should make you go for it. It’s not easy to come across a carpet cleaning device that removes dirt and stains so efficiently but which is easy on the pocket. The drawbacks of the PowerDash are few, plus they’re the ones you can put up with or find a way to work around. To conclude it’s a cleaner worth buying for carpets that are always stain-free.