The Hoover Spotless Mini Pet (FH12351) is the blue version of the Spotless Mini — and after running both, the honest headline is that it's the exact same machine as the red FH12300 with a different tool bundle and a sample bottle of pet formula. I tested it on a set-in carpet stain, the hose flush and the tank routine, and it cleaned well, carried easy, and ran quiet enough to earn the Just A Dad Approved sticker at 8.3/10. Here's what's actually different, what isn't, and the one setup hiccup to know about.
What's in the Box and First Setup
In the box: the machine, the hose, three tools — a "pet hair mess" brush, a general-purpose brush, and a tight-spot crevice tool — plus a sample bottle of Hoover's pet solution and the on-board cord wrap. The hose slides in from the top until it clicks, the cord wrap slides in the same way, and the cord is 12 feet with a three-prong plug. Assembly is a couple of minutes. The thing to know before you start: My unit had an air pocket in the pump and wouldn't spray on the first fill — see the Ease of Use section for the fix, because it's the one part of the setup that isn't obvious.
The Tanks
There's no separate solution tank on this one — water and formula mix together in the clean tank. Fill with water to the first line, then add solution from that line to the next. That part's easy. The part that isn't: neither tank has a release button. You pull them away from the machine, and putting them back is the fiddly bit — they don't go straight in, they tilt up and hook. It takes a few tries before it clicks, and it's the one thing I ding on both Spotless Minis.
The "Pet" Question — Is There a Hair Tool?
No, and this is the part Hoover doesn't make clear. Long Hair Management scored 7.5/10 because there's nothing on this machine that manages hair — it's plain suction. Hoover calls the blue brush a "pet mess tool" and the gray one an "all-purpose tool," and side by side I couldn't find a single difference between them. Same bristle area, same shape. The blue box also ships with the gray brush, so you're getting the same tool twice. Normally when a spot cleaner says "Pet" it means a different attachment built for hair; here it means a sample bottle of pet formula and a blue shell. It'll clean a pet accident the same as any spill, but if hair is the fight, this isn't the tool for it.
Cleaning Performance: What It Actually Picks Up
Cleaning Performance scored 8.1/10 and Suction Power 7.5/10. Flip the switch, pull the trigger, and the solution comes out under pressure so you can spray while you scrub — which is how you want to do it. On a big set-in carpet stain it lifted the water and the mess right back up, and the suction has real pull for how small the machine is. One tip that applies to every spot cleaner, not just this one: pre-treat the stain first. I hit tough spots with a stain remover before the machine ever touched them, and the stain was already breaking down before the Hoover got there.
The Crevice Tool — The One Real Difference
This is what you actually get for buying blue instead of red. The tight-spot crevice tool goes on the end of the hose, sprays out the tip, and you scrub with it — then rotate the tool to switch over to suction. It's made for stair edges, cushion seams and car seats, places the wide brushes can't reach. What you give up is the red FH12300's max extraction tool, the narrow head with a lever arm that lets you lean on the carpet for maximum pull. Pick the color by which of those two tools you'll use more.
Corded Power
It's corded, so you stay near an outlet, but you get unlimited runtime with no battery to die mid-job, and the 12-foot cord gives you room to move. Portability scored 9.5/10 — it's lightweight, it's quiet, and it's an easy one-hand carry up the stairs or out to the driveway for the car.
Maintenance and Self-Cleaning
The hose clean is built in and it's my favorite thing about this machine. When you're done, pull the tool off, poke the hose into the clean-out port on the back, turn it on and press the trigger — the solution gets redirected down the hose to flush it. Let up, run air through it for a bit, then shut it off. No separate rinse tool to keep track of. After that the dirty tank lifts up and off, you dump it at the sink, and a brush gets down in there to clean it out.
Ease of Use and The Learning Curve
Ease of Use scored 9/10 — one switch, spray and scrub, done. The learning curve is in two places. First, the tanks (see above). Second, the pump: My blue unit sprayed nothing out of the box. The fix is priming it — take the clean tank on and off a dozen or so times to work the air pocket out, tip the machine upside down and repeat, keep the hose lower than the unit with the trigger held, and if it still won't go, force a little water into the intake with a syringe to get suction started. It took all of that before a solution came out. I’ve seen this on other Hoovers (the CleanSlate did the same thing), and the red FH12300 didn't need it — so it may be a unit that sat in storage. Not a dealbreaker, but plan for it.
What I'd Change About the Hoover Spotless Mini Pet FH12351
- Give the "Pet" version a real pet-hair tool — or stop calling it Pet
- A release button on the tanks so they pop off and click back on
- Ship the pump primed, or put the priming steps in the quick-start guide
Hoover Spotless Mini Pet FH12351 vs Spotless Mini FH12300 vs Bissell Little Green Mini
Hoover sells this mini two ways, so here's the quick sort. The red FH12300 and the blue FH12351 Pet are the same machine — same body, same tanks, same hose clean, same score. Red gets the max extraction tool; blue gets the tight-spot crevice tool and a sample of pet formula. That's the whole difference, so buy by tool, not by name. Against the Bissell Little Green Mini (4075), I rate the Bissell a touch higher as a mini, and there's a full Battle of the Minis head-to-head on the site. And if pet hair is the actual problem, neither Hoover is the answer — the Shark StainStriker HairPro (PX253BRN) is my top spot cleaner and has real hair tools.
Is It Worth It?
Yes — as a Budget mini for everyday spills, not as a pet machine. It's lightweight, quiet, cleans better than its size suggests, and the built-in hose clean is the best convenience feature on it. Know the trade-offs: the tanks take some learning, the pump may need priming, and the "Pet" label buys you a crevice tool and a sample bottle, not a hair tool. If you'd use the crevice tool on stairs and car seats, buy blue; if you want the max extraction tool, buy the red FH12300 for the same money. If hair is the fight, buy up to the Shark StainStriker HairPro. For frequent small messes on a budget, it earned the Just A Dad Approved sticker.