Hoover HW3 Turbo Clean Cordless Floor Washer review: takes on hard surfaces brilliantly

T3’s Hoover HW3 Turbo Clean review in a sentence: A versatile 2-in-1 solution that can take on most floor surfaces with the minimum of fuss.

Somewhat stupidly, I spent years cleaning my hard floors manually, getting down on all fours and working my way across the kitchen and dining room area with a wet cloth. More recently though, I’ve been lucky enough to have reviewed a few floor mops, and they’ve been a revelation. On the new releases front, I’ve tried out the Shark VacMop, as well as the Tefal X-Clean 4 Hard Floor Washer, both of which were excellent appliances.

I’ve been road testing the Hoover HW3 Turbo Clean Cordless Floor Washer, which being a Hoover has been everything I’d expect from this well-respected household name. It comes with everything needed to get started, including the appliance itself, a charging and drying dock plus a bottle of cleaning solution for good measure. Being a cordless means it’s super convenient to use and it’s also lightweight and easy to move around making it ideally suited to all sorts of users.

While it’s not a replacement for the best cordless vacuums out there, it’ll happily vacuum surfaces too. This is also nigh on essential if the washing function is going to be used as it removes dust and fluff from surfaces before the wet cleaning process gets underway. Here’s what I think of it so far.

Hoover HW3 review: Price and availability

The Hoover HW3 Turbo Clean Cordless Floor Washer. to give it the full name if you’re searching for it, is available now. It costs £249 from the Hoover Direct website, or can also be found on Amazon if you prefer that option. However, at the time of writing, Hoover (and indeed Amazon) was advertising it for £199, which could always change but if it stays at this price the Hoover HW3 Turbo Clean Cordless Floor Washer represents great value.

Hoover HW3 review: Design and features

The Hoover HW3 Turbo Clean Cordless Floor Washer is a 2-in-1 upright appliance that is designed for folks with both hard floors and carpets to clean. It’s cordless and relatively lightweight at just 4.1kg, with dimensions of 24 x 27 x 113cm. There’s a docking station where the main appliance can be recharged during breaks between cleaning chores.

There are two modes for cleaning, with an additional turbo function when extra suction is needed. It features a 0.55 litre clean water tank and a 0.55-litre dirty water tank, which is well suited to cleaning average-sized floor surfaces. This being a cordless rechargeable model, the Hoover HW3 Turbo Clean Cordless Floor Washer can deliver up to 40 minutes of runtime, depending on how it is used and the cleaning mode. Charging time is a fairly standard 4.5 hours and it’s quiet too, with 78dB of noise stated in the official specification.

In terms of suction, the Hoover HW3 Turbo Clean Cordless Floor Washer features 16,000pascals from the 150 watts of power on tap, which is respectable for a cordless upright machine. The vacuum also features an anti-hair wrap roller head and can deliver edge-to-edge cleaning thanks to the way the roller runs almost to the edge of the cleaning head. Adding to the appeal is a low-maintenance design, which includes auto-cleaning functionality and air-ventilated drying.

Hoover HW3 review: Performance

The upside of a cordless floor washer is that it offers lots of freedom for getting around rooms quickly and effectively. The downside with some models is that they tend to get a bit damp and mouldy over time, which can also create smells. It’s therefore a very good idea to look for a model like the Hoover HW3 Turbo Clean Cordless Floor Washer, which comes with air-ventilated drying that can reduce the mustiness that comes with some of these designs.

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The Hoover HW3 Turbo Clean Cordless Floor Washer can also be used as a standard vacuum, although I think it’s best called upon as a supplement to a standard vacuum, rather than as a replacement. It just feels more at home and better suited to cleaning hard surfaces. The black and silver design is predominantly plastic, as is frequently the case, but it is noticeable just how well put together the Hoover HW3 Turbo Clean Cordless Floor Washer seems to be.

The Hoover HW3 Turbo Clean Cordless Floor Washer came complete with a bottle of floor cleaning solution, which is always a bonus plus a cleaning brush. There’s only one roller though, so I’m not sure how long that will last with prolonged use. However, it does seem well made and has a thick covering, which also means it’s kind to slightly less durable surfaces. My main area of interest was using the machine as a hard floor washer more than a vacuum, so that was how I got going.

Having said that, my kitchen floor and dining area always has a generous levels of crumbs, hair and fluff on it, so I did give it a once over using just the vacuum first and emptied the dust and detritus straight into the bin. The 16,000Pa of suction is good enough, although I wouldn’t be inclined to use this appliance on a carpet although that is possible. Personally, I’d probably draw the line at a rug or doormat.

Using the Hoover HW3 Turbo Clean Cordless Floor Washer is a cinch, with the handle holding all of the control buttons – three on the front and one on the back. The cleaner has to be angled back to get the power under way while the other buttons control moisture and drying. I found it very effective on a variety of floor surfaces and the good thing is there isn’t too much water to tackle.

My wood floors have to be cleaned very carefully, and I was pleased with the reasonably miserly levels of fluid coming out. However, I was more liberal on the tiled floor in my conservatory and that worked well too. Interestingly, there was a built-in voice that offered alerts while I cleaned, reminding me to empty or fill the tank. The tank clips into the back of the upright section of the Hoover HW3 Turbo Clean Cordless Floor Washer and this is very easy to take out and flush through from time to time.

I think removing the roller for a proper soak occasionally would be sensible too. Overall, though, the Hoover HW3 Turbo Clean Cordless Floor Washer is an effective, low-maintenance solution.

Hoover HW3 review: Verdict

While the Hoover HW3 Turbo Clean Cordless Floor Washer is hardly unique, I think it’s right up there with the rivals I’ve already tried. This is a solid package, made even better if you can get it with the discount applied. There’s a great design that’s light and agile, with a handle that covers all the control options.

It’s well-built too, with an excellent super-fluffy roller that is easily cleaned and should be good for a while. For me, having the cold air ventilation in the base is a must-have feature of any type of floor cleaner to reduce the mustiness that can occur with these appliances. I know it can vacuum, but for me, the wet floor cleaner aspect is the biggest part of the appeal here.

Hoover HW3 review: Alternatives to consider

The most obvious rival that I can think of right now is the Tefal X-Clean 4 Hard Floor Washer, which I reviewed just before getting the Shark VacMop. There’s a lot to be said in favour of that appliance, with the main bonus being it has a mopping head that doesn’t need to be thrown away and replaced all the time. The trade-off is that it requires cleaning after use.

Elsewhere, the Eufy Mach V1 Ultra is another great floor cleaner. It’s expensive, but for good reason with brilliant mopping performance being the main factor.

Similarly, the tried and trusted Bissell brand is worthy of inspection with its Crosswave Cordless Max model, which is another solid performer. The Vax ONEPWR Glide is a popular option too, which might not look like it’s going to be that great but is super-efficient. An added bonus is that it’s very keenly priced too.