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Re-activate When Consumer Reports hears about a floor cleaner that aims to eliminate "bucket, broom, or hands-and-knees scrubbing," that's our cue to get busy in the labs. The promos for Hoover's $140 FloorMate SpinScrub FH40010B's claim it "vacuums, washes, and dries hard floors so quickly you might not know what to do with all that extra time."
We wasted no time spreading ketchup, mustard, olive oil, pancake syrup and other sticky substances on a vinyl floor and letting it dry overnight. Next we pitted the FloorMate against two good performers from our past tests of carpet cleaners and steam mops: a Hoover SteamVac SpinScrub F5914-900, $146, and a Eureka Envirosteamer 313A steam mop, $70.
The FloorMate lived up to its billing on flat-sheet flooring like vinyl and linoleum but left some dirt in grout lines and beveled wooden edges. All three cleaners had their plusses and minuses. The bottom line: Don't ditch that bucket and squeeze mop just yet.
—Gian Trotta
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