LPolk and Jerry, thanks for your comments. I've had adventures in vapor steam cleaning since I first posted my query. A nice lady from Norwalk, CT came to my house and demonstrated the wonders of the Ladybug XL, which I did order from her. I think the on-site demonstration is very helpful, because there are definitely a few things to learn about how to use these things, and the hands-on demonstration helps. There's a video that comes along with the machine, too. Since I am of the opinion that one might as well be hung for a sheep as for a lamb, and since I have few other major vices besides my addiction to high-end home appliances, I bought some fun accessories as well: the (terrific) steam iron that can be run off the Ladybug, and the aromatherapy attachment (after cleaning the kitchen you can infuse the air with a favorite essential oil, like peppermint, or bergamot). I am enjoying the Ladybug very much -- it has added a couple of years to the lifespan of child- and dog-worn living room upholstery, and revived outdoor furniture cushions that I thought were beyond the pale, and I use it on all the rugs in the house, including some old vegetable-dyed Orientals -- they are significantly brighter and silkier/springier afterwards, and I don't see pigment coming out of the old rugs onto the terry towel that wraps the cleaning head, just dirt. I can clean my entire bathroom (limestone, stainless steel, porcelain, glass, and polyurethaned wooden floor) without using any solvents or paper towels -- the very hot vapor sterilizes surfaces. Afterwards, I wash any dirty terry towel wraps in a hot-water wash, dry them, and they're ready to reuse. I bought the cleaner because I wanted to be able to steam-clean mattresses to kill dust mites, to which my mildly asthmatic son is allerlgic. There is medical research that shows that vapor steam cleaning does significantly reduce the amount of dust mite and dust mite antigen on rugs and mattresses -- you have to follow the steam cleaning with a good vacuum with a HEPA filter to remove the dead mites and their residua -- but I haven't yet come across any medical literature that proves that this leads to significant improvement in clinical symptoms for those who are allergic to dust mites -- so it's too soon to make that claim. Still, I feel very virtuous as I steam clean the mattresses and pillows. The Ladybug can wash windows -- or i should say, YOU can wash windows using the Ladybug. There are other attachments like the "tough kit" for cleaning grills, or detailing the car, but I haven't done either of those tasks yet. I do clean my kitchen range, and that is deeply satisfying. In general, the Ladybug is a great tool in the kitchen. In fact, the hardest part is deciding where to keep it: near the bathrooms, or in the laundry room with the ironing board, or in the kitchen? I think the continuous refill feature is very important, because in the course of several hours of steam cleaning one might need to top up the reservoir at least several times, depending on how much steam one is using. I also like that the vapor steam is so dry that steamed fabrics feel dry to the touch soon after cleaning. I had one problem when an attachment broke -- I e-mailed the representative, who arranged for a replacement piece to be sent immediately, at no charge. It's cute, too, did I mention how cute it is? And it is very quiet, so while you are cleaning you can listen to music, or talk radio, or self-improvement tapes if you feel like improving yourself. Perhaps I should "get a life." But there you have my experience to date.

I have one of the pricey "dry" vapor steam cleaners, from allergybuyersclub site, the tidyvap. I like that site and frankly am surprised they OK'd it for your floors and walls. DO NOT use it on painted walls! It will remove paint, or at least discolor the area you use it, plaster or drywall (drywall even worse). It is very intense heat, and would scald your hand if you used it on skin, so I would not recommend it for wood, either (although I am unfamiliar with trax?). I have used it on UN-painted wood to spot clean adhesives, but I would not regularly use all over wood floors, as I bet it would warp the boards. The machines are WONDERFUL for tile, stone, metal, glass... it is a miracle machine in the bathroom and kitchen, no chemicals and cleans to sparkling new. It is OK for rugs but frankly a little too labor intensive to clean the whole thing regularly, I have only spot cleaned rugs too. (Cat throw up - great for that!) I don't have allergies but these machines are recommended specifically for dust mites, because the heat kills them, and it can be used on cloth/furniture and mattresses effectively. A very good HEPA vacuum (Miele is the cadillac, I love my Oxygen) would be a much better bet for dander and you could use it on walls/wood floors. Dander is superficial, and you won't need the most deep cleaning to keep it clear. You could also get a wet steam cleaner like the shark and try that, but I think a good HEPA vac is all you need.

I borrowed a Bissel and a Hoover hands down Hoover was best so I bought this one Hoover MaxExtract Dual V Carpet Cleaner, Black, F7412900 it is an awesome machine. Cleans so well, better than the commercial one's we have rented, and dries very fast. This model has the separate rinse water container, the detergent goes in it's own container and it mixes it as you use it, this allows you to do a separate rinse with just water to get out as much of the soap as possible. I do a soap/clean stroke up and back then switch to rinse and do up and back then release trigger and do a dry pass up and back. Works great. You do need to use some of the cleaner detergents, I also have asthma and scent allergies but these have not bothered me at all and I think the fact that I can do the clear water rinse helps because that takes out all the detergent and the scent.

I have the H3060, the very first one on the page I linked to above. Don't be shocked by the price though; I bought mine brand new for about $75 less than what Hoover advertises it for. I like it a lot. It comes with two brush block assemblies, one specifically for cleaning grout. Hoover also sells a special grout solution too. It works very well, and never "reuses" water, so you're always putting down fresh water and dirt is never spread around. I guess the only gripe I might have (and even then I understand the design decision by Hoover perfectly) is that it scrubs very lightly. With brushes spinning at a very high speed there is a balancing act of pushing too hard (which could damage wood or linoleum) or pushing just hard enough to clean tough spots. Hoover erred on the side of caution, so any ground in dirt, scuff marks, etc. still require a pre-scrub by hand to loosen them up. Otherwise, no complaints. Spills, normal dirt, etc. are all picked up very well and the floor left sparkling.