I actually do not have one of the machines you mentioned but I do have a Bissell Powersteamer. It is a large upright machine which is very good at cleaning my carpet. The house that we moved into had oldish carpeting in a sort of ginger color. I have a hairy, large-footed dog who carries in a lot of dirt. I also have a husband who always expresses amazement when I point out that he has just made big muddy tracks across the rug. To be fair, I have to admit that I spill a lot of coffee and wine. Since I also do not like to clean, the stains usually don't get cleaned up right away, as they should. They still come out! I don't know how this machine compares with the Hoover machine in cleaning power. I am thinking of getting a Little Green Steam Machine because it is somewhat of a chore to drag the big machine down to clean up recent spots. I would be interested in hearing how the Little Green Steam Machine compares to any larger, upright model. Arlene M.

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.

I've already posted the coral fabric a couple of days ago; see above. It won't look any different with the fringe applied. I cannot believe no one has commented on my white (but not antique white) windows (or mantel). I have to paint those still. I've been waiting to paint them until I removed the old drapery rod. Now I can do it. Good news today: Calico Corners extended its 25% off fabric sale through 1/26, so I have time to wait for my samples to arrive before committing to the RL Foxberry plaid. I would get it somewhere else and feel less pressured, but CC's price is more than $20 less than even places in fabric row here in the city because I've been told that CC has special RL pricing (on top of which I can get the 25% off). I ordered a bunch of memos of the discontinued fabric from Robert Allen today. They have to be sent from SC, so it'll probably take a few business days.

I broke down and bought a cheap Bissel about 5 years ago. It doesn't have the upholstery attachments, which I greatly regret. I use the Bissel cleaner, which I purchase at Target, and they also have a Bissel Power Booster, very hard to find (I bought it online). The Power Booster is a powder which you add a small scoopful of to the hot water and cleaner into the machine. Makes a huge difference. I love my Bissel, and it's one of the best investments I've made. Like I said, if you can purchase the upgraded model, do so. I only spent just under $100 on mine, and I think it does a pretty good job. In fact, I loaned it to a friend with 4 dogs and a cat. She used it once and was shocked at how clean her carpets came out. She went out the next week and bought her own. This past weekend, I spilled most of a bowl of salsa on my wool carpet. I scooped up the solid stuff, and steamed it right away. The spot is completely gone, and though I had cleaned the rug about 5 months ago, you can't believe how dirty the water was when I dumped it. One more tip, I only steam my carpets late at night before I go to bed. That way, nobody walks on them and they are dry in the morning. Works especially great in the winter, when you have the heat on. Sure beats what the guys with the truck charge!