. . . my Hoover FloorMate Deluxe Hard Floor Cleaner, that is. I have 3200 sq.ft. of real brick floors and used to use a big, bulky commercial mop and rolling bucket with a wringer to clean them. Regular mops got ruined before I finished a quarter of the floors. After I had my two surgeries on my right hand, with a broken left hand in between, someone here told me about the Hoover FloorMate. I ordered it from Amazon that same day, and it's been a godsend.

And then I forgot to empty out the dirty water one day and clean it after I used it. It got very cogged up. So I got the brilliant idea to take it apart and fix it myself! I never did find where the actual problem was. The repair gal came to fix my wall oven when I was in the midst of taking it apart. I left it on the floor in many pieces. When I came back to it the next day, I not only couldn't get to the place where it was clogged, I couldn't remember how to put it back together again either! This photo angle (below) makes it look much less disastrous than it really is.

So, after a week in many pieces, I called Hoover's customer service this afternoon hoping that they might have a (very) detailed manual they could send/fax/email me to help me get I back together again . . . after I first took it even more apart. Well, the rep and I had a nice laugh together over how far I'd gotten, but my Hoover was in too many pieces for him to even begin to help me. He was a very nice guy, though, and I told him that he could use my tale over the weekend to entertain his family and friends. He agreed that it would be a good one.

So, I've finally given up and just ordered a new one via Amazon. I'll save the old one's 2 water tanks and brush head, in case I ever need replacements.

Lesson learned: Never ever walk away from an appliance or machine that I've taken apart, because I probably will not be able to remember how to put it back together again!