# What do you think of the Hoover FloorMate? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 23, 2006, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-the-hoover-floormate/369893 "2006-08-23T15:43:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2006, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-the-hoover-floormate/369893/1 "2006-08-23T15:43:28Z")
_(I did a couple of searches, and there have only been two threads about this product: one in 2002, and one in 2004. Each thread got just two replies, and only one of them was from someone who actually has the product. I decided to keep up the trend of asking about this every two years … but hopefully not the trend of getting just two replies. 😉 )_ I just moved into a new place, and the kitchen/foyer floors are pretty dirty. I am pretty good about housework in general, but am extremely lazy about mopping – by “extremely lazy” I mean “I never do it.” For the past few years I’ve been toying with the idea of getting a Hoover FloorMate, and, while the Amazon reviews are generally good (it averages 4 out of 5 stars), I value the experiences of my fellow Dopers. 🙂 So, does anyone have one of these things? If so, please tell me which model (I can’t decide between the “simple” $130 model or the “fancy” $180 model – or something in between? – and Hoover’s online comparison tool is useless) and what you think of it. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2006, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-the-hoover-floormate/369893/2 "2006-08-23T17:37:33Z")
Is that the one with the annoying commercial with an Aussie-talking man cleaning up a kangaroo’s muddy tracks? If so, that’s all I know about it. It probably voids the warranty if you don’t say, “I can clean that floor, mate!” in a certain accent. ---
**Author:** ![GrizzRich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7ba0ec/32.png) [@GrizzRich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrizzRich)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2006, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-the-hoover-floormate/369893/3 "2006-08-23T18:14:08Z")
It sucks! \ oh c’mon… sometimes ya just CAN’T resist! ---
**Author:** ![PoorYorick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecccb3/32.png) [@PoorYorick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PoorYorick)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2006, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-the-hoover-floormate/369893/4 "2006-08-23T18:23:35Z")
We’ve got one for our ceramic tile floors, and think it’s great for jobs that need more than sweeping, but less than real scrubbing. Biggest pro: The floor is dry right after you finish. Biggest con: Doesn’t completely remove the need for all getting-on-your-knees scrubbing jobs. ---
**Author:** ![KSO](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@KSO](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KSO)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2006, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-the-hoover-floormate/369893/5 "2006-08-23T18:27:37Z")
It’s not a time saver, but it is easier than the whole sweeping, then mopping, then rinsing, then waiting for the floor to dry, etc. routine. Really dirty floors will need scrubbing or a second pass with the Floormate. I do think it’s better than the old-fashioned method, but, again, it won’t save you time. ---
**Author:** ![crazyjoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f14d63/32.png) [@crazyjoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crazyjoe)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2006, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-the-hoover-floormate/369893/6 "2006-08-23T18:30:40Z")
Why won’t it save time? If I don’t have to break out the broom and the mop and etc, I would think it would save me time. ---
**Author:** ![XaMcQ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/f9ae1b/32.png) [@XaMcQ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XaMcQ)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2006, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-the-hoover-floormate/369893/7 "2006-08-24T02:50:03Z")
I have one, but I very seldom use it. It’s kind of a hassle(it’s large and clunky, and you have to keep track of the cord and fill, drain and clean the reseviors) compared to the Swifter mop, which I love, love, love. The FloorMate does a slightly better job than the Swifter WetJet, but as PoorYorick said, it’s no substitute for a down and dirty, on your knees scrubbing. Sadly, nothing is. ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2006, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-the-hoover-floormate/369893/8 "2006-08-24T03:07:34Z")
Thanks for the responses so far – and we broke out of the 2-reply rut! Yay! Sounds like for someone like me, who can count on one hand the number of times she has scrubbed a floor, the Floor Mate might be a good thing. I’m not concerned with saving time so much as the hassle involved with traditional mopping. I’d been wondering about the Swiffer WetJet, too, so I’m glad that **XaMcQ** mentioned it, but I like the idea of the FloorMate’s spinning brushes. My kitchen is pretty small, as is the non-carpeted section of floor near the front door, so hopefully some of the other issues mentioned here won’t apply (or at least won’t be much of a problem). I guess I’ve pretty much talked myself into getting one, though it will be another week or so before I can. I just wanted to give the Dope a spin, in case a bunch of folks would say that it sucks or is a piece of crap or something. Thanks again! 🙂