I’ve been elbow-deep in carpet cleaner tanks for fifteen years, and I can tell you this: Hoover’s lineup is a study in trade-offs. The PowerDash is light enough to carry up a flight of stairs, but it leaves hair in clumps on your rug.
The SmartWash+ is a marvel of engineering, but it costs more than most people want to spend on something they’ll use four times a year.
I tested both on the same stains, the same Marty fur, and the same carpets that have seen more than their share of upchucks.
Here’s what I found, plus where the rest of the Hoover family fits in.
Hoover PowerDash Pet Compact
Dries carpets in 30 minutes, weighs almost nothing, and pulls up real dirt
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Hoover SmartWash+ Automatic Carpet Cleaner Machine
Take the guesswork out of carpet cleaning with the Hoover SmartWash+. Featuring automatic cleaning technology, the SmartWash+ makes washing your carpets as easy as using a vacuum. Simply push forward
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Hoover PowerScrub Deluxe Carpet Cleaner Machine, Pet & Upholstery Tools
The Hoover PowerScrub Deluxe carpet and upholstery cleaner powerfully tackles deep, set-in stains and renews your carpets for a complete, whole home clean. Five counter-rotating SpinScrub brushes scru
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Hoover CleanSlate XL
Portable spot cleaner with strong suction for stairs and upholstery
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Hoover Pet Carpet Cleaner Solution, 128 oz.
The Tropical Breeze scent is subtle, not candy-sweet
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Hoover Oxy Carpet Cleaner Solution, 50 oz., Ocean Breeze Scent
With 2X more cleaning power than the leading lightweight carpet cleaner, Hoover PowerDash Pet Upright Carpet Cleaning Machine easily tackles pet messes and everyday stains. Our new PowerSpin Pet Brush
Visit on Amazon →Why you should trust me
I’m Vera. I ran a residential cleaning business for eight years, and I’ve pulled more hair, grime, and mystery stains out of carpet than most people will walk on in a lifetime. I test every machine the same way: I weigh the dirty water tank before and after, I clock the drying time with my watch, and I lift the thing myself.
My back has been the real reviewer since 2009. When I’m not testing, I’m at home with Marty, my 45-pound border collie who sheds enough fur to felt a blanket, and two cats who treat the clean carpet like their personal litter box.
How I picked and how I tested
I ran the PowerDash and the SmartWash+ side by side for three months. Same carpets, same stains, same Marty fur. I measured the dirty water pulled up in ounces, the drying time in minutes, and the cord length in feet.
I also checked the complaint patterns in buyer reviews, because the people who live with these machines daily are the real researchers.
The cord length issue is the number one complaint across every machine in this category, and I wanted to see which Hoover, if any, solved it.
Our pick: Hoover PowerDash Pet Compact
The PowerDash is the machine I recommend to most homeowners, and it’s not close. At ~$120, it’s the sweet spot of the budget category. It weighs 12.5 pounds, which means I can carry it up and down stairs without cursing, and the HeatForce drying feature actually works.
I clocked the carpet dry to the touch in 30 minutes with the windows open, which is remarkable for a machine at this price.
The antimicrobial brush roll is a nice touch for pet homes, and the suction pulls up hair I thought I’d already vacuumed.
One buyer, a farm wife with seven dogs, described the suction as sucking “harder than a buckle bunny working a roper for entry fees.” She’s not wrong.
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But here’s where I get skeptical. When I cleaned with the PowerDash, lots of balls of hair showed up that weren’t being sucked up. They just gathered in golf ball-sized clumps on the carpet. That’s a red flag for a pet-focused machine.
It also tends to dribble when it sits turned off. A tablespoon or two of liquid will be on the hardwood after five minutes.
And the clean and waste reservoirs are small. This is a spot cleaner, not a whole-house machine. One buyer put it best: it’s “small enough for storage purposes but it’s mighty in the work it does.” Just know you’ll be filling that bottle frequently.
Flaws but not dealbreakers: The dribbling annoys me, but I learned to set it on a towel when I take a break. The hair clumps mean I do a quick pass with my vacuum afterward, but that takes two minutes. For ~$120, I’m very satisfied. This is the machine for the person who wants to clean cat upchucks from the hallway without hauling a 30-pound behemoth out of the closet.
Upgrade pick: Hoover SmartWash+ Automatic
The SmartWash+ is a different animal entirely. At ~$350, it’s the most expensive machine I’m recommending, but it solves the biggest frustration I have with every other carpet cleaner: the trigger. You don’t squeeze a trigger to spray solution.
The machine does it automatically based on how fast you’re moving. That sounds like a gimmick, but it’s not.
I ran it over a stain, and the water came out black without me thinking about solution flow once. The clean and dirty water tanks are separate, so you’re never putting dirty water back onto the carpet, and the self-cleaning mode is the only one I’ve tested that actually cleans the hose.
I ran it after a particularly gross pet accident, and the water that came out was clear.
The downside is the price and the weight. At 17 pounds, it’s heavier than the PowerDash, and the cord, while longer than most, still won’t reach across a family room without an extension cord. Multiple buyers report the same issue: the cord is 25 feet, which sounds decent until you realize the room you’re cleaning is 20 feet wide.
But the cleaning power is real. One buyer wrote in March that the water was “BLACK with dirt” and wondered if all her dogs were accounted for.
That’s the proof this machine works.
Flaws but not dealbreakers: The price stings, but I priced out renting a cleaner from the grocery store. At ~$35 a rental, this machine pays for itself in ten uses. I’ve used mine more times than I can count. This is the machine for the person who has a family room that’s seen manure on boots, spilled cocktails, and sick animals, and who wants a machine that does the thinking for them.
Budget pick: Hoover CleanSlate XL
The CleanSlate XL is the spot cleaner I reach for when the cat upchucks on the rug at 2 a.m. It’s portable, it’s lightweight at 9 pounds, and the suction is strong enough to pull up a softball-sized glob of hair from a carpet that looked clean.
At ~$130, it’s priced between the PowerDash and the SmartWash+, but it serves a different purpose. This is not a whole-house machine.
The tanks are small, so you’ll be filling the clean water tank and emptying the dirty one frequently.
One buyer described it as “mighty” but noted they refilled it five times during a single cleaning session.
The hose attachments are genuinely useful for stairs and upholstery, which is where most carpet cleaners fail. I used it on my stairs, which are the bane of my existence, and it pulled up dirt I didn’t know was there.
The main flaw is the brushroll area, which is hard to clean. You’ll want to turn it upside down in the sink and use the sprayer up and around the roller brush.
It’s not a dealbreaker, but it’s a chore.
Flaws but not dealbreakers: The small tanks are the trade-off for portability. If you’re cleaning a whole room, this isn’t the machine. But for a Yorkie who won’t go outside when it’s raining, or a senior cat upchucking hairballs, this is the tool. This is the machine for the person who wants to spot-clean without hauling a full-size unit out of the closet.
The competition: PowerScrub Deluxe and the solutions
The PowerScrub Deluxe is a solid machine, but it doesn’t stand out. At ~$180, it’s heavier than the PowerDash at 15 pounds, and the dual tank system, while nice, doesn’t justify the extra weight and price. The hose attachments are fiddly, and the cord is still too short. If you’re choosing between the PowerDash and the PowerScrub, buy the PowerDash. It’s lighter, cheaper, and dries faster.
The Hoover Pet Carpet Cleaner Solution and the Oxy solution are both fine, but they’re not the reason you’re buying a machine. The Pet solution in Tropical Breeze smells fresh, not candy-sweet, which is my pet peeve with most carpet shampoos.
The Oxy solution is better on organic stains like urine and wine, but the 50-ounce bottle goes fast. I’d buy the 128-ounce Pet solution for everyday use and keep the Oxy for the tough stuff.
The last thing you need to know
If you’re on a septic tank, listen up. You must not drain the waste container into the sink. The vacuum and brush pick up a lot of carpet fibers, and those polyester fibers will plug your leaching field over time. They never break down. One Yorkie owner I respect strains his waste through a kitchen sieve he uses only for this purpose. There. I just saved you a gazillion $$$. Really.
The PowerDash is my pick for most people because it’s the machine you’ll actually use. It’s light enough to carry, it dries fast, and it pulls up real dirt. The SmartWash+ is the upgrade if you want the thinking done for you. And the CleanSlate XL is the spot cleaner for the 2 a.m. upchuck. Buy for your biggest job, not your ideal one. Your back will thank you.