By Annie Johnson
This carpet cleaner does need some assembly when it arrives but it is pretty straight forward – about 10 minutes from taking it out of the box to being ready to go. As with all appliances, do make sure you read the instructions before you get going.
There are a number of good design points to this machine. A separate receptacle for the detergent means that the machine automatically mixes the right amount of detergent with water and so saves you lots of measuring and mixing. There is a tank for clean water and a separate one for the dirty water – you can see exactly how dirty your carpets are! The cleaner works by firstly thoroughly scrubbing and washing the carpet, followed by a rinse mode. This left the carpets very clean and fresh. It was particularly good at stain removal. You do need to 
make sure your carpets are thoroughly vacuumed beforehand and keep you eye on the brushes as they can become congested with fluff and other debris from your carpets. If they do become congested, they are easy to remove and clean. It is a tad noisy but perhaps no more than you’d expect for this type of equipment The machine is sturdy, well built and does the job well.
On the down side it took over an hour to clean a relatively small siting room carpet and so although the results were good, it is time consuming. It also tended to leak a little leaving the carpets quite wet in places – this was most obvious when the dirty water tank was almost full.
However, the biggest draw back was its weight. The product specification says that the cleaner is ‘designed to be compact and easy to manoeuvre’ which compared to others it probably is.
However, the cleaner weighs in at 9.5kg and when you add in the weight of the 3.5liters of water (3.5kg) this makes the weight in the region of 14kg – approx. 31 lbs. Even taking the machine upstairs without water in it was tricky. Those with mobility issues could well find using the machine quite a challenge.
Whilst it does take away the hassle of renting a carpet washer you may need to consider what storage you have available for something that most will only use occasionally – especially if you have limited space.
All in all, this machine performs well and gives very good cleaning power and good results – cleaning away trapped-in dirt, stains and odours. It comes with a 6 year guarantee, a good selection of attachments (allowing easy cleaning of tricky small spaces and upholstery) and detergent.
Technical details
The Vax Dual Power carpet washer range is available from major retailers and direct from Vax.co.uk with prices starting from RRP £149.99.
For more information, visit http://www.vax.co.uk/carpet-cleaners-and-washers or call the UK-based Vax Customer Careline on 0330 026 8455.
Vax is Britain’s leading floorcare brand (Source: GfK RT UK, Vacuum Cleaners + Steam Cleaners, Volume Sales, Dec 2014 – Dec 2015).
Cleaning result compared to the UKs leading rental machine, based on colour reflectance and brightness of carpet fibres.
Vax Dual Power Pro Advance Carpet Cleaner Spec:
Weight: 9.5 kg
Suction Power: 1200w
Guarantee: 6-year guarantee
Cleaning Width: 38cm
Clean Capacity: 3.5L
Dirty Capacity: 2.9L
Hose Length: 4.6m
Cord: 9m
Vax Dual Power Pro Carpet Cleaner Spec:
Weight: 9.5kg
Suction Power: 1200w
Guarantee: 6-year guarantee
Cleaning Width: 33cm
Clean Capacity: 3.6L
Dirty Capacity: 2.6L
Hose Length: 2.5m
Cord: 8m
Vax Dual Power Carpet Cleaner Spec:
Weight: 5.8kg
Suction Power: 800w
Guarantee: 2-year guarantee
Cleaning Width: 30cm
Clean Capacity: 2.7L
Dirty Capacity: 1.5L
Cleaning Reach: 2.5m
Cord: 8m
