Floor Washer

By Floor Washer, Erik, do you mean one of these 1959 marvels aka today's May 23 POD?

How good are they? Extremely well made and perform exactly as designed, engineered and advertised.

Did they have rotating brush or anything fancy...? No rotating going on in the brush nozzle.

Simply put the Hoover Floor Washer/Dryer is rethink of a manual hardfloor wetmop with a holding tank for wash water/cleaning agent, vacuum-assisted waste water pick-up, a flexible vinyl bag that collects that waste water and directed vents for warm vacuum exhaust to dry the barely damp surface left behind.
Cleverly, the vinyl waste collection bag is compacted and placed folded up on top of the water already filling the fresh water jug. As the clean water is dispensed it leaves room in the jug to accommodate the waste water as it is collected and fills the waste bag. Smart, smart, smart!
1. The machine is designed to fold up its wheels and can be hung flush to a closet wall.
2. With the wheels folded down the washer is supported at the exact angle so the brush head bristles contact the floor evenly; stepping on the spring-loaded wheel carriage contacts a push button switch to turn the vacuum motor on/off. It is only necessary and desirable to have the motor running for waste-water pickup and drying. Stepping on the Wheel Release tab retracts the carriage but leave the motor running for maneuvering in tight low places with the nozzle rotated sideways.
3. The tightly packed stiffish nylon bristles surround the entire nozzle footprint, with rubber flaps sealing either end. The nozzle contains a top-loading well 'suds control bar' under a cover plate. None of my machines came with this 'bar' so I can only assume it is some sort of impregnated sponge with a soapy substance that destroys bubble foam (?), should you choose to add a detergent agent to the wash water and don't want a repeat of that Lucy inspired situation known affectionately as "The Ethel Incident'. While tempting this is not the sort of vintage machine I would use anything other than clean water in and certainly something like Pine-Sol or Lestoil would be a bad idea for the various rubber, vinyl and plastic fittings, flanges and gaskets inside the shell.
In the scrub mode the brush head behaves like a hand held scrub brush on the previously wetted floor, loosening soil into a muddy slurry (if the POD AD is anything to go by). Instructions say to run the machine along the floor with the wheels in contact - there is no need to 'bear down'. The bristles do the work.

The three-position trigger on the handle selects the modes:
'WATER' opens the water tank valve releasing a controlled stream within the nozzle where it runs out in a puddle and is spread by the brush back & forth motion. The backside of the trigger has a screw dial to regulate and set the flow rate. (You're already pre-scrubbing!) Note that the motor is OFF as the exhaust would blow your puddle across the room.
'SCRUB' closes the water valve and now it's up to you to scrub the dirty floor area which is now wet - the brush does the work. The nozzle swivels to account for unevenness but do try to keep the wheels close to or on the ground for ideal contact. The trigger catches & locks in the Scrub position. You can do the entire floor but 4'x4' patches are better or you'll be leaving wet footprints all over the cleaned area. The motor is still OFF.
'DRY'. Now is the time to step on the wheel carriage and turn the vacuum motor ON. Then push the RED handle button. This position causes the large valve door on top of the tank to snap shut sealing the vacuum air circuit, drawing all waste water through the nozzle's bristles to long tubes to the upper waste tank using the 'clean air' principal. The waste bag has the same capacity as the water supply tank and thus it cannot overfill, unless additional water not already in the tank is poured on the floor.
Capillary action of the tightly packed bristle strips combined with suction leaves the floor remarkable dry with a mere film of moisture, which could very well dry by evaporation within 10 minutes.
But here is the Hoover Bonus Trick:
By now the exhaust from the motor has warmed up and it is blown in a stream directed right behind the nozzle. As the vacuum continues to evacuate any residual water from the bristles the warm air drys the surface thoroughly on a second and third pass.

The trigger mechanism allows you to switch modes 'on the fly' in case missed spots are evident and need to be gone over...Water/Scrub/Dry.

Cleanup is equally simple. remove the handled flat-bottom jug and carry to the sink like any pitcher of water. Lift out the vinyl bag of dirty water and dump down the drain. Rinse out the bag and the jug (if necessary, let both air dry and place back in the machine which hangs in the closet until next time. Any accumulated lint or floor-wax debris in the bristle strips of the removable nozzle is washed away in warm water.

Obviously, with a two-prong plug this is not a machine to be used safely if there are any nicks or open cuts in the power cord. :-) Otherwise it is a finely made machine I actually prefer to the later Floor Scrubbing machines because of its light weight, uncomplicated mechanisms (ie: expensive replacement rotating scrub brush bars and cumbersome water buckets) and of course, the sheer joy of retro-ism.

Dave
ps. there's an excellent YouTube video of the Floor Washer in action; I just can't locate it right now.


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Post# 137428 5/23/2011 at 16:35 (4,714 days old) by Floor-A-Matic (somewhere)
Checkrate/Likes I wanted a Hoover floor washer since I was a kid. How good are they? Did they have rotating brush or anything fancy like the Floor-A-Matic or FloorMATE? The sad part is, I wanted to puke after my neighbor smashed theirs (They wouldn't let me have it although they no longer wanted it) HOW CRUEL CAN THEY BE! Can't people have a heart about us collectors instead of ruining old vacs just because they don't want them anymore?

Post# 137446 , Reply# 1 5/23/2011 at 18:03 (4,713 days old) by arh1953 ( River Park, in Port St. Lucie, Florida)
Checkrate/Likes I hate that "I don't want it but you can't have it either" mentality too. What morons.

Post# 137449 , Reply# 2 5/23/2011 at 18:23 (4,713 days old) by henry200 (Saint Paul MN)
Checkrate/Likes *Neighbors* They are exactly "neighborly" that's for sure. I occasionally see a floormate in thrift stores and even on craigslist so hang in there, you'll find one eventually. Neil

Post# 137455 , Reply# 3 5/23/2011 at 18:58 (4,713 days old) by Briankirbyclass (Eudora Kansas)
Checkrate/Likes FloorAmatic,,i know just how you feel. Ive loved vacuums since i was little,,prob about 3 yrs old,,something my own mother has HATED,,and acted like it is a shameful family secret! She has always dismissed my vac obscession as totally rediculous. When i was about 7 yrs old,,my parents built a new house will wall to wall carpet,,and of course had to get a new vacuum. What did she do? She made SURE i was gone (ordering me to be at church) and with full intent and purpose went and bought the new vacuum, making sure i had no say, and absolutly NO part in anything involved in it. To this day its a sore subject between us! What i find funny is that she sure didnt have any problems later on with me USING IT whenever the house needed vacuuming! Of course it was a particular model that i did NOT like, and would have rather had anything BUT the one she brought home. (it was a cream and taupe 1972 Hoover DAM Powerdrive,,and it was a lemon,,nothing but trouble,,and very poor suction) I did get my revenge several yrs later. After i got old enough to work, and had my own money, i took her dumb vacuum and traded it for a model i DID like!

Post# 137459 , Reply# 4 5/23/2011 at 19:33 (4,713 days old) by kenkart ()
Checkrate/Likes *My Mother!!* Didnt mind my vacuum obsession, but Dad did, but he never liked anything I did anyway... Mom bought a Dial a Matic in 69 when we got wall to wall..UGLY!! green carpet!!I didnt like it, then instead of the Super J I wanted her to buy, she bought a Hoover Celebrity II powermatic that I REALLY hated,it has taken me years to like HOOVERS lol,But I do have a number of them now!!!

Post# 137480 , Reply# 5 5/23/2011 at 21:25 (4,713 days old) by aeoliandave (Stratford Ontario Canada)
Checkrate/Likes By Floor Washer, Erik, do you mean one of these 1959 marvels aka today's May 23 POD? How good are they? Extremely well made and perform exactly as designed, engineered and advertised. Did they have rotating brush or anything fancy...? No rotating going on in the brush nozzle. Simply put the Hoover Floor Washer/Dryer is rethink of a manual hardfloor wetmop with a holding tank for wash water/cleaning agent, vacuum-assisted waste water pick-up, a flexible vinyl bag that collects that waste water and directed vents for warm vacuum exhaust to dry the barely damp surface left behind. Cleverly, the vinyl waste collection bag is compacted and placed folded up on top of the water already filling the fresh water jug. As the clean water is dispensed it leaves room in the jug to accommodate the waste water as it is collected and fills the waste bag. Smart, smart, smart! 1. The machine is designed to fold up its wheels and can be hung flush to a closet wall. 2. With the wheels folded down the washer is supported at the exact angle so the brush head bristles contact the floor evenly; stepping on the spring-loaded wheel carriage contacts a push button switch to turn the vacuum motor on/off. It is only necessary and desirable to have the motor running for waste-water pickup and drying. Stepping on the Wheel Release tab retracts the carriage but leave the motor running for maneuvering in tight low places with the nozzle rotated sideways. 3. The tightly packed stiffish nylon bristles surround the entire nozzle footprint, with rubber flaps sealing either end. The nozzle contains a top-loading well 'suds control bar' under a cover plate. None of my machines came with this 'bar' so I can only assume it is some sort of impregnated sponge with a soapy substance that destroys bubble foam (?), should you choose to add a detergent agent to the wash water and don't want a repeat of that Lucy inspired situation known affectionately as "The Ethel Incident'. While tempting this is not the sort of vintage machine I would use anything other than clean water in and certainly something like Pine-Sol or Lestoil would be a bad idea for the various rubber, vinyl and plastic fittings, flanges and gaskets inside the shell. In the scrub mode the brush head behaves like a hand held scrub brush on the previously wetted floor, loosening soil into a muddy slurry (if the POD AD is anything to go by). Instructions say to run the machine along the floor with the wheels in contact - there is no need to 'bear down'. The bristles do the work. The three-position trigger on the handle selects the modes: 'WATER' opens the water tank valve releasing a controlled stream within the nozzle where it runs out in a puddle and is spread by the brush back & forth motion. The backside of the trigger has a screw dial to regulate and set the flow rate. (You're already pre-scrubbing!) Note that the motor is OFF as the exhaust would blow your puddle across the room. 'SCRUB' closes the water valve and now it's up to you to scrub the dirty floor area which is now wet - the brush does the work. The nozzle swivels to account for unevenness but do try to keep the wheels close to or on the ground for ideal contact. The trigger catches & locks in the Scrub position. You can do the entire floor but 4'x4' patches are better or you'll be leaving wet footprints all over the cleaned area. The motor is still OFF. 'DRY'. Now is the time to step on the wheel carriage and turn the vacuum motor ON. Then push the RED handle button. This position causes the large valve door on top of the tank to snap shut sealing the vacuum air circuit, drawing all waste water through the nozzle's bristles to long tubes to the upper waste tank using the 'clean air' principal. The waste bag has the same capacity as the water supply tank and thus it cannot overfill, unless additional water not already in the tank is poured on the floor. Capillary action of the tightly packed bristle strips combined with suction leaves the floor remarkable dry with a mere film of moisture, which could very well dry by evaporation within 10 minutes. But here is the Hoover Bonus Trick: By now the exhaust from the motor has warmed up and it is blown in a stream directed right behind the nozzle. As the vacuum continues to evacuate any residual water from the bristles the warm air drys the surface thoroughly on a second and third pass. The trigger mechanism allows you to switch modes 'on the fly' in case missed spots are evident and need to be gone over...Water/Scrub/Dry. Cleanup is equally simple. remove the handled flat-bottom jug and carry to the sink like any pitcher of water. Lift out the vinyl bag of dirty water and dump down the drain. Rinse out the bag and the jug (if necessary, let both air dry and place back in the machine which hangs in the closet until next time. Any accumulated lint or floor-wax debris in the bristle strips of the removable nozzle is washed away in warm water. Obviously, with a two-prong plug this is not a machine to be used safely if there are any nicks or open cuts in the power cord. :-) Otherwise it is a finely made machine I actually prefer to the later Floor Scrubbing machines because of its light weight, uncomplicated mechanisms (ie: expensive replacement rotating scrub brush bars and cumbersome water buckets) and of course, the sheer joy of retro-ism. Dave ps. there's an excellent YouTube video of the Floor Washer in action; I just can't locate it right now.

Post# 137608 , Reply# 6 5/25/2011 at 00:10 (4,712 days old) by HooverCelebrity (Germany)
Checkrate/Likes

Post# 138174 , Reply# 7 6/1/2011 at 16:28 (4,705 days old) by floor-a-matic (somewhere)
Checkrate/Likes *1959 Floor Washer* Yep that's the one I want; I bet it might beat today's FloorMate?

Post# 139457 , Reply# 8 6/11/2011 at 16:50 (4,695 days old) by floor-a-matic (somewhere)
Checkrate/Likes *"I don't want & U can't have"* That neighbor is a bully; that pest was mean to everyone else in my neighborhood. I asked about the vintage Floor Washer if I can have it, & they said "NO!" in a mean way. They didn't even care despite I said that I collect vintage appliances; likewise I'll have to lock all doors/windows. Add a security alarm too (but I have to call the rental office)