I bought this to replace the brush block on my Hoover steam cleaner. It fits perfectly but the bristles seem to be softer than the original part. My original part was covered in pet hair/down and who knows what else. Now that I know how to remove the bristles I tend to vacuum before using the steam cleaner and then clean the steam cleaner bristles after each use. However, they slowly pick up hair/dirt again. I've used the steam cleaner a number of times since changing the brushes and it cleans just as well as it did when new. I have used the vacuum on carpets of various lengths and have never had a problem brushing carpets.